In my pre running life (before age 40) I would have flipped if someone told me they were going to run 20 miles all at once. Why would anyone run 20 miles when they could drive - or at worst ride a bike?
One reason is simply that we (humans) can! We seem to be adapted to long distance running by evolution. It may take a while to get in condition to be able to do it, but I feel that nearly anyone is capable of these long runs and running marathons.
My last 20+ mile run was last Sunday. I'm in a mileage base building phase to prepare for a 50k trail race in July. I skied hard Saturday and pretty well thrashed my quads, so the run was a little more difficult than it might have been! I ran it as a progression run meaning I started off slowly, increased my pace in the middle miles, and increased my pace again for the finish. This makes for a good workout! Cherie rode her bike alongside me during the run as she did last fall when I was preparing for the New York City marathon. It was a great day with sun and temperatures in the lower 60s. We went to the pool for a few laps afterward and finished up by sitting in the club sauna for a few minutes. It was pretty much a good day!
Today I'm going out for around 12 miles including a couple repeats up Cedar Butte, a small mountain just off the Iron Horse trail near the house.
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