Less than 21 days until I will run my first marathon. Today I did 22 miles, the most I have ever run. Four more miles would have been doable, from both a physical and mental standpoint. That gives me an extra boost of confidence for race day! Running with a group has undeniably helped me get to this point. My long runs would not have been as successful if I was on my own.

My focus for 2015 was CHALLENGE. What better way to challenge myself than run a marathon right (read more here)? On January 1st, with encouragement from my sweet friend Stephanie, we both signed up for Fleet Feet Nashville's marathon training group. I used to HATE running with other people because I'm kind of competitive, so I was a little nervous at first! It was the BEST thing I could have done for myself!

Week 7 finishes up with 18 miles. Last Saturday, 2/14/2015, our long run was 17 miles, and it was one of the worst runs of my life. This weekend, our group training run was canceled. I was actually kind of relieved because it was supposed to rain all day Saturday and it was still super icy out. There was no way I was going to miss this week’s long run. My only option was to run on the treadmill. Yep. 18 miles. On a treadmill. Inclines included.

It was tough, and I really looked forward to water breaks, but I felt GREAT!! So much better than last week, in fact, I finished smiling! Granted running on a treadmill and running outside are much different, but my celebration here is for getting through 18 miles without being a Negative Nancy and without feeling like my legs were made of cement.

22 MILES & 8 Reasons Why you should TRAIN with a group

Marathon Training - Week 7: 18 miles and still smiling