I only have 34 days before the longest race I have ever participated in, 16 miles. To prepare for that, my coach told me it would require longer long runs on weekends but because of different reasons I had been able to avoid that, until now. 

This weekend my long run was 9 miles. Normally I would have had to wake up at dawn to start running before the sun started shining and heating everything in its way, but I was lucky this weekend. I was able to wake up at 7 am and still get my 9 miles without having a heatstroke. 

My parents had booked a room at a hotel this long weekend, and I was able to get my miles at the hotel gym, which apart from having state of the art treadmills, was empty. For a long time, I was the only one in the gym and I didn’t mind at all. 

Those 9 miles took me 2:14:54; I felt like that took me forever and I just wanted to be at the pool, but then I think about it, it’s not that bad. If I go at that same pace, 16 miles is going to take me about four hours. My average pace was 15 minutes per mile yesterday and it’s usually somewhere between 13 and 16 minutes depending on how tired I am and how much I’ve warmed up. I have to remember to warm up on race day.

Last year, I ran the 10 mile version of this race and finished in 2:17:53, so I have no doubt I can finish in four hours, maybe a little less. 

This long run, even if it was different than what they usually look like for me and what it’s going to look like on race day, was great to let me see that I can do this. Also having water, hydration drink tabs and energy gel helps a lot and I will definitely have those during the race. 

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Published by mariacristinasanfeliu

I’m an aspiring writer still looking for exactly what I want to write about, with a lot of creativity, imagination and desire to write. I studied Writing and Rhetoric at Syracuse University where I explored many different sides of writing through my classes and extracurricular activities in order to narrow my search for an identity as a writer. I have written for Citrus TV Noticias and La Voz magazine, both of which gave me the chance to explore different mediums in which to write in. Through Citrus TV Noticias I also gained experience in translating from English to Spanish and vice versa, which is also something that I would be interested in working on since I am fluent in both of these languages. I was also an intern at Syracuse University Press where I got hands on experience in what goes into actually editing and publishing a book. Through out the last four years I have faced a lot of challenges, which helped chape the person I am today. After being in a tragic car accident, being in comma, having a Traumatic Brain Injury, and being in therapy for over a year, I am a new me, willing to face challenges and knowing how to deal with them. I want to write about my accident and life after it to help others, show them it can be done and help in any way I can.

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