20 miles

[marathoner452]

20 miles this morning starting at 8:30 at mile 0 on the NCR Trail.

Gels at miles 4, 8, 12, 16. Gel at 16 was caffeinated, hence I ran 9:16, 9:18, 9:06 for the last 3 miles for a final run time of 3:19:41/9:59 pace. I have never, so far as I can remember, run that far that fast without being in a race. I never felt tired, and I actually could have run farther. Definitely bodes well for race day.

Celebrated afterwards with blueberry pancakes and orange juice at Bagel Works and coconut custard from Snickerdoodles where my sister works.

Marathon is 11/25. Goal is under 4 hours/9:09 pace. 5k next weekend, 21 miles the weekend after that, then taper…just 5 weeks to go!

See more progress on: run another marathon

Comments

[checkout-bound.livejournal.com]

That's amazing! That takes discipline, I'm impressed. haha, well anyway, I hope you enjoyed your run. I know you'll do well next month!

~Megan

[marathoner452.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I'll be sure to post a full race report.

~Bethany

[cookiesr1.livejournal.com]

That's cool...I skipped my long run this morning since I didn't do much this past week, but went out for about 4...I feel like I"m getting faster or something too. What kind of gels do you use? I haven't really tried them yet and not sure what I'm going to use for my marathon...

[marathoner452.livejournal.com]

I'll bet you are getting faster. I'll bet you're going to amaze yourself in your next race...by the way, have you decided whether you're doing the marathon or the half-marathon yet?

I'll use any kind of gels available. I like the vanilla, berry, and lemon-lime ones better than chocolate and tangerine, but that's just a personal flavor preference. In my experience, the different kinds of gels work about the same, but I'd try them out before race day in case one kind or another doesn't sit well with you. I'd be wary of using too many of the caffienated ones because caffiene is a diuretic and you might have to go to the bathroom/get dehydrated, but they're great for the end of a long run when you're running low on energy.

I think if nothing else, the gels keep you from running too low on carbs, and since your brain runs on carbs it's harder to stay mentally focused when your brain's running on the edge of glycogen depletion. I get up early before a long run to get a full breakfast too so I'm sure to have enough energy.

You ask me a question, you get an essay. :-)

~Bethany

[cookiesr1.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I like those sport beans too, do those work the same way pretty much? I'm signed up for the marathon so I'm going for that...

[marathoner452.livejournal.com]

I just bought a few bags at the Baltimore Marathon expo, so I'll give them a try on my next long run and let you know what I think. They probably taste better than gels, but they look like they're not quite as easy to open.

~Bethany

[black-op.livejournal.com]

That is awesome.
You should be very proud of yourself.
I hope to get into that kind of shape again one day.
Kick butt in your upcoming race!

[marathoner452.livejournal.com]

Thanks. It's a great feeling, like I could run through a mountain or something. Or at least run a marathon in under 4 hours.

~Bethany

[black-op.livejournal.com]

I'm fairly confident you will. You definitely seem on target. Hope to get back in that kind of shape myself. The ten miler I did... I broke 1:53:00 but after the first 6 miles I could no longer bring myself to run on the concrete portions (knees and back) and walking on those brought my average pace down significantly.

[marathoner452.livejournal.com]

My mom will be there volunteering/cheering me on, at least early on in the race-she's volunteering at the finish line. So you could ride along with her for the early miles then nagivate the rest on your own. It's really pretty easy. Pretty much the only places to watch the race are the places where the road crosses the trail. Most of these places have parking lots, and most of the roads that cross the trail are easily accessible from York Road/83: http://www.pmw.com/running/runs/NCRTrail/. (I think Phoenix is the only one that's a little more tricky, and that one isn't even on the race course.)

The race starts at Sparks Elementary and takes about 2 miles to get down to the trail at Sparks Road (mile 3.8), then it runs north on the trail for about 11 miles. Then we turn around and come back down the trail for 11 miles and leave the trail at Glencoe (mile 4.6) to return to the school. That last part is a little bit of a pain because you're going uphill at the very end of the race, but that means you can hang out in the nice warm school with REAL bathrooms at the finish. That's awesome for both runners and spectators.

The best place to catch me would be at Monkton, mile 7.2 on the trail-mile 5 1/2 on the way out and 21 on the way back. There's a nice big parking lot there. North of that, I don't know the trail all that well.

The race doesn't start until 9:30 on 11/25, and I should be finished around 1:30. I'll email you a list of approximate times I'll reach Monkton and the other checkpoints.

I'm subbing in the high school on Thursday-I think I'd rather run 20 miles.

~Bethany

[roadwarrior220.livejournal.com]

4:00? Hahahaha...I think it's time to raise your standards a little, because you're going deep under 4. And once again, I'll be there. And if you want a partner for the last 5.4 again, you can bet I'll be ready. This is the one, I can feel it.

~Adam

[marathoner452.livejournal.com]

:-)

All the same, I'm going out at 4-hour pace (9:09), then using my judgement to decide if I can run faster. I know I'll have no problem with holding pace at the end, especially if I can smell a 3:59.

I'd rather run a 3:59 and know I could have run faster than go out too fast and crash and burn at mile 20 and finish in 4:10. But if I reach halfway on pace and can tell I have extra energy, then I'll throw caution to the wind and see how fast I can run 13 miles.

~Bethany