Marathon Training Log #2

14 miles. The longest I have ever run. Our training schedule assigned 13.1, but we decided to go ahead and run farther in order to boost our confidence. We planned to start at 6:00 a.m. Ben was joining us too, so in order for our kids to not be left home alone (they're 3 & 1), we stayed at his parents' house. It turned out to be great location because we were less than 10 minutes from our meeting spot.

In my running belt I took the two 10 oz bottles, one with water and one with a Spark powder mixed in. I packed two gels (one for me and one for Ben), and a Marathon Bar. 

At 5:30 I ate 4 oz of yogurt with granola. I ate a banana on the way to our meeting spot, so it was about 5:55. I did not have any coffee(!!!), so I felt sluggish as we started. But Chris brought me the Spark, and I drank it early in the run. It has 120mg of caffeine; about equal to one 8 oz cup of coffee, plus lots of B vitamins. It perked me up quickly.

Between miles 7 & 8, we shared the Marathon Bar (I think it's made by Snickers?); it was chocolate covered peanut butter protein... I thought it was good. We refilled our waters at a park around the same time. I was feeling pretty tired around mile 10, so I tried the Hammer Gel (Huckleberry flavor, I think) that I had gotten in a swag bag at my most recent race. Ben never ate the gel that I had packed for him.

Once we finished, I "trotted" and walked for several minutes before stopping to stretch. I am so happy to report that again, I experienced no stomach problems post-run!  We averaged a 9:48 pace, and it was a beautiful morning for a run!

Running beyond our previous distance record was just the first step in our marathon training, but it is a definite confidence booster just knowing we can do it! Only 10 weeks to Marathon day!