I'm so excited that I have completed my first 20 miler!! I woke up super early yesterday (Saturday) morning. I was both nervous and excited about completing my first 20 miler. My sister spent the night Friday night so we could get up and run together. She was planning on running around 13. We aren't exactly the same pace, but it's still nice knowing someone else is out there somewhat nearby. We ran at Creve Couer Park. There is a nice, mostly flat, looped trail around a lake that is a 3.7 mile loop. There is also a bigger loop that is around 5 miles, and some other trails connecting off, too. I did different loops of different directions to get the 20 miles. I kept a mostly steady pace, averaging an 11:05 pace. The McMillan Race Pace calculator recommends that I keep my run between 11:06-12:06 for my long runs, so I was pretty close to the recommended pace. I kept trying to keep myself motivated at the moments I thought about taking a walking break by thinking about the distance I was at, the distance I had left, how pleased I would feel when I finished the run without stopping to walk, counting down until I could have the next stinger chew or the mini-payday. I have been taking a stinger chew (I previously used the GU chomps, but I like that the stingers are softer and smaller, so they are easier to chew while running) at miles 5 and 15. I have been eating a mini payday bar at mile 10. On my last two long runs, I found myself feeling very hungry around mile 16. I have just been drinking water, but I do have a fizz drink with my breakfast in the morning.
After the run, I was signed up to participate in the SHARE walk. The National Share Walk for Remembrance & Hope is an annual event to remember the lives of babies that were lost during pregnancy loss, stillbirth or in the first few months of life. This walk provides an ceremony of hope, giving each baby a chance to be recognized while all of the names of those lost are read. My friend and co-worker, Marissa Steinhoff, lost her baby Paige just a few days after birth in January 2011. I wanted to complete my run in time to walk with their family. I was able to find her, and I did complete the distance of the walk, but I did not get to walk with the Steinhoff/Godefroid families. In my thoughts, I dedicated the 20 mile run, plus the extra mile I walked up to find the family and back to the car, to Paige and all the other heavenly babies.
I continue to work on fundraising for St. Jude as a St. Jude Hero for the St. Jude Memphis Marathon. All of my training and runs are also dedicated to the families at St. Jude. I hope the money I raise, and the time commitment of training for the marathon can in some small way help bring comfort and support to the children and families dealing with childhood cancer. If you would like to donate to St. Jude, here is the link:
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