20 Miles. Boom.

So it actually happened...I ran 20 miles on Saturday. That is crazy to me. For the most part in this program I've been too "in it" to realize the accomplishments, but man that is crazy. Saturday was cold, but what a perfect running day. I was really worried about how this run was going to go after the debacle that was my 18-mile run, but it went really well and I felt really happy.

Each week we lose more and more participants. Starting with the Hamptons half and full marathons the first week in October, then Chicago, and this week San Francisco. The only groups left are NYC and Dublin. So practice was small and the pacing group situation was kind of a mess. Plus, it was SUPER windy, so running along the water as I had planned wasn't a desirable option. So I ended up staying in the park for all 20 miles. I found a small pace group, but everyone was at different levels and running different distances. I ran the first 6 with one guy who had done Hamptons so was only doing six. I ran the remaining 14 alone. Which ordinarily would be excruciating, but for some reason I had a fantastic run. It was...peaceful and relaxing. Imagine saying that about 20 miles, especially with Harlem and Cat Hill thrown in the mix. It gave me some time to think about how far I've come, how excited I am, and how worried, and regret some things I should have spent more time on, i.e., strengthening my hips. But it was really an idyllic day. And I'd do it again!

I trudged back to our meeting spot, although I didn't even need to because I didn't have a bag at bagwatch, I could have just gone home. But I thought there would be a group to stretch with. Nope. I was one of the LAST to return. I was pretty mortified until a girl came back just completely jazzed about her run, not worried about the fact that poor Coach Pete was waiting in the freezing cold with the bags. Seeing her reaction helped me take a step back and appreciate the accomplishment of the run, even if it did take me an eternity. However, if you're planning to come watch the marathon, know there will probably be an hour between Mike and I's finish :o)

The best part of Central Park was that there was some kind of amazing dog event going on with every large breed you can imagine. Since I'm a dog stalker I had the opportunity to run around like a kid in a candy store giving pats to several dogs, including an English Mastiff named Thor, and my favorite, a Bernese Mountain Dog. The Berner's owner was on the phone so I took the opportunity to pat his dog, but when I did he looked like he was about to pull a restraining order out of his back pocket. Don't bring your dog to an event like this if you don't want to share!

Anyway, I feel much less sore than I did after the Staten Island Half, but during my "recovery" run yesterday I managed to pull my groin, even though I was having an easy jog on the treadmill. Ugh. I guess 20 miles does crazy things to your body:o) So now we start tapering, which apparently also does crazy things to your body, and your brain. Stay tuned.