20 -- by abby

i have to say, it really was a pretty decent run. my mom rode her bike to keep me company and carry all my junk. it was nice and warm in denver, about 40 when we set out and about 65 or so when we finished up 3 hours and 30 minutes later. the run itself actually probably took about 3:20 when you factor in all waiting at stoplights and one bathroom break. we ran on the highline canal trail, which goes all over denver for about a billion miles. it's this nice crushed gravel trail, and it was a lot more cushy for my hip than the road.

i felt pretty great. really the biggest thing is i just got kind of bored with running around mile 15 or so. my mom talked a lot and that helped. i ate my gels and sports beans and listened and talked some and enjoyed the weather. i stopped to walk for about 2 minutes at mile 11 and again at mile 16. in mile 19, my mom counted down every 10th, and then i took a victory lap around the parking lot. we were using the computer on her bike to mark miles, and later my dad said it's pretty accurate, so i guess that's that. my legs were tired, but i feel confident i could have knocked out another 6.2 right then if i'd had to.

i was sore saturday and a little on sunday, but today i feel great. not quite fully recovered, but almost. i was just looking at the rest of the schedule up to the race and it's like there's hardly any running left to do! i'm glad to have this run behind me (last week i was a ball of knots and worries and anxiety, lost inside my own head and hard to be around), and i'm looking forward to an easy few weeks before the race ---