Sunday Runday

Yesterday I did my longest training run for the LA Marathon... 20 miles. I had little to no expectation of myself for this run. I have never run that far in my life so I had no idea how my body would react. My goal was just to get up, run and enjoy myself, not worry about pace/time/etc. I think that worked in my favor because it ended up being one of the best runs of my life. Not having any pressure let me relax and really enjoy the run. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, about 60 with clear, sunny skies. I was blown away by the pace that I kept. My goal pace for the marathon is 9:30 and I ended up averaging 9:45 for the entire run, total time 3:15. Kinda crazy I thought. Who knows, maybe I will have a faster pace for LA? Suprisingly, I feel better today than I did after my 18 last week. I think it's because I took more time to stretch and kept moving afterward.

I meet an LA Marathon legacy runner at one of the water fountain. That was pretty awesome. It was really inspiring to see all the people out training.

Running 20 miles made me realize something. I need to use the same determination and mentality that I use to run as I do in other areas of my life. If I can run 20 miles, I should be able to skip the cookie in the kitchen, to pass on the french fries, to not munch on the chips, etc. I have been really angry with my eating habits over the last 2 weeks. My pants are still feeling tight and I HATE that. I really want to focus on nutrition for the next 3 weeks and fuel my body with good food so I can be as prepared as possible for the marathon. The last thing I want that day is to have excuses for why I didn't do as well as I wanted/could. I want to look like a runner, live like a runner, be a runner. If I want to run 8 min miles, I need to eat like a person who runs 8 min miles, and for me, that means better than I do now.

After LA I plan on going on a one month veggie/vegan diet. I did it last year for about 4 months and my body felt really good. Almost like detox.

I felt like I had a lot to say today and not sure that it all came out right. Sometimes what I am thinking just doesn't translate well when I try to put it into words. It's a constant internal battle for me that I think really only I understand. I thought of something while running yesterday. It might be kinda cheesy and I'm sure somewhere along the way someone else has said it.

"I may run by myself, but I am never alone." That's why I love the running community.