Marathon

In two days I'll run the marathon that's taken four month of my life.  I've loved it and hated it.  For me the love of running comes from feeling strong, feeling worked and the discipline of sticking to a schedule for the sake of a goal.  The hatred comes at mile 18.  Or wind if blowing non-stop in my face, dragging me backwards.  Or trying to find a elastic for my hair in the darkness of a winter morning.  Or getting injured.

And there's been a lot of injury this time around.  It's my shins again.  Just like last summer, they've ached the whole time.  I've decided that birthing 4 children must have changed the angle of my hip/foot/ground angle and that's why I can't run now without shin splints.

But I made it through it!  And now it all comes down to this one day.  Hopefully I'll be feeling healthy, energetic and nerve-free that morning.  And the weather will be clear and windless.  And the crowd will part like the Red Sea when I want to pass.

That's my marathon prayer.


P.S. My little ritual I've done every day to get ready for a run, and I just want to document it:

Night before:
+ Charge Garmin 305
+ Locate shoes, Asics 2160
+ Find gloves/hat if needed
+ Wash clothes if needed
If it's a long run (anything longer than 10 miles)
+ Charge ipod
+ Find ipod strap
+ Fill strap-on pouch with 1 ZBar and 1 Five Hour Energy drink
+ Drop water bottles along route

Morning of:
Long run mornings: Wake up and eat breakfast 2 hours before run, usually around 5 am.
Then I get dressed and strap all of my various contraptions on my arms, take my inhaler, turn on my watch, put on my gloves and head out the door!

I've had my Garmin watch for 10 months now and I've logged almost 800 running miles on it!  I love that thing!