20 miles, done and done!

This was our route for yesterday's 20 miler, courtesy of our weekly email from De:

Directions:

-Start at 16th street & Union Square west
-Run south on Union Square west to 14th St.
-Run West on 14th st. to WSH
-Run WSH to end (Battery Place)
-Run across Battery Place to Broadway & go north past the Charging Bull
-Run past Charging Bull to Park Place, which is where you enter the footpath to the Brooklyn Bridge
-run the Brooklyn Bridge to end
-make a right on Tillary street
-make a left Cadman Plaza (you will pass Borough Hall)
-take Cadman Plaza to Court Street (there is a Starbucks on your left)
-take Court Street & turn left on Union St.
-take straight to Union St. to Prospect Park
AID STOP
-One loop of Prospect Park
AID STOP
-Prospect park to Union St.
-Make a right on Court St.
-make a slight left to Cadman Plaza
-take Cadman Plaza to Tillary St.
-make a left on Tillary st. to the Brooklyn Bridge
-run across the Brooklyn Bridge
-make right on Park Row
-make a left at the top of city hall which is Chambers st.
-Run all the way across Chambers to WSH
-WSH to 14th st
-14th st. to the Start - the 16th street & Union Square west

I did almost nothing last week to prepare for the run, other than rest (and go to yoga with Laura and Jenna Bush. Really). I was on vacation, after all. Maybe that was preparation in itself, but I'm sure that was why I felt sluggish through most of the run. Surprisingly, I wasn't really dealing with pain, which was great. I think I ate my Lara bar too early in the run and my stomach was acting up. By the time we got to Brooklyn, I wanted to stop and go home. It didn't help that I live right by the park and could see my apartment. I had some potato chips at the second aid stop and those made a huge difference. It had to be the salt. Who knew that chips could be such a super food?!

Nearly 6 hours later, we arrived back in Union Square, 20 miles done. What a great feeling, to see the green market ahead of us at 16th street, knowing we were at the finish! Bev the psychiatrist's "medication" (tic-tacs in a medicine bottle) kept us laughing the entire time. After it was over, we trekked to Whole Foods to pick up some provisions. Chocolate milk tastes really delicious after a long run, I realized. When I got home, I took a fabulous 3 hour nap. It's back to a normal routine tomorrow, but I still have one day of vacation left!