Yesterday I finished my last long run of marathon training -- the big 20 miler! I'm so happy with how well it went. Mustafa and I went out early to run about 6.5 miles before meeting up with our running group. It was still dark at this point and we were off to a slow start, but things started feeling much better after a couple miles. Since it was the farthest I've ever gone on that trail, I took a quick picture right before we turned around. On the way back was definitely the best part of the run -- it's slightly downhill, we got to stop at the fire station for cold water, and we even ran negative splits! Towards the end, we caught up with three of our friends who are also running Columbus Marathon, and they really pushed us the last few miles. It's definitely the best I have ever felt during a 15+ mile run. I ran the whole thing, not including when I paused my watch to stop for water. I used a total of five Gu (4 apple cinnamon and one vanilla bean), so I'm thinking I'll use 7 during the marathon. I started my first at mile 2 and took one about every 4 miles after that. I also wore exactly what I'm planning on racing in to make sure everything felt fine! After the run, I took a long nap and feasted on lots of Panera in bed. It was a very relaxing Saturday after that!! I've set a kind of ambitious goal of running 26.2 in 4:45 in three weeks. My first marathon took me 5:24:18, but my training has been much better this time around. Yesterday's 20 mile run has left me feeling very prepared and optimistic about the race :) Knowing that Columbus is much, much flatter than Nashville, combined with how hard I've been training makes me think 4:45 may very well be possible. I'm hoping I feel just as great on race day as I did yesterday!! Only time will tell... :D
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Hello, my name is Alyssa!I'm a momma to Emerson Lilly and two fur babies, a distance runner, and just a girl full of sparkle and quirks. I love traveling to races and exploring new places to run! I started this blog in 2014 as more of a journal to keep track of training for my first marathon, and I've continued to post about training, races, and other things happening in my life. Also, I'd like to be your best friend. :) Categories
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