20 Miles: The Definition of Long Slow Distance

Many people imagine driving twenty miles to a nearby town, to the beach, or to a sporting event.  Well, I ran twenty miles Sunday morning.  You heard me right, I RAN 20 MILES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  The best part is that I felt great during the run and even better afterwards.  It is incredible that I was able to stand and walk around throughout the day and even go out at night to celebrate my friend’s birthday.

This was the longest run of my marathon training regimen, which means the mileage will only decrease from here on out.  After finishing the run, I felt that I could have run another six to complete the marathon.  If only the marathon was this past weekend, I probably would have been able to finish.  I ran my twenty miles in exactly three hours, which is at the exact pace I hope to maintain during the marathon.  If I had kept up my pace for another 6.2 miles, I would have finished in just under four hours (my goal).

20 Mile Running Route (Credit to MapMyRun.com)

My route began similar to that of the Philadelphia Marathon:  I went along the Schuylkill Banks to South Street and back to the Art Museum.  From the Art Museum, I went down the Ben Franklin Parkway to Arch Street; I took Arch down to Front Street (equivalent of 1st Street), and then turned right to South Street.  The actual Marathon runs along Columbus Boulevard (I believe), so I did not fully run that part of the course.  I ran up south Street until 6th Street before cutting over to Chestnut Street.  Once on Chestnut (the actual course), I ran up to 34th Street, which runs through Drexel’s campus!  I ran by my house to pick up a banana to eat and re-filled my bottle of water for the following second half of my run.

After passing my house, I continued up 34th Street past the Philadelphia Zoo and through Fairmount Park.  While running through Fairmount Park, I had to dodge runners who were participating in the “Race For Hope” to raise money for the National Brain Tumor Society.  I dodged these runners in Fairmount Park and along West River Drive until I lost them going up Kelly Drive.  I took Kelly Drive until the Girard Street Bridge before turning around and finally heading home.  During the final blocks of my run, I was telling myself outloud, “You can do it, Micah!  Keep going!”  Luckily, on my final block, I ran by a friend of mine who cheered me on.

Me running through Fairmount Park (Photo taken by Micah Sokolsky)

This was the best I have felt during any of my long distance runs, and hopefully I can feel like this in a few weeks for the Philadelphia Marathon!  If I keep stretching, eating right, and taking care of my body, I feel confident that I will finish the run in under four hours.  I am looking forward to a little less mileage next weekend and cannot wait until the day I run 26.2 miles!