Eastern States 20 Mile - Run

No euphoria, just relief at the finish line and entry to the great commonwealth of Massacusetts...the last 4 miles of the 20-mile Eastern States race were really tough. Diaphragm cramping (side stitches) thoroughout mile 16-17 really dampened my pace. I am just so happy to have been "ahead of pace" for the first 13 miles of the race, which makes sense because of my experiences with half marathons.

I'd never run anything beyond 14 miles, so those were tough. I didn't know what to expect except slowly losing speed and occasional knee issues. I would've liked some new knees at mile 18, that's for sure! Next time, train more miles beforehand and bring candy like gummy bears or candy corn!!

Walking, wanting to fall over, going to a porta-potty and not caring about anything except being able to stand back up again. In short, I was pretty whipped! My running pal Scott asked "so you're ready for boston now?" and I told him "honestly, I don't know about boston...today was enough" My decision isn't made yet, but I do feel pretty good now (4 hours post-race), so we'll see!


Darn diaphragm cramps at mile 16 -- ouch! Some knee pain, and a few spates of walking in the miles 15-20, but the goal was to just run sub-10's and finish strong, and I did that.


Need food (not just a single, king-size bag of ruffles) at the finish, which was at a fairly busy intersection, but to be fair I didn't go to the post-race party/awards at a nearby casion. Might've missed out on the good stuff, but the finish was all I wanted. For me, a new record distance at a respectable pace was what made this a great race and a great day.