It's an Uphill Battle

It's not quite two months before race day and I completed my first long training run. It was roughly 21 miles long. I ran a 10.9 mile loop twice (but walked a few of the last blocks on the 2nd loop). My good friend and fellow runner (we've run three marathons and many other races together, although with different finishing times) joined me for the 2nd loop. After making a pit stop at my apartment where I tried out some boiled baby potatoes with butter and salt and some flat coke (both are offered at the refreshment stations on the Two Oceans Marathon course), we headed back out. I think the potatoes were a success! However, I definitely felt as though I'd already run 11 miles. My friend, the gazelle, was springy and fresh while I felt every hill, big and small.

Speaking of hills, the TOM  has two really challenging hills that arrive after already completing 26.2 miles or the distance of a regular marathon: Chapmans Peak (rising 180m or 590ft) and then the big doozy, Constantia Nek (rising 215m or 705ft). Both of them cover about 4 km each of the course. I expect there to be a lot of cursing at this point in the race.

Race Profile. Gnarly.

I found this video that is sort of like a self help video for how to survive Constantia Nek. This dude is so calm. I'm a big believer in being mentally prepared for races. Unfortunately, I haven't always been consistent with this, instead taking it for granted that I know I'll finish. But for this race I'm trying to visualize myself reaching the finish line frequently. I've actually already finished this race half a dozen times in my head. I've also accepted a gold medal and given a victory speech with the American flag draped around my shoulders.

I'd like to increase my mileage over the rest of the month. The general rule is to increase no more than 10 percent a week. This seems like a good idea for me since I have never put in this many miles a month before. Finding the time is going to be the biggest challenge.