October 3, 2010

My toe and a 20 Miler!

My Toe:
I cannot believe I forgot to write a little blurb about my toe on my last post.  Some of you wrote comments asking me how it was (thanks!), so I thought I'd give you a little update.  For those of you who didn't read about it, you can see my lovely toe here.  Well, I'm happy to say that it is feeling much better!  I was actually able to drain it a little bit, but I just could not bring myself to take the nail off.  The swelling is gone, there is no pressure under the nail anymore, and it is almost pain free.  Yay! I know it is going to fall off eventually, so I'll just let Mother Nature decide when it's time for it to come off.  Until then, I'll deal with the black nail! :)

My 20 Miler:
Or otherwise known as the kick ass, confidence booster run I needed! :)
We had a little "cold" front come to Denver yesterday, making the high only in the upper 60s/low 70s.  Since the sun doesn't come up until 7A, I decided to start my run around 7:30.  It was in the 50s and I could see my breath when I got out of my car.  Brrrrr.  But, I knew I would warm up over the next 3 hours or so.  I decided to wear my shorts with my compression socks instead of my running tights b/c I wanted to see how they felt during a long run.  I know this was a gamble, especially since I was running 20 miles, but I was willing to take the chance.

I started running and was amazed at how many other people were already out on the trail.  I run on this trail a lot and I have never seen as many runners on it as I did yesterday.  It was awesome!
The trees were also very beautiful.  I took this picture at the beginning of the run.  Almost all of the trees along the trail were already changing.

I tried to keep my pace around 9:30 again, but my legs just wanted to go!  I don't know if it was because I was more rested, but my legs just felt "fresh."  I settled into a pace somewhere between 9:00-9:15 and just kept running, hoping this pace wouldn't come back and bite me later in my run.

7 miles into my run, I crossed a road I had never crossed before and continued on the path onto unchartered territory.  It was nice to be running along a new section of the trail and I really think this made my run go by faster then usual.  Around mile 9 I passed a park with a water fountain and a port-a-potty and made a mental note of where it was.  I made it to 10 miles, did a quick fist pump in the air, then turned around.  I was feeling really good and I was actually excited about completing the second part of my run.  I reached the water fountain, refilled one of my water bottles, then used the port-a-potty.  This is probably more info. then you care to know, but up until that point, I had been ducking behind trees and bushes to do my business.  So, it was nice to actually have a place to "go."  :)

Around mile 13, I saw two women running in front of me that looked really familiar.  I ran up next to them, and it was Julie from You Just Have to Tri! and Kathleen from Dare to Dream.  I was so excited to see them!  I ran next to them for awhile and learned that they were doing 11 miles!  They are both doing the Denver 1/2 marathon.  We chatted for a little bit, then I headed out to complete the rest of my run.  It was so fun to see them and it really gave me a boost of energy to keep on keepin' on!

From that point on, I just kept ticking off the miles.  I would get to mile 14 and say, "6 miles to go."  Then, before I knew it I was at mile 15.  5 miles to go.  At this point I decided to pick up the pace a little bit and run a couple miles at my marathon pace.  I got to mile 18 and remembered how hard my last 18 miler was at the end.  But today, I felt different.  I felt strong and was just having a great time being outside running.  I kept up my pace and was overcome with joy when I reached my car!  20.15 miles in 3 hrs. for a 8:58min/M avg. pace!!


Happy to be done with my first 20 miler! :)











I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED my compression socks! They were really comfortable...not too tight and not too loose.  I didn't get any blisters, my feet never got hot, and I truly believe they helped me get through the run.  I will definitely be wearing them for my marathon.

See all the dust?  Yeah...my socks and shoes got pretty dirty from the trail!



I got home, and this is where I sat for the next 15 minutes.  Brrrr!  And  yes, I have swimsuit bottoms on!
Can you see my goosebumps?  Here, let me help you!
Then, after a nice, warm shower, I slipped on my compression tights and headed out to lunch.  Chipotle veggie burrito bowl anyone?

