Tired, sore, but very proud :)

20 MILES!!

The big milestone I'd been dreading all season (well, other than the actual marathon ;)) has now come and gone, and IT ROCKED!

Ok, I did get tired. And the muscles ached. The joints talked to me. A lot. Oh, and I learned Gatorade is definitely NOT a good thing for me to consume on a run. But I had never felt so good at the end of a run as I did today. I actually SPRINTED the last 1/4 mile! SPRINTED, yo.

Heaps of thanks to my fellow run girls (Janine, Robin, and Beth: you are my heroes!). They kept me entertained, motivated, and most of all, going. When I crossed that "finish line," I never felt so proud or accomplished.

Today is definitely a day to be remembered :).

All about the fuel

It took me all season, but I finally found the "magic" pre-run breakfast--and what a difference it has made in my last two runs!!

Of course, I always have a great run with the girls, but once I tried this particular combination of things, I had two really awesome runs. Who knew all it would take was Kashi GoLean Hot Cereal (with some powdered milk added in for extra creaminess and flavor) and a hard-boiled egg to propel me through all those miles?

Special thanks to Janine, Robin, Beth, Dianne, and Julie for making today's 10-miler feel painless :).

The magic 18!

After the challenge that was the 16-miler, I must admit, I was NOT looking forward to jumping 2 miles to 18. But, my run girls were keeping me positive and by the time this morning came around, I was feeling pumped and ready to take on the mighty Coyote Creek!

And we did it!! Janine, Robin, and Sandy kept me laughing the entire time and somehow I made it to the end with only minimal aches and pains (let's just say my hip flexors are none too happy with me right now). Off to pop a Motrin and catch some zzz's--thank you, girls for another milestone run!!

Next stop: 20!!