Final Preparations

Wow, is it really here? It’s hard for me to believe really. At the beginning of this year I had never even owned a pair of running shoes or run for anything unless it was part of a sport (soccer, basketball, etc.). Now I’m less than 48 hours from running a marathon? Crazy! I look back to the beginning of the year when running 1 mile on a treadmill at the gym was in a word…exhausting.

I feel like I have been training forever. I can’t remember what it’s like not to know what 3 days a week I am going to train and how long and how fast I am going to run that day. It has become a part of me…it’s just what I do. This particular training program started back in July and I am nearing 600 miles of running and onto my second pair of running shoes. Now I look at my schedule and a 10-mile run is a “day off.”

Still 26.2 miles is something I have never done. I have run 20 miles twice in the last 6 weeks. The last couple weeks we have been cutting back miles to get proper rest for the race…only 3 mile days this week…and I am getting anxious!

Today I am planning everything out, meals, clothes, schedule, etc. Yeah, I am ready to go! My right leg has bothered me the last couple weeks but I am hoping the rest is doing it good. I’ve been running with a limp, like someone sticking knives in my leg…nice, huh?

I am running with a friend and our goal is to finish in under 4 hours. I am really looking forward to the race…all my training runs have been alone so I look forward to us pushing each other. We ran a half-marathon together in May of this year…well, we started together anyway.

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers…I will be running on Sunday. I will be wearing a black armband in remembrance of my grandmother that passed away almost 2 months ago. She was an inspiration to me and a witness to Jesus and the faithfulness of God even in her last days. I will proudly remember her while I run and strive to live to glorify God in all I do.