Overall, I was super happy and excited after my run!  That is the longest I have ever run, and I now know that I WILL be able to make it to the finish line of my marathon!  Yay!

I hope you are all having a great weekend! :)

33 comments:

ShutUpandRun said...

Wow awesome run for you and YES!! you will be able to make it to the finish line feeling strong!!

Diana Tries-A-Tri! said...

Wow wow wow! Amazing work, you're a stud.

Running and living said...

Awesome job! This means you are peaking!

abbi said...

Glad your toe is better. Congratulation on kicking ass on your 20-miler. And, totally awesome pace on it too!

Julie said...

No doubt in my mind you will finish the marathon strong! I think I will most certainly have to hang out after finishing the 1/2 and see that too. :) You are amazing!

It was great to see you on the run and I now see why you enjoy running there so much, it's a really great path.

Anonymous said...

There is nothing like a smooth 20-mile training run...nothing except a MARATHON, that is! You're going to kick its ass!

Unknown said...

Congrats on a great run! You're going to do awesome!

Niki said...

Great job on your 20 miler!! You are gonna rock your marathon :)

Pahla said...

YAY!! What an awesome run!!

Christi said...

Great run!

Teamarcia said...

You KILLED IT! What a confidence booster! WTG!

ONEHOURIRONMAN said...

Good job!!
I have always been a chicken to take an ice bath, I don't know how you do that..

Jen said...

Nice work!! I'm so excited for your marathon - I know you will rock it! And good news about your toe ;)

PS I made your oatmeal bars today - yum! Thanks for posting that!

Stephanie Anne said...

sounds like you had a great run!!

justme said...

wahoooooooo for you !!!!

Unknown said...

Great job on the twenty! And, I love the unexpected bloggy meet-up.

Alexa said...

wow that is a superb 20 miler!

Unknown said...

Awesome!!! I didn't question if you had bottoms on!! LOL!! :)

KovasP said...

Love my compression socks and also a nice Chipotle veggie salad. Yum!

Big Daddy Diesel said...

Nice run!!!

You are such a brave soul for taking ice baths

Jill said...

Double YAY!!! Glad the toe's better and STOKED that your long run went so well! This gorgeous weather here is really awesome. You're going to have a great marathon, I just know it. I ran some of the course the other day and the trees are just starting to turn, by race day. Soooo very excited for you :).

Runners Fuel said...

awesome run! so brave for another ice bath!!

n/a said...

Wow! Congrats on a great run! I have my first 20 miler this Sunday so I'm happy to read such a positive report on a 20 miler. Looking forward to your race report!

funderson said...

well done!!!

teacherwoman said...

Congrats on your 20 miler! What a wonderful accomplishment, huh?! Well deserved ice bath to follow!

Caratunk Girl said...

Yeah! Glad the toe is better!

Congrats on the 20 miler and suffering through that ice bath hell. I want that burrito bowl!

Anonymous said...

Yum! The Chipolte Veggie Bowl is my favorite too!

Barbie said...

Well done. COngratulations. You look so fresh after your run - I sure don't look like that. That is a sign of being totally ready for your marathon.

Julie said...

Way to go Aimee! Nice job on the 20 miler! You are going to do so well with your first marathon...I just know it:) Listen lady, I would kill for those legs! You are looking great Aimee! Keep up the awesome work!

Thanks for the kind comments regarding my marathon:)

Mel -Tall Mom on the Run said...

confidence boosting strong runs are the best. Way to rock out the 20!!

Anne-Marie said...

Hooray for the toe being on the mend AND for an awesome 20 miler! Way to go! Sounds like you're ready for a great marathon :)

I have never worn my compression socks on a long run before, but now I might have to try it!

RunToTheFinish said...

I love when you jsut have those days where your body is ON. YEAHH for great long runs! I like my compression sleeves for long speedwork especially because that's when I tend to cramp up

Regina said...

Congrats on the 20 mile AWESOME run!!! I am glad your toe is felling better too.

I donned my new pink compression socks after my race...love them!

I love Chipotle...