Week 16 - Training Summary

**I will be writing a full race recap later this week**

I did it! I ran 50 miles in 9 hours, 12 minutes and 7 seconds. This week was pretty much a blur, although I felt like it moved at a snail's pace. I had a hard time staying focused on much of anything. I was able to sleep pretty well until Wednesday. I decided to take Friday off of work and sleep as late as possible. That was probably the best decision ever. 

TOTAL MILES WEEK 16 :  61.2 miles

11/14 (Monday) - Rest Day
I contemplated going to the gym this morning, but decided to sleep in a little. Rest is really the most important thing this week.
11/15 (Tuesday) 5:46am - 6 miles

It was 66 degrees this morning when I set off for my run. I actually wiped sweat from my brow! It was a super easy run on the Mt. Vernon Trail towards DCA. I averaged 9 minute miles, then went back to the gym to stretch and foam roll. I IM'd with Kara today. We have decided to run the first 15 miles together. We are going to meet at 5:45am on Saturday, attend the pre-race brief at 6:20am and then head to the start! The race starts at 7am. Although I consider myself a mid-pack runner in this race, I want to I start ahead of the mid-packers (maybe top 25%?) only because once we get to the Appalachian Trail, I want to make sure we are in the right pace group. I would like to think of this portion of the race as a fast hike, as Coach George put it but I do not want to get caught behind walkers.
11/16 (Wednesday) 5:50am - 5 miles
It was raining this morning, so I decided to jump on the treadmill. I probably ran a little faster than I should have, but it was boring me so I kept speeding up to get it over with faster. An 8:34 mile seems so much longer than an 8:00 minute mile. 
11/17 (Thursday) - Rest Day

I did not sleep well at all last night. I was supposed to get up today and run 3 miles, but I was tired and my glutes are a little sore. By mid-morning, I was feeling anxiety over not doing my last run, but justified it by reminding myself how miserable this race was going to be if I start sore. I got a very light pressure massage tonight to basically help me relax. It worked.

11/18 (Friday) - Rest Day
I went to bed early last night and got a solid 9 hours of sleep. I took my time getting ready (over packing) and headed out towards Hagerstown around 11am. My family drove in last night, so they were waiting for me. 

Mom waiting for me in the parking lot of the hotel in Hagerstown.

11/19 (Saturday) 7:00am - 50.2 miles - JFK 50 Mile Race
I finished in 9:12:07. The official results are not posted yet, but I am excited to see how I did in my age group, females and overall. **I will be writing a full race recap later this week**
11/20 (Sunday) - No Running Day 1 of 21 :-)
I was scared to get out of bed this morning. I woke up groggy, tired but without an alarm at 6:30am. My first steps were not as bad as I thought they would be. I actually felt OK! I knew it was a trick though. My body just hasn't fully realized what I put it through yesterday. My family and I met some good friends in DC for brunch, then I took J and J to Baltimore for their flight to Houston. I headed back to Alexandria to spend the day on the town with my Aunt Jane and Crystal. I am happy that Crystal is not a power walker because I kept getting more sore and stiff as the day went on. 

Crystal's new outfit. She shopped more than Aunt Jane and I!