18 mile run

As I type this I'm sitting in front of the TV watching old US Open matches (another rain delay) and enjoying a chocolate green monster smoothie. I haven't had one in a little while and it taste sooooo good after this morning's run. Plus I put some Dark chocolate Luna recovery smoothie mix in. Good for the body! So it turns out that my breathing problems were not from allergies. Apparently I was having an allergic reaction to a new Burt's Bees body lotion I was trying (sorry Burt's). Friday morning was pretty tough. Lots of itching, hives, and swelling throat. Needless to say I took a second shower and got it washed off and went back to a body lotion that I haven't had any problems with. It feels so good to be able to breathe better!!

So, I woke up feeling really good this morning! To be honest I wasn't really worried about this run, which is odd because I got a little nervous before our 16 mile run. It turned out to be awesome! I got up the most difficult hill I think I've ever run (Johnson Ferry between Columns and Powers), which was a huge confidence boost. I wasn't out of breathe or anything. Just running calmly up the hill. It's about effort not pace has become my mantra going up hills lately and it's really helped.

I started getting tight around mile 15 or so, which hurt some (lets be honest 26.2 miles is going to hurt, but feels so good when you're done). So I took some extra salt packets today, 4 total. Seems a little excessive I'll admit, but it was humid out even if it was a little cooler and I was sweating pretty good. But I did it, and I did it with a decent time even though I was taking it slow. Our staff coordinator met us at the top of the final hill with beaded necklaces, a sort of faux Tiffany's finishers medal experience for rocking 18 miles. She's also making the course highlights for the sites we'll come across during the race in San Francisco. Pretty cool. We ran past signs for the start line in Union Square, Fisherman's Wharf, and the Great Highway. It's hard to believe that we're only 5 weeks away from the race! Next week is a recovery week (lower mileage), and then we tackle 20 miles, our longest training run for the race.

But for now it's back to the smoothie and relaxing!