19 miles!

So... it's been a while since my last post. I didn't realize just how busy I would be- work, friends, fiance, Toby, wedding plans- I love every bit of it. And honestly, if I have to give up something, the blog has to go first. But I am glad I have a few minutes now to just spend on writing therapy.

To share what happened with the 20 (I think it was 20) mile run that I was supposed to complete last time I wrote, it didn't happen. I had been in a running funk and I completed 14 miles. Definitely not shabby, but not what I needed. My marathon is in less than 2 months and I have yet to run 20+ miles. But today I got a little bit closer.

I ran 19 miles today!! Personal best for me. The training schedule (which I had rearranged a bit with all of the Sunday activities that have been going on lately with family and friends) called for me to run 21 miles. Do I didn't quite get there, but 19 miles is pretty damn good considering my previous best was about 16. I ran from the harbor (I have discovered a nice little park across from the airport that I like to park in and run from) to downtown, up 6th street to Balboa Park (which is no small feat, it is rather steep), over to Sarah's place to see if she was home and wanted to run for a bit with me (she wasn't home), ran trail 2 of Balboa Park (which goes through the museums) twice, and then ran back to my car and stretched. I have realized that stretching is key. It's the difference between not being able to move and slightly being able to move (haha) after a long run.

I think one reason I was in a running rut was because I was getting bored. Running for more than a half marathon just gets boring, I ran for about 3.5 hours today and it just got a little old. A half marathon is perfect for me, and I think I can really improve my time if I stick with it. We will see what happens in my full marathon, but as it is right now, I don't know if I will be tempted to do another. But today gave me a glimmer of hope. I think I am finally out of my running rut. I need to check when my next long run is, but as long as I can get to over 20 miles, I think I will be feeling a lot more confident.

The park that I ran from today (not sure of the name) is actually where I brought Jeff and Toby today for a sunset picnic. It's a cute little park, and even though it's right by the airport in a really high-traffic area, it's never too crowded. In one direction it has an awesome view of the harbor and the San Diego skyline, and in the other it has a great view of Point Loma, and even Bali Hai, where Jeff and I are getting married. I love running from there because for miles you can just run along the water, either to downtown or to Point Loma. Jeff and I both agreed that it would be a great place to take our engagement pictures :-) With Toby of course! Not only is running good for my health, but it has allowed to me to see much more of San Diego than I probably would otherwise see. And it's such a beautiful city, I want to see as much of it as I can!