I survived. I had so much anxiety going into this long run but I lived to tell the tale! In 3 hours, 18 minutes, I ran 20 miles. My goal was first just to complete the darn thing, but in the back of my head I was hoping to run solid 10 minutes miles throughout. I came in at a 9:54 pace, so right on the money! How I felt afterwards: Bahahaha. Yeah freaking right. How I actually felt: It was HARD. And LONG. (That's what she said) Honestly, it was by far my toughest run. I can't imagine topping it with another 6 miles in the actual marathon. Normally after a long run I feel on top of the world, but this time all I wanted to do was get to a toilet--and fast! An ice bath, shower, and lots of food improved my mood considerably. I fueled with 2 Chocolate #9 gels (one at mile 5, one at mile 10) and then one honey stinger chew each mile. Those chews are more to break up the monotony for me, and give me a little motivation to get through each mile. The gels were great, although I...
Ultrarunning in Kalamazoo on a ketogenic diet