Am I a Sick Puppy?

I can't believe that I actually look forward to really long runs now. And instead of saying "oh, only 10" flippantly, now I say it with an air of disappointment. I'm not about to go over that number, and know that we cut back and build up for a reason, but it's funny that it saddens me to be only running 10 miles tomorrow. I lay my clothes out at night (have for a long time) before any morning run, but I find that I want to start mid-week getting things ready for 4:00 Saturday morning. It's freaky. I look forward to charging my ipod on Friday, mixing my drinks, all that stuff. And I start thinking of what I want to eat Friday night WAY before Friday gets here.

My last bad run was the 18 miler. I felt much better on the 20 miler, thanks to regular intervals. I started this program wanting to run the entire marathon, but I believe I'll save that goal for another year. I have rationalized it (I run 4/1 intervals and therefore run 80% of the time) and am completely content with intervals (especially now that I see how much they help). Not to say I won't have another bad run, but I've seen what a difference the weekly preparation makes. I feel so much stronger than when we started, or really even than a month ago.

MM has enpowered us (notice I didn't say given - we haven't been given anything, we have earned it) to believe in ourselves not just with this goal, but with other life goals. I am confident in my ability to complete the marathon. I am not worried about it, I am excited about it. I know that barring injury or illness or some unforeseen issue, I will be at the starting line, and at the finish line.

Now is the time to make sure you don't get sick. We've been training hard, and that wears on your body and immune system. Also, some of us feel job stress, family stress, stress about the marathon, travel, etc., and all stress affects your immune system. Now is the time to take extra good care of your body as well as your emotional health. As Mark said at the very beginning of all this, the biggest accomplishment is not getting to the finish line, it's getting to the starting line. Take care of yourselves, listen to your bodies and know that you have what it takes to accomplish this incredible goal. As it turns out, we really ARE marathoners!!!!