It is over! I have successfully completed my first twenty mile training run this past saturday morning and I can certainly tell you that 20 miles is a long way to run, it tests every aspect of your training and can break your morale in the process. However, once you realize you have completed the most grueling part of your training you have a real sense of accomplishment. Something that can only be topped by completing the actual race in a matter of few weeks.

It was rough but I completed the 20 miles in 2:44:20 which turns out to be a 8:12 pace, leaving plenty of room for improvement. I can break the run in a few stages, similar to how I felt on the road. Going out I was running with the group and three of us had a great pace going. We reached the turn around point in 1:17:54 (7:47 pace) but I spent a lot of energy trying to get comfortable. On the way back, I got caught in traffic a couple of times which meant I was going to be running on my own the last eight miles, something that can be a very grueling task.

I was not able to think/walk/convince myself to keep the 8:00 pace during the last few miles, I was anywhere between 8:30 and 9:00 which is why my average climbed up from the first 10 miles going out. I am not happy with the time but I am ecstatic about the fact that I completed the distance and today I feel relatively well. I made the mistake to break in some new shoes on this run but I didn’t want to use my old ones and risk hurting my foot once again. I will have another opportunity to improve my time in a couple of weeks, when I will be running at home (remember to bring some music along!) during the holidays.