The Home Stretch

May 15, 2012 by megancabalka 10 Comments

Well, I can officially say I’m tapering!

On Saturday, I tackled the longest run I’ll have to complete before the marathon…20 miles. Say whaaa??

I had a busy weekend, so I had to do my run bright and early Saturday morning. I set my alarm for 4:38, which comes all too early on a weekend morning. I rolled out of bed, popped some pills (don’t worry…just endurolytes and ibuprofen) and chowed down a PB&J.

I was out the door by 5:15. To the right is my first picture, taken at about 5:20. It’s still a tad dark, but this is where I start my runs almost everyday…looking at Blackhawk Country Club. The grounds crew wasn’t even at work yet.

I have to say, it is SO refreshing to run in the morning. There aren’t many people out and if they are, they’re all pleasant! And the best part…very little traffic! The only struggle is the first 5 minutes out of bed. I’m one nasty person that time of day.

I took the first few miles through Shorewood and cut up by my old neighborhood, down Kendall Avenue. Running there makes me depressed because it was the BEST location. Ever.  Then I ran by Camp Randall to the City Bike Trail.

Regent Street

My next picture is proof that there is no traffic this time of day. Regent Street is ALWAYS busy. Ahhh, gotta love it.

From here out on, I don’t remember much. I just remember running. And running. Annnd running some more. I really developed an appreciation for Forrest Gump that day. I even started thinking about how he stopped at a diner for pancakes…is that memory from the movie correct? Well, I envisioned that during my run.

Then, before I knew it…my 20 miles were done! I don’t know why, but I thought this run was easier than both my 16 and 18-mile runs. I even took a post-run picture. You know that saying, “if you still look good at the end of a workout, you didn’t work hard enough”? Well, I definitely worked hard enough, which is why I’m going to spare you by not including the pic.

So I have officially finished the hardest part of the marathon…the training. Yes, I have a few weeks left, but my mileage dramatically decreases. What am I going to blog about when this is all done??

I have one last announcement: I can cross another thing off my bucket list! I finally went to the Mustard Museum! Mustard is my favorite condiment so it was about time.