51 Days and Counting

Only 51 days until the marathon. I am extremely excited and completely freaked out. 26.2 miles covers a lot of ground and even though it's in my own city, I will have hardly run any of the course.

I woke up this morning a little later than usual, on purpose. Instead of waking up to my alarm at 5am (or 4:52 according to all the other clocks in our apartment), I slept till 5:15. The sun isn't rising until around 6:30am now, so being out on the road for an hour before the sun comes up is a bit too much for me. There are also many more people out in the park by 6 running, biking, and walking. The setting was perfect this morning. It was only 60 degrees and daylight started to peak out only 10 minutes into my run. My legs however, were not great. The easy 5 mile run started out well. I got up Cat Hill with no problems and the cool weather felt nice, but about a mile in my legs started to tighten up. I ended up running a longer route taking me around the reservoir instead of down to the south end of the park so I could cut out a few hills. My time wasn't bad, but I wish it had been an easier run. A run like this makes me wonder how I'll make it through 26.2 miles in less than two months, but I just have to push through and move on to the next run. I have to have faith in myself and persevere. I can do this if I work hard enough and I trust myself. It will be a once in a lifetime experience.

Tomorrow will be my first rest day since last Monday (Aug 31) and I will definitely take advantage of the chance to sleep in! My training schedule has me tackling my first 20 mile run on Saturday so I'll use MapMyRun.com to map out a route around the city.

Now, I'm going to finish my breakfast - a bowl of yogurt and granola with a banana and strawberries, toast with peanut butter and a cup of green tea - and head to work. I have to remember to take a 5 minute chill break today and stretch!!

Have a great day everyone!