Marathon Training - Training Mileage Peak

Today, with 6 weeks remaining before the race, I ran a 20 mile training run.  20.2 miles, to be exact, in the rain.  I won't have any training runs longer than that so it's a real milestone for me.  The rain was better than heat but it still poses problems.  Most notable was my wet shoes.  It had to be a lot of extra work lifting the additional weight of the water each time.  I was a bit disappointed with my time so I'm blaming it on the heavy shoes and the wet roads.   That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

I was really tired at the finish but 6 hours later I'm feeling rather well.  It's a relief after a  few days last week of feeling a bit weary.   Friday morning I woke up really feeling good and was having a great workout when a family crisis intervened (again!).    Saturday, I declined to bike in favor of golf thinking the rest would better preparation for today's long run.  Whew, glad I did.  

I missed my training partner today.  It's a big help on long runs even if you run only a few miles together.  But, I'm afraid I'm going to lose him in the marathon quest.   It's a real psychological blow for me but I'm committed to the race so I'll see it through.