Marathon Thoughts

The marathon is now only a week away, so it's a lot of what I think about these days. Ever since I got back from my trip in Central America I've been worried about the marathon. My training had to take the back burner while I was traveling, and I had to take a week off due to sickness prior to leaving for my trip. I have been really focusing on these incidents when thinking about the marathon. I realized yesterday, during a beautiful lunchtime run with Dave, that what I should really be focusing on are all of the miles that I have logged this winter/ spring, all of the great workouts I've had, and how much running is a part of my life. I know how to run, I run a lot, I love to run. I was running along the Charles alone the other day, taking it easy and trying to gauge how my hip was feeling, and I ran past a man who was out of breath. I don't think he liked the idea of a woman passing him, so he tried to stay with me for a little while. He was huffing and puffing and finally, through his breathing, he said, "you run with ease!" I need to start to focus on all of the reasons why my marathon should go well. Training has been a journey - through good days, bad days, sickness, health, elation, and depression, and the marathon itself is going to be a journey. More than anything, training has been fun, and I really hope that the way I run the marathon next Sunday will reflect the joy that I take from running. I am prepared for it, whatever happens. This final week I want to do some easy runs, stay loose, stay focused, stay positive, and get psyched up for next weekend.