get down girl, go 'head, get down

20 miles done! it was not the best it could have been, but it was far from the worst.

friday night was a beautiful night, and all my roommates were drinking wine on our roof. i wanted to hang out so badly but knew that i couldn't, so at about 8 pm i made myself stay in my room. i made my playlist, filled my fuel belt, and tried to relax. i put on an arrested development dvd to watch as i fell asleep, and i think i ended up getting to sleep by 10 pm or so.

of course, my sleep was interrupted a bit by friends calling and txting, because they were out and drunk and forgot i was being all runner-y and staying in.

at 7 am i got up to eat a bagel and drink some coffee. i was so nervous and excited! i had butterflies in my stomach. for a 20 mile run? weird, but ok.

the weather was crazy on saturday morning....some sun, then overcast, then sun, then raindrops. but perfect for a run. pretty comfortable. i had shorts, a t shirt, and a hat on. my hair was in pigtail braids - which, with the hat, is my new favorite way to wear my hair during a run. it worked really well.

i was so excited i felt myself start a bit fast. the first few miles my calves were really tight, but by mile 4 or so i loosened up. i ate some sport beans at mile 6, and miles 8 - 12 were probably my best miles. lots of people on the lake to watch, i was warmed up, and not tired yet.

i kept thinking, its a 12 mile run to start your 8 mile run. so at 12 miles, i was at nicole and kevin's house (the lovely couple who bring us jumping in with both feet). i refilled my water bottles, got laughed at for looking so disgusting, and got sweat all over their couch.

nicole and i headed out for our run, and my legs were already getting stiff. basically, i owe her big time for 1. getting my through my run and 2. still being my friend at the end of it. she is a great motivator, and put up with my slow butt as i creeped to our finish line. so thank you thank you thank you nicole, for running with me and still being my friend after seeing me at my disgustingest.

when nicole and i do anything, it is typically a comedy of errors. this run was no exception. i had on a great nike dri-fit white t shirt, and a blue sports bra from target. well, as i sweat, the blue from the bra was bleeding onto the white shirt. there was a line where the bottom band of my bra was, and two blue nipples. nicole told me it looked like a smiley face. it was ridiculous.

i wish i could write a better account of what happened, but a lot of my run was a blur. it wasn't awful but it was painful at the end. im glad i got through it, and now i am glad to finish up my training and get to cleveland for the race! just 20 days away. wow.

my advice to you with 20 mile runs coming up - after you run, take a shower. then eat a lot. then sleep a lot. then go meet your friends at the bar and drink a lot. it worked for me.

yesterday, i ordered new shoes as a reward for my 20 miles. they should get here in the middle of this week, which should give me plenty of time to test them out before the marathon. i got nike pegasus in light blue/white. woo hoo!