First 18 Mile Run!

They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha. John 19:17

Yesterday marked my longest run to date: 18 miles! To say it was tough is an understatement, but honestly, much of that is the mental aspect of running for over 3 hours. Thankfully a friend from my running group was able to join me for 13 of the miles, and it was a beautiful day.

Considering I had to do this run on Thursday, just 4 days after my usual Saturday long run day (last week was 16 miles), it went well. My legs were a bit fatigued, but not as bad as I feared they would be. The hard cold truth is my schedule is not my own, I have a family and obligations that dictate when I can run. With Easter weekend at hand, it just made sense to get the long run checked off the list early this week.

I LOVE my hydration pack! It seems impossible I can sip my way through 2 liters of water and not have to stop to pee along the way, but that's what happens when you live and run at altitude, in such a dry climate.

The front has two really nice pockets, one holds my I phone, one holds my gels and shot blocks:

The back is pretty compact, and is comfortable for a small woman (well, this small woman...but other small women say the same thing):

As for the run itself, I took it relatively easy with few brisk walk breaks to eat my shot blocks and drink water.  Hopefully race day adrenaline and running at sea level will help!

My next long run is actually a half marathon on April 15, it seems odd that 13.1 miles is considered a 'cutback' distance in my marathon training. Then it's back to 18 miles, and my first of two 20 milers. Marathon Day is 8 weeks from Sunday!

When I was running the last 5 miles alone, I tried to remember Jesus, and the walk He endured up that hill, bearing MY cross and MY sins. Suddenly my 18 mile run through beautiful trails on a 65 degree day didn't seem so tough.