The epic 20 mile run - the pinnacle of the marathon training schedule. We got a late start due to sleeping in. Drove over to the Portland Running Company so I could buy a bunch of Hammer Gel packs. We mapped out our route in the rural roads outside of Hillsboro again. She had forgotten to take her allergy medicine so we drove by her sisters to get some. Drove the route and dropped off two water bottles in different places. About 5 miles into the run the worst thing ever happened...my stomach started to bother me. The sharp pain working around in my bowels told me that if I didn't find a bathroom in the next 15-20 minutes (out in the middle of farm country) I was going to be in serious trouble. We walked for a little bit and I tried not to worry too much. We crossed a road and stretched for a little bit, then took a right down the road. As I looked back at a barn we had passed I saw a lone port-o-pottie sitting next to a combine tractor. HALLELUJAH! I got so lucky haha. The run went pretty good after that. We stopped/walked a couple 2 or 3 times when we got to the water bottles, but I wouldn't really call it a break or anything. The last 2 miles were absolutely brutal, particularly the last one. My knees, feet and calves were so tight and sore it was ridiculous. Pretty friggin epic run though.
Next week Sunday I'm running in the Vancouver USA half marathon with Jeeni and some other guys from work that are on the Hood to Coast team. Our training schedule has 12 miles for that day, so it worked out well. I'm really looking forward to it - should be a decent measuring stick for what sort of shape I'm in and how fast of a time I can realistically expect to run the marathon in.
The big two-oh! Congratulations.
ReplyDeleteSO lucky on finding that toilet! That never happens for me, I always have to improvise.
well done sir.
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