The Dreaded 20

Woke up yesterday at 5:45 am, after a few short hours of sleep, to be greeted by darkness and a chill all the way to the bone. I ate, showered (always do before the long runs to get my head in the game), grabbed my stuff, took some good-luck wishes from Jeff & Wrigley and was on my way. As I drove to pick up Becca, the sun started to peak out of the clouds ... I opened the car window. Nope, still 41 degrees out.

Becca and I arrive early, partly because we didnt pick up Cara (another injury!) and partly because TNT suggested we do. The intention was to actually start at 7AM due to the cold, so we didnt all have to stand around. Our arrival time? 6:45. Our start time? 7:15 :(

While we waited I was freezing. I couldnt figure out what to wear for the run. Coach Jack said - "this is ideal Marathon weather" and "you will warm up fast". Blah blah blah. I was freezing! Should I wear my long sleeve shirt? Many of the runners had pants AND long sleeve shirts. Hmmm. I ditched it at the last minute and we took off. It took three miles for me to finally be able to feel my finger tips - but I am absolutely extatic I took off that shirt.

Based on my Park Forest 10 time the McMillan calculator tells me to do my training runs at 12-13 minutes per mile. I keep trying to slow to that pace and I just cant. But we started off our 20 as slow as possible ... doing the first couple of miles at 11:10 minutes a mile. I was happy with that (and couldnt make myself go much slower) - so we stuck with it. In the end we paced at about 12 minutes per mile, but this was solely due to lollygagging around at the rest stops. I dont think this is what McMillion means by pacing at 12 ... I do think he means RUN at 12, not run at 11 and then just hang out for 4 minutes at TNT rest stops ... but oh well!

So we continued at our 11 minute miles, occasionally running too fast and forcing a slow-down throughout the 20. It eventually warmed to the point where I got a bit of a sunburn on my arms - so ditching the shirt was one of the best moves I have made in quite a while. The first 10 was awesome. I would actually say it was "enjoyable". The next 3 or so started to get a bit harder - my knees started to hurt, my calfs started to hurt, etc. Around mile 18 my legs were killing me - but the real issue was my back. I had lower-back pain on the 18 miler and it was back again. It made the last 2 miles quite a challenge. While I ran through it, it would have been hard to face the full 26.2 in that situation.

Overall the run was great. I finished and I am feeling good today. I learned a couple of lessons:

1. I still have a tendancy to go out too fast, and might blow my energy too early at the Marathon
2. The lower back pain might be an issue, but definitely has a mental element (both times it became worse 2 miles before the finish...)
3. I dont need to consume as much liquid as I did for the 20, my stomach got a bit sloshy :)

So what do I do?
Pace
I am going to sign-up with a pace-group for the Marathon. If they can keep me slow for the first 1/2 then I can choose to leave them or continue at that point. Anything to save my energy is key!
Back Pain
Orignally I was looking into a chiropractor, but decided against treatment so close to the Marathon. I am going to incorporate massage over the next few weeks. Also, I start a Pilates class tomorrow, which will strengthen my abs, helping with low-back strength. While I only have three-weeks until the big day, I will have 6 sessions of Pilates - and it can only help!
The Liquids
Though I think I am thirsty, I need to remember that I dont have to down all that liquid. My goal is to drink 1/2 of the cup and throw the other 1/2 out - no matter what. Its a tactic I have seen mentioned on many hydration strategies but tend to ignore :)

Training Log
Time:  4:00 time  Distance:20 miles   Pace:  12:00 min/mi
Finished, but not as strong as I would like. Its all the mental game now ... mind over matter, right?