Excited for the 30K training run this Sat

It has been a while since I have posted about my running. I am still plugging away. Hoping my knee holds up. The big test is going to be this Sat for a 30K run (18.6 miles). I'm planning to take it easy and just try to make it through the run. Here are some updates:

1. The longest run so far was a 25K (15.5 miles). My knee did just fine with the help of the tape and brace. The problem was after mile 10 my stomach had major cramps. It was very disappointing because I'm not sure what caused it: the Gu or the Cytomax (power form). I'm going to try different products this week (Powerbar gel) and I'll mix my water with a different electrolyte supplement. Last year, I had cramps a few times. Hopefully, I can determine what works with my body so that these cramps won't pop up in the marathon.

2. I had a great run last week through Redwoods for 8 miles and no one nearby except for wildlife, including deers. It was a great experience. There are a lot of hills which made the run tough. But, it was still great.

3. I'm trying to push my training program forward with Hills and Speed work. Because of my knee I have been very cautions about running Hills and even running too fast. The last couple of weeks I have built up my Hill runs to about 4.5 miles of Hills. For the speed work, I head to the a local track and have been doing Yasso 800s. I'm hoping these well help me get through the marathon strong.

4. I'm really starting to look forward to the marathon. I'm starting to believe that my knee will hold up (big test this weekend). I know I always comment about it. I'm trying to tell myself not to comment about it. But, for me, it's still one run at a time and see how things feels.

5. This week I'm also going to try eating a light breakfast before my long run (well maybe at least an hour before my long run). I generally do not eat before the run. I have to start reading up on what's good to eat before the run. I have some good ideas.

Overall - the training is going well. Most of all, I'm just really happy that I can run (there were about 4 months there when I could not run because my knee would be too painful).