Last long run before my 1st marathon

So this morning I had my husband drop me off at the start line for my upcoming Cox Providence marathon.  I am now 2 weeks out - May 6th!  It was time for the final long run and I wanted to run the race from the top.

I made two mistakes even before I started...I forgot to apply sunscreen and I forgot to take off my extra shirt before my husband drove away.  The shirt was around my waist within 9 minutes.  That seems to be my warm-up time.  If you don't know how long it takes you to get warmed up pre-race you should test it.  1 mile and I am ready to go!

I was doing fine until the 12.5 mile mark, when being the polite runner that I am, I jumped off the road and into the yard to allow the 2 passing cars more room on the road.  It only took one stride for me to hook a root and superman my way into a fully prone position.  There was a split second and no time to think about it.  Interestingly enough I hit the ground first with my water bottle in my right hand.  I road that thing down like a float plane landing on its pontoon.  That bottle saved my body!  I did end up with a bruise on my knee and a scrape on my other hand, but all in all I was in great shape.  The dog walker and the home owner were very concerned.  They had just witnessed a full blown belly flop and wanted to know if I had broken anything.  Miraculously I was essentially unharmed.  All I could think was get up, clean yourself off, and get running.

I am as much of a mental runner as I am a physical runner.  That is why I wanted to take the course from the start line.  I wanted to know how my body was going to react to the course at each rise and fall and at every twist and turn.  There has been a course change due to construction that will not be completed in time and it seems to have quite a few people concerned.  So my plan was to run as far as the hill that has been added after mile 20.  Interestingly enough as I approached that hill all I could think was that it was nothing after the 20 miles I had already run.  That was a pretty good feeling!  Something that I can really use on race day in my mental confidence column.  The farthest I have gone in a training run is 21.25, today was a fraction off at 21.15.  I don't know how I will finish those last 5 miles, but I know that after 21 I will not let myself down.  One foot in front of the other.  The final 5 is nothing in comparison to the 21 already finished.  I know I will be hurting and out of steam, but I also know I will get it done!

For those of you who have already done a full marathon, what are your thoughts on the final 5-6 miles?  Did any of you train beyond 20 miles?  That seems to be the common max training distance that everyone throws around.  I hope race day is a little cooler than it was today.  I was seriously sweating the whole way.  At least there was a cool breeze coming up the bay.  The water stops will be a huge help.  I will carry my own Clif shot blocks, but they can supply the water.  Now I just need to taper without feeling out of shape and heavy.  I am thinking of shorter runs more often.  Any thoughts with 2 week to go?

Longest Run Ever - 21.25 marathon training

I headed out today to get my long run in for the week.  I am training for the Cox Providence Rhode Race marathon on May 6th.  I am not using a specific training plan.  I am going with the advice that if you can run 20 you can run a full and your wall is the farthest distance you have run in the past 2 weeks.

I am focusing on my mental game approaching the distance as five 5 mile sets.  I am also expanding my brain around the notion that I can run for miles and miles and miles!  You know just relax and do it.

I don't run with all of the electronic gear that others have.  I just use a Times Ironman Triathlon watch and a step counter when I feel like it.  So when I set out for distance I figure an average of 10 minutes a mile and worry about the exact distance after the run, unless I must know ahead of time and map it pre-run.  I find that I actually go farther when I go with the 10 minute mile approach.  So today I ran out 1:36 and then back for a total of  3:28.  In the end I went 21.25 miles and averaged 9:45 minutes per mile.

In addition to working on my metal game today I also got to work on running in crappy weather.  The way out was beautiful and I could not imagine why people were walking with umbrellas.  It all became clear when I turned around.  The sky was very dark and within 10 minutes I was being pelted with cold wind, hail & rain.  I thought about waiting it out somewhere, but thought they don't stop the clock in a marathon when the weather turns.  It was horrible for 15-20 minutes and then cleared only to resume again with a soaking rain that saturated my shoes and socks.  I survived the weather and the miles with just enough time to shower and head back out for ballet and soccer with the girls.  I did not even have time to check my distance. :(

Never having run a full marathon before, I won't know if this is the best approach or me or not until I test it on race day.  For now it is what I have got and we will see soon enough how it works out.  I am not concerned with my final time on race day.  For my first full I just want to finish it and then we will see what comes next in terms of adjusting my training plan (such as it is) to improve.

I run for fun and to be outside on my own.  So in the end it is all good!  I am open to suggestions though if you have any advice you would like to share with a first time marathoner.  I will let you know how it all goes on May 6th!