Eighteen miles is the run that every training plan builds toward, and every marathoner warns you about. Nobody warned me about the wind on the beach road.
I set out at 6 a.m. with a podcast, two gels and a plan to run 10-minute miles. By mile 12 I had abandoned the podcast. By mile 15 I was running 11-minute miles into a headwind and having a long conversation with myself about my choices.
Six weeks to race day.
