Last Long Run!

I'm almost there! This weekend's 20 miler marks the last of my long runs, and it couldn't have gone better. The weather was fantastic--sunny with a little breeze--so I was thrilled to be out there for a little over 3 hours. I'm not so happy with my lobster-like complexion today, but I know better than to complain about a sunny day.

The 20 felt a little daunting during the week, so I enlisted some friends to meet up with along the way. My friend Kerry lives along the north part of my route, so she let me wake her up early to run about 4 miles. Usually my least favorite part of my run is the first 1.5 hours going north through some neighborhoods that can be a little sketchy, so having her join me for my toughest part of the run was a life-saver. Thanks Kerry!

After dodging a parade and cutting off some traffic on lakeshore drive, my roommate Denise and her boyfriend Edgar joined in the fun. They met up with me for the last four miles, going north from the loop. I was definitely a bit tired when I we met up, but I put on my tough face and they entertained me enough to forget about the two hours I'd already run. And Edgar, being about a foot taller than me and a guy, was a lot faster, which pushed me to speed up at the end. I'm not sure how, but we sprinted the final few blocks, leaving me with an average of around a 9:30 pace. And then Edgar treated Denise and I to Starbucks and brunch afterwards. FYI Edgar, you're welcome in Chicago any time :)

So I guess this is it folks! Next weekend I have a maintenance run of 10 miles, then Gara and I are off to Green Bay, WI for the May 16 race.



I've mentioned that Gara will be doing the half marathon portion of the marathon, so there'll be two ladies running for AHCF that day. I'm not sure how thrilled Gara (a Michigan native) is about entering Packerland, but I'm pretty darn excited. Seeing as we get to run through the field itself, and this race will be my first trip to Lambeau after 28 years of Cheeseheadedness, Gara may have to hold me back from doing a Lambeau Leep at the end of the race. Assuming I can still stand, that is!

As usual, thanks to everyone for their continued support! A special thanks to:

Martha & Nathan Linsley
Jake Babcock & Emily Detroy
Noel Collins
Mark Blocker

This week's donations put me just about halfway to my $2,000 goal. Let's make this happen!!!