WEEK 15: For some reason I was totally exhausted after the trip to D.C. I took it easy as much as I could but had a challenging week ahead of me- my longest tempo run yet and 22-miler! After a day of rest and a lovely Pilates class I was feeling better, and even pushed myshelf a bit more by doing the whole big loop of Central Park. (I’d previously been avoiding Harlem hill cause, why not!?) I ended having a great run and felt super strong. My 22 miler was every bit as challenging mentally as physically.  What I know about the New Jersey marathon is 1) it’s flat and 2) it’s a long (duh) and potentially lonely out and back. So that’s what I did for my 22 miler- a flat and solo run. THANKFULLY the sun was out so my spirits were high. I ran down the East River, around the bottom of the island, up the west side, and back down a bit. It was hard, but great and rewarding. I was even able to push it the last two miles and finished feeling strong. 

WEEK 16: I was invited to attend an event for the D10, formerly known as the Wall Street Decathlon. I’ve been volunteering at this for a few years and this year they’re really pushing to get more women involved. The panel was three past female participants speaking on their experience and how it’s affected their careers as well.  The tie between the two is the confidence they gain as competitors. It got me thinking about the confidence my running gives me. After a good, strong run or race I feel like I can accomplish anything! This also made me reflect on the importance of sports for young women. Sports and athletics is incredible for physical health, but it also does so much in developing social skills, teamwork, and confidence. More on that in a later post. I wrote down a few quotes from the event, and one that really stuck with me was, “How you do one thing is how you do everything.”  I work so hard training for marathons. Do I work that hard in all other aspects of my life? What would happen if I did? 

We were in New Jersey for Easter weekend. I woke up early Easter morning to do my last 18 miler. My 3rd 18 miler- crazy. The weather was warm and sunny. I placed a bottle of Gatorade at my out and back spot and chugged it every 5-6 miles. This run felt good and consistent. I was happy! Taper time!

WEEK 17: This week began with watching the Boston marathon! It is so inspiring and so much fun to watch. I want to be there. I will be there. One day! This was followed by a couple easy runs and two more lovely Pilates classes. My final Pilates class this past Friday was OH SO good. Serious core work and stretching. Excellent final class before the race. 

My long run was 10 miles this past weekend. I wanted to keep it flat so went back out to the west side highway. It was a beautiful morning. I did this run 100% fully based on effort level. I didn’t look at my watch once. (This is probably how Jess wants me to do all my runs but it’s so hard to not look at numbers!) I was so pleased and excited to see how well I executed it! ONE WEEK TO GO!