100 Days

Thursday marked 100 days until my marathon. Yikes!! In celebration, I purchased my airline tickets before they went up. I've had my hotel reservation for a while, but was holding off on the tickets, because once they were bought, I feel like there's no backing out! So, now it's official, I'm definitely going to New York City.

My training this summer has been tough. Wow, what a different animal the marathon is! I trained for the Half marathons I did last summer with few problems, although the heat was tough & I had my first bout with heat exhaustion. I made it through & ran a decent race in October, even though my training had been a little off. This summer is kicking my butt, though. The long runs aren't just bad, they're awful. Today's was no exception to that, unfortunately, but it is done. Pretty much wiped me out for the day, though. I've learned not to schedule anything for the day of a long run, so that I can have the day to recover. Still have my feet propped up and am constantly hydrating.

A few weeks ago, I had a really whiny post http://jrichardsoriginals.blogspot.com/2011/06/just-do-it.html. My daughter read it and sent me a very encouraging e-mail about just doing it. She had to take a professional exam and was really stressing out about it. Her husband reminded her that she just needed to do her due diligence & then take the test. As long as she did her part, she would be successful. She did her due diligence, took the test, and passed. She is really wise and wonderful. My daughters encourage me so much, just by being themselves.

This summer is about due diligence. Picking them up & putting them down. I can't afford to take time off, that marathon won't run itself. So, I keep getting out there. Pushing my boundaries way past my limits. Testing to see how far my body will go before it shuts down. Testing my mental toughness.

Although I don't really feel up to the task, I know myself well enough to know that I won't quit. I'll keep on keeping on, working through my training & trouble shooting the bad days. I'm a runner for life & in pursuing that, I have take the good with the bad.