Twenty x2

September flew by. I was busy running and working, and not blogging about any of it. (I'm going to go back and put up a few of the blog posts I had planned). Suddenly October is here, and suddenly the end is in sight! The Marine Corps Marathon is at the end of this month!

Two weekends ago, I ran my first 20 miler in training, and it went pretty well. Tristan and I met up in Fredericksburg, where we ran downtown and along the canal path. I felt pretty good until the last three miles, when I started to fade, but we still managed to pick up the pace at the end- we ran the last mile in 8:59! The entire run took us 3 hours, 15 minutes.

The next day wasn't so great. My left hip has still been giving me trouble. My muscles are tight, and I've been getting sciatic pain shooting through my hip and down into my leg. The day after the 20, I was supposed to run 10 miles, and I just couldn't. Every time I took a step, pain would shoot through my leg. I couldn't run without limping. It was frustrating!

This was the weekend for our last 20 miler, and I really wanted to have a good run before the taper. I wasn't able to run all week since I had to put in some overtime at work... but in hindsight, maybe it was a good thing since it gave my hip a chance to rest. Tristan and I signed up for a small 20 mile race in Fredericksburg for this last long run, thinking it would give us extra motivation.

I'm glad we did! We ran the Stonewall Jackson 20 miler, which travels along portions of Stonewall Jackson's actual ambulance route, and through the Chancellorsville Battlefield. My favorite part was miles 7-10, when we ran through the battlefield and along some back roads. It was a perfect fall day- there was a nice crispness in the air and some of the trees were just starting to change color. As we were running, it seemed so peaceful and quiet out there in the woods. It reminded me of why I love running- I get be outside and enjoy nature!

The course was very hilly, but we took it in stride. After all, it's good prep for the marathon! We ended up walking a little bit every mile for the last four miles, but finished strong. At the end, I was SO relieved to have my last 20 mile run over! We got Chick-Fil-A sandwiches at the end, which was a nice surprise. It really hit the spot after all that running. This time I made sure to ice and stretch after the race.

Today, Tristan and I ran 10 miles. It definitely wasn't my best run. I was tired and I struggled a bit, but we finished it. I think it's important to learn how to keep running on tired legs- just more quality marathon training! Also, I was super excited not to experience any hip pain on these last two runs! (Just knee pain and calf tightness- NBD).

And I'm super, super excited that this was the last big running weekend before the marathon. Two twenty milers, done. I'M SO EXCITED TO TAPER!!!