20 miler 2018

Unofficial time according to Runkeeper: 4:31:58

The road to get to this 20 miler was not an easy one. I wasn't sure I could make it; so unsure I paid the high, last minute registration fee. Backing out of the marathon was not an option. In fact, I really wasnt thinking about the marathon - I was so sure that gravity was going to take my down that mountain in St. George the next month. Failing the 20 miler or even the thought of failing the 20 miler was crushing me. The 20 miler is notoriously hot and I couldnt stop thinking about last year's miserable humidity. 

After my torturous training and Chicago marathon experience last year I wasn't sure if I would ever run again. I wasn't a group leader this summer so I was on my own. Too hard! The weekday runs weren't that bad. Two days a week I'd get in my run on the way home in Evanston. The lakefront is great; not too crowded and plenty of water bottle fill stations.  One midweek run per week was substituted with an elliptical session. 

When it came to the weekend longs runs I procrastinated. Getting out the door was nearly impossible. Some times I'd push the run until Sunday evening and then pay for it the next day. Running in heat and humidity takes so much out of my body. Running at night left my no time to rehydrate so I'd wake up in the middle of the night throat parched and heart pounding. 

Jay joined me on a few long runs. If he wasn't there I probably would have given up. I knew that after 6 months of no running training for a marathon was a stupid idea and it was going to be tough as nuts. It did get slightly easier and the summer went by and then those few precious, low humidity last runs before the marathon gave me the confidence that everything was going to be ok. I was a runner again.

The morning of the 20 miler I stepped outside to meet the Uber driver and ran into a thick wall of choking humidity. The previous day's weather was decent and gave me hope for the 20 miler. What happened? 

Running along the lake had become boring and monotonous to me. I stuck with Brian for the first 10 miles and let him decide when we'd walk and when we'd run. Mixing it up and having someone to run with kept me on track. 

The slowest runners started first which means that the slowest runners get trampled by the faster runners for about the first 5 miles. There was so much going on I wasn't bored in the least. 

Around Oak Street Beach at the 10 mile mark Brian started to slow down. I still felt good. Really good, in fact, so I took off. I remembered how last year I struggled through this run and celebrated how good I felt this year. The oppressive humidity dissipated and the sun wasn't too bad. 

After I got my bag I headed straight to the beer tent and unpacked the beer and PB&J I brought with me. Then I found a vendor giving away IV hydration. So there I was sitting under a tent outside in Jackson park with a needle stuck up my arm and a bag of saline and vitamins hanging from the tent frame. 

I had never felt so good after a super long run. Generally I'm completely exhausted and can barely make it up the steps to my front door. But this time I felt like dancing as I walked from the post race shuttle bus to meet my Uber!

I was ready for the marathon!