So, the time has come. No more racing, hills, intervals or tapering down. My runs now are power walks this week. Resting and relaxing until Saturday June 27th. In five days, the marathon will be here.I'm as ready as I'm ever going to get.
Sad that the training has come to an end. There are some things I won't miss. I'm not sad about getting up at 4AM every single Saturday morning. I'm not sad about the pounding of my lower body. I'm not sad about the stress and strain on my body. I'm not sad about the mood swings. I'm not sad about the reason for this run. Cancer. With the help of my friends and supporters I've raised more money than anyone in Arizona for the Team In Training group heading to Seattle this year. (So THANKS for all of you that donated to this cause!) Hopefully with the collective fundraising the LLS has done, we'll knock out (or severely wound) this disease.
But I am sad about missing the cameraderie. I will miss my training pals. I'll miss the great feeling of accomplishing something I NEVER thought I could do each and every week. Remember, this is the first endurance event I've ever trained for. Each week, I hit a PR (personal record) on my length of run each weekend. That's a great feeling. I can recall driving home each week saying, "wow, I just ran 6 miles", "wow, I just ran 12 miles" and "wow, that was really, really hard, but I did it."
So I will miss the good stuff. But the best stuff is to come. On Saturday, my first marathon. I still can't believe it.
Like a first kiss (and other firsts), I don't think I'll forget it. I know I won't forget the process. I'll take the good, the bad and the ugly. It's the experience I will treasure.
But it's not happened yet, so wish me luck. I'll take all the luck I can get. From the back of the pack we need all the help we can get. But I'm confident that I'll finish no matter what. My time, speed and pace will be what they are: PR's for me. And for the first time ever running a marathon, I will be setting a record. My own.
Going long!
PS: For those of you interested, you can track my actual run live as I'm doing it. On June 27th at 7AM, you can follow my run online by visiting:
Mobile device (with internet access):
http://mobile.instamapper.com/ext?key=5298752144926446285
Web/computer access:
http://www.instamapper.com/ext?key=5298752144926446285
Seattle Marathon course:
http://www.rnrseattle.com/elite/Assets/rnrsea/images/sea_09_coursemap_v3.jpg
