Two Oh

I ran my first twenty miler on Saturday (9-27-08). I finished in a little over 2:58:00, which was what I expected. I ran west on 3040 until it ended at Main St/1171. The part of the route that was more rural made for a nice change of pace. I remember feeling awesome through about 13 miles. After that, it became more like work. At about 18.5 miles my right achilles began to tighten up. It's still a little sore today, but hopefully it will not affect my 9 miler tomorrow.

Fortunately, my arch only ached a little and my knees held up real well. I also think my stomach is getting better at handling the gels I've been eating during the run. Drinking enough water is still difficult.

During the last 5 miles I kept thinking how much of a genious Pete Pfitzinger is. He's the author of the book and I'm using to train. While running 20 miles is never easy, I was amazed at how doable it was. Following the schedules outlined in Pfitz's book, Advanced Marathoning, has helped me know when, how far, and how fast I should run on a given day. All I have to do is get out of bed and get it done. Which is easier some days than others.

Surviving this run has given me a lot of confidence that I'll reach my goals at White Rock.

August - 196

I ran 196 miles in August. By far my most productive month. Just as in July, my only ailment is my right foot. It aches badly when I get up in the morning, but the pain subsides very quickly once I walk around. It hasn't hindered me at all while running. I keep telling myself the pain isn't caused by stress fractures b/c my assumption would be that pain associated with stress fractures wouldn't subside once I become active. I do not plan to go to a doctor until the pain is present when I run.

Other than running, life is going well. Work is difficult at times but Allie and Paige help me through it. Thank God for them.