20 Mile Recap from Up North

I currently have my feet up on the coffee table in my hotel room in Grand Rapids, MI.  I am up north for a work training and it sort of feels like a mini-vacation.  Of course it would be 10 times better if Kevin, Oscar and Lucy were here with me. :)

Backing up to Saturday, I am VERY happy to report that I completed a 20 mile training run!  After being sick for a few days and missing a key long run, I was nervous.

We started out at 6am while it was still dark and about 35 degrees.  Kevin and I planned to run the first 20 miles of the Bagel to Beer course.  My dad started out with us and split off around mile 12 to get over and watch my nephew's football game.  I forgot what it felt like to run in the cold.  My teeth hurt from the cold air, but I would take the cold over heat and humidity any day.

Miles 1-8 were tough.  For some reason, I kept thinking that maybe I didnt want run the marathon and I could just be there to support Kevin.  Maybe I would twist my ankle and wouldnt be able to complete it.  Not sure why I had all the negative thoughts, but tried to snap out of it.  

It was then that I started to feel some pain in one of my left toes.  One of my toenails had not been cut properly and was slicing into my other toe.  Miles 9 - 12 were spent thinking about the pain and I knew I would have to take a break to fix my toenail.  At the mile 12 water stop, I was able to make it more comfortable, but now the bottom of my right food was burning.  What was going on here?

After my dad split off from us, my mental attitude towards this run got worse.  It was nice to have my dad up ahead to follow and pull us through.  It wasnt that I couldnt go on, but it was that I didnt want too.  At one point, I told Kevin to go ahead because I wanted to be alone with my negativity.  Then, I got mad at myself for being such a downer and decided to catch up while he was tying his shoe. 

Shortly thereafter, we met up with two of my father's friends, so we were able to follow them to the end.  Having people to follow gave me something to focus on and lifted my mood immensely.  I felt like the run got easier and we were even keeping up a steady pace! We finished our 20 miles in 3 hours and 40 mins.  Runner's high was in full effect. 

Getting back to my Monday in Michigan, I stopped into Panera Bread for some lunch.  U Pick 2 - Garden Vegetable soup, Greek Salad, and a piece of whole wheat baguette.  I was hungry and it hit the spot.

After a lifting session in the hotel gym, I decided to be brave and go out to eat by myself.  I have done this before, but it is not my favorite thing to do.  Once I arrived at Bonefish Grill, wine was ordered immediately.  I decided that if I was already sitting at the bar by myself, I could take pictures and not feel any weirder.

There was the nicest bartender working and she told me all about the menu and even recommended local spots to try while I was in town.  And supposedly I have an accent!?!  Umm - everyone here has an accent -  not me.  ha.  I ended up ordering the Sea Scallops & Shrimp with Chimichurri sauce, succotash, and Potatoes Au Gratin. 

On the way back to the hotel, I stopped by the local grocery store - Forest Hills.  When I am in a new town, I love going into different grocery stores.  I had fun roaming the aisles looking for "finds".

This caught my eye and since I have a full kitchen in my hotel room/suite, I knew I could store it in the freezer.

There were a ton of pistachios.  Whew.  What a long post.  I am off to get some sleep.

Oh yeah - its taper time!  Philadelphia Marathon is in less than 2 weeks!