And Downs.

Well, they can't all be good ones.

Wednesday update: And sometimes I wonder if all those people who think I'm crazy for doing a marathon are right. This Sunday will mark 3 weeks until Race Day, and the beginning of my taper down, running fewer miles each week until the big day. Today, I was shooting for one last good long run of about 20 miles.




My body said 17.

As I headed for home, I was beating myself up, but I struggled to move past the disappointment and negativity (and the fear of what this means for the race distance)... and by the time I rounded the corner for home, I was almost considering pushing through the last few miles, thinking, "I feel like I CAN do it!" But I ended the run at 17 miles anyway, and made the decision to be satisfied with it.

So much of this distance running is mental. Because the long runs take a LONG time, I spend a lot of time thinking, planning, wondering, strategizing... my mental approach makes a big difference in how the run feels and how I'm able to execute it. I'm convinced that I DO have the mental strength to tough out those last few agonizing miles on Race Day, no matter how my body decides to behave on that particular morning. I'm hoping that conditions will be ideal, and I'll be feeling healthy and strong. Either way, I'll make it happen.

It was another gorgeous day on the boardwalk. Lots of sights to keep me from getting too wrapped up in my thoughts: two guys surfing off the south pier who probably thought I was crazy by the fourth or fifth time I ran past them, the gentleman with one prosthetic leg and his blind dog with whom I always try to share a wave and a smile, a few dogged fishermen braving the swells and splashes, lots of walkers, a few runners, several amateur photographers, and the elderly couples who walk hand-in-hand and make me nostalgic for an age I have not nearly reached. I am reminded how fortunate I am to live here... I love it.

I did manage to get a few pictures last night before Jacob's soccer practice, but I didn't realize how many I had taken since school started... there were almost 300 to go through! I've finally finished editing them. Here are a few that represent some of my favorite sights while running.