Before my taper could officially begin though, I had to do the 20 miler. Well, technically, the second 20 miler. My first round of 20 was split up though, so this one counted more as the full 20. Of course it was something that I didn't really WANT to do, but something I HAD to do. Originally I planned on taking today as a rest day and running it tomorrow. After seeing the weather report for both days though, I decided to scrap that plan and get it done today. There's a 10 degree temperature difference, which might not seem like a lot, but trust me when I say there's a huge difference between running in 40 degrees and 30 degrees. As you may be aware, my goal is to run the Louisiana marathon in 4 hours, or slightly under 4 if I'm feeling really awesome that day. In order to do this, I know there is a pace I have to keep and a way to fuel properly during the run. So really today was my trial run. I figured if I could do the 20 miles in 3 hours, then I could do the 26.2 in 4, giving myself an extra few minutes for those last 6 miles if necessary. I am happy to say that after my run today I am 99% sure I can run it in 4 or less. My 20 miler today clocked in at 2:56:04. That's right. You saw that. UNDER THREE HOURS! With hills! I actually set new PRs for a 10K and a half marathon today. So, sure, I'm a little worried that maybe I over extended myself today and that I can't match that on marathon day. On the other hand, I don't see why I can't match that. It didn't feel like a mistake on my part. I knew what pace I had to keep and I basically managed to hold around that pace for the entire run. Sure I lost my running partner around mile 14. And by lost I mean abandoned. So, no man left behind clearly means nothing to me when it comes to smashing personal records. I suppose that says something about me as a person but I really don't want to delve into that right now. By now I'm sure you're dying of curiosity to see my route. Don't worry, it's coming. Be aware that I miscalculated though, so I had to walk/run an extra mile back to my car at the end. Which is why the start and the finish are not quite next to each other. Sure I COULD have run the last mile, but I just felt like that was pushing it. So, here it is.
Besides this lovely run, I had a nice Christmas, in case you were wondering. We went to NYC for the night, just because we can. I love to look at the window displays and see the giant decorations. Plus the shops at Bryant Park are always good for a little trinket or gift if you want something different/locally made. Of course all we got was some Max Brenner chocolate, which is neither different nor local, but it was so worth it. Here are some pictures of NYC and some pictures of when we got back and spent time with our lovely puppies again. Oh, and some more Disney pictures I drew. Still can't get that princess face right. Oh well. Enjoy it.
Stella hates the paparazzi.
The planet windows are Macy's, the library window was my favorite display at Lord and Taylor's.
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