20 miles?

First time running 20 miles ... one of the most grueling physical challenges I've ever completed. I shudder to think that there's another 6.2 in a full marathon. Time? 3:22:25 (10:33 / mi)

Fortunately, I ran into several friends along the way. It keeps you honest, because you never know who you're going to see on the trails ... well, actually, I had a pretty good idea who I would see because I am a member of the local running club. We have a Facebook group where we can share our running plans and we might pick up a running buddy or two. There was a group doing 20 miles that day, and I would have preferred to join them, but I needed an earlier start, so I ran solo.

My particular route was a beautiful section of River Greenway that stretches between New Haven and Fort Wayne. I started fairly strong, but started to noticeably slow down after my first five miles. By the time I had finished ten miles, I had slowed down even more.

The last two miles were little more than a walk. I've heard a lot of folks talk about "hitting the wall" around 18 miles, and I felt it. Let's just say that if that wasn't the wall, then I'm in trouble.

I definitely need to reevaluate my in-run fueling. Physically, I did it without problems, but the lack of "juice in the tank" as the run wore on has left me a little worried. Can I do this marathon? It's less than a month away!