One Month and Counting.

Today marks another milestone: ONE MONTH until RACE DAY!!!

It has been an amazing journey, and now we're in the home stretch. There have been so many ups and downs... it is remarkable to look back on the last year and all that has changed and evolved in my life and particularly my running.

A sweet friend shared some words of encouragement the other night, and the phrase that struck me was this: "Last year this time, you couldn't have fathomed running the distances you're running now." How true! Last year this time, 5 or 6 miles was difficult. Now, I consider those an "easy" workout, a rest. I've tried to reassure myself with these thoughts when I start to panic, wondering how the race will go, realizing just how far those 26.2 miles really are. But in reality, the hardest work is done. I've loosely followed a training program, progressively building my mileage to the point where I'm capable of running more than 20 miles during my "long" run each week. The training and physical conditioning are there... now I just need to perfect the mental toughness necessary for carrying out the task. I completed a 24 mile run last week, my longest run before the marathon:




What a feeling of accomplishment! Don't get me wrong: it was slow, it was hard and I was hurting afterward... BUT I did it!

I can DO this.

As my training continues, so, too, does my fundraising effort for Team World Vision. The World Vision spirit and attitude have encouraged me tremendously over the past months. The idea that I'm doing this, not just for myself, but for a larger, more important cause, has helped me to overcome the daily hurdles involved with such intensive training... when I'm feeling down or unmotivated, I try to think about the people I'm doing this for. I think about those of you who have so generously donated to the cause in my name. What a burden. But what a privelege!



There is one month left for me to finish my training, strong and healthy. One month left for me to raise the remaining few dollars toward my goal for Team World Vision. My plan right now is to attempt to provide daily training logs and insights... I don't know if any of you are interested, but I'll post them here.

Thank you to everyone who has encouraged, cajoled and chided me in my training... while almost every step I've taken, every mile I've covered, has been on my own, I don't feel ALONE. I take all of you with me, and I thank you for that.

God bless.

Please see below for more of the fun activities that have taken me away from blogging over the past month or two.