40 Days

40 days until the marathon. I can't believe how quickly these 20 weeks of training are going by. I've been amazed that my legs haven't fallen off. I've run one 20-miler so far. I didn't research the course well enough beforehand and there were some steady hills in the last 4 miles. It didn't feel great, but I made it. On some runs, my knees hurt for the first few miles. On some, my quads (and what I've learned is my IT band) hurt. Sometimes I'm sore the next day and others I'm fine. I almost always hate stairs after long runs. Sometimes I struggle even running 4 miles... but you can't have a great run every time. 

Since I started my training, I've run over 400 miles... bought a new pair of shoes... gave up meat (and don't miss it - I feel great!), gave up dessert (mostly!) and have developed an appetite like never before. It's settled down now a little, but for the first few weeks I was eating all of the time and still losing weight. 

For the past two weeks, I've felt as though I've lost some motivation. All of the runs have seemed difficult. Yesterday I didn't want to run at all... but I went anyway. I started off slowly, but eventually I remembered why I was there. On the trail, the fog thickened after mile 2. I could barely see in front of me and trail was quiet. All I could hear was my breath... and my feet pounding the pavement. I ran 6 miles. It was just what I needed. By the end I wanted to keep going. 

I made some goals on the run. I decided I needed to run every day this week (if feasible) to get my body back in the habit. I didn't make it up this morning, so I had to get in a quick run before class tonight. I ran along the Seattle waterfront. I pushed myself and it felt great. I even ran up the hills from the waterfront to the hotel and instead of struggling, I thrived. 

A wise runner once said "The only wall is you." And it's true. I broke through mine tonight. Time to move forward.

40 days.