The Commoner LOVES Marathon Training!

That's right people I did it!  I nailed the longest of the long runs-the big 20 miler and I didn't even hate it!  I haven't hated running for about a month now-in fact I loved the long run.  So I am going to try and do 20 observations from my long run, but that would take forever so I'll try for 10.

1.  Santa Clara County is the best county anywhere.  I'm not even kidding.  My beautiful trail in Morgan Hill goes on forever non-stop.  I hear it just keeps hooking up with other trails and it's fantastic.  I don't know of anywhere else in the country-no the world-no the universe who has a system of bike trails like this one.  I love you Santa Clara County future home of the 49ers.

2.  I don't have to interview fake celebrities any more.  I've pretty much mastered running in the mile.  But I know I could not run that far if it weren't for JayZ.  There's something about his bad ass music that makes me feel like I can be bad ass  too.

 

3.  People think I don't like nature but I really do.  I love the nature on the trail.  The spooky trees the lakes but mostly it's  a treat when I see the deer.  I always try to talk to them but they run away -(I'm desperate to talk to anyone on the run) They have beautiful running  form by the way.

4.  Dragonflies.  When I was a little girl I was so afraid of them.  Heck up until a month ago I was afraid of them.  But one of my observations about a month ago was that they hover at mile 4 and when I get there they escort me -like police.  Just for a very little while.  I always love seeing them now.

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5.  Nike App.  There's nothing better than Nike App.  She keeps my pace, she cheers me on.  I've become friends with Sonya Richards Ross and Kara Gaucher.  I've bought a Garmin.  I don't love it.  It's very fussy.  I know I can't take Nike App on the marathon because it won't last (It only lasted 19.4)  But she's taken me all the way and that's what counts.

6.  Those energy chews?  They are fantastic.  I eat one every 2 miles and I swear they keep me going.  Ever since I started using them my Long Runs have been great.

7.  There's no Place Like Home.  For a long time I thought I needed to find a better place to run.  Some place new, some place different, yet some place safe where I would not run out of road.  Then it dawned on us.  Our trail was all of those.  Because every time we went further we discovered somewhere new where we had never been.  Yet we had all the old familiars to help us through our run.  It turned out we never needed any place to go. there was so much here already Dorothy.

8.  Runners and Especially Cyclist you see along the way.  They always smiled at me, I knew they would ID me if I went missing, and mostly they were always careful not to run over me, especially when I threw caution to the wind and ran down the middle of the road.

9.  My Warrior Princess Look.  That's right.  Over the past few weeks as the run mileage piled up I adopted the look of a warrior.  Sports Bra only (the long kind don't worry), fuel belt, rock tape, head band rocking warrior woman. 

10.  Finally my feet.  Which carried me all these miles!  20 Friggin Miles without hardly complaining.  Okay I did have a cramp which made my toes freeze in a weird shape, some blisters, and a bunion.  But come on!  20 Miles?

 

Training isn't over.  There's a month to go.  But the big runs, the runs I've never thought possible before?  They are done.  All that's left in 26.2 miles through the city of Chicago.

  Pardon my Language!