I’m not sure I ever truly believed that I was capable of running 20 miles this year, until today at 10:00a.m. when I completed running the distance. This morning the outlook wasn’t great. You see I managed to pull my trapezius muscle last night while cooking dinner… I know and believe me it’s as ridiculous as it sounds.
I woke-up at 5:00a.m., jumped out of bed, and practiced my “running arms” to see how my shoulder would fair. It didn’t feel good, so I iced, took another ibuprofen and decided I’d give this run a shot. If my shoulder didn’t cooperate I could ditch the long run group while they were still in Manhattan and grab a cab home.
In my heart I knew that if this 20-miler didn’t happen, this marathon might not happen either.
I had a number of fears (some people call them fears, others call them injuries) going into this run:
- hamstring pain returned last week in full force (the same thing that derailed my 2011 marathon plans)
- IT band isn’t playing nice (i’ve also had these issues on and off all year)
- my plantar fascia has been nagging me for months (again, another one of last year’s injuries showing it’s face again)
- not having ran this far in eight years
- running in a group
- not having access to bathrooms along the route
The short end to this story is that I ran 20 freaking miles! Not only did I run them, but I ran them with a gigantic smile on my face (except the one time when running up Cat Hill when I cursed my hamstring).
Not one thing about this run felt torturous or unbearable. It felt as though I was meant to run these miles with these people. It felt as though I have been training the way I should be.
It might have been the best run of the entire year!*
Say it, Do it! (34 days until NYCM)
- 15 miles at planned marathon pace
- As many mile repeats as I can handle
- Either a tempo run or easy run
- 2 core/strength workouts
- one spin
*Special thanks to Gia, Lora and the New York Flyers for making this run possible.
Congratulations! That is amazing I know for the past year that has felt as impossible but it’s great to see how far you have come! Hope you are taking it easy and practicing some loving self-care
DANG YOU ROCK!!!!!
Awesome- go girl! I did my 18 this weekend and will do 21 in 2 weeks, can’t’ believe the NYC marathon is just around the corner =)
I know, crazy right?
Well done. I’ve got complete run envy :0)
Jess, I’m so happy for you and am not at all surprised that you were able to push through the pain/fears and finish this run. You’re an inspiration!!!!
Aw, thanks Jen! I can’t wait to hear how you’re training is going!
Nice work Jess! That’s what it’s all about! Run=Fun.
Great job! I’m sorry your having some aches and pains. Hopefully advil will be enough to keep them at bay. If you did 20, you should be able to do six more no prob!
I love how positively giddy you girls look in the second picture! Way to go!
I’ve TOTALLY got run envy right now.
Give yourself more credit girl! You have nothing to fear. You’re in shape and focused – I am cheering you on.
WAY TO GO JESS! That’s so awesome!!! 🙂
Congrats, Jess, on an amazing run!!!! So happy you were able to get those 20 miles in!! And can I just say that the 3 of you look stunningly gorgeous after running 20 miles!!! Amazing!
Congrats on 20! My farthest was this weekend at 6. What can I say? It was my easy “detox” recovery run. Can’t believe after all of these years of my life as a non-runner where I could actually call a six miler “easy” lol 🙂