Jitters!

Bahhhhhh!!!

That is how I am feeling right now. It couldn't have anything to do with my iced latte from Twigg's this morning.. T-minus 1.5 days until my marathon. The San Diego Rock n Roll starts at 6:15 AM sharp on Sunday, and I am actually feeling ready. This will probably change at about mile 18, but for right now I am savoring how I feel. Angela said that the miles will go more quickly than I think and that I should savor every mile. I am sure I will "savor" every mile... it will probably feel like every mile is taking forever!

The last month has been quite an adventure. I found my wedding dress (so happy!!) and  moved into a new apartment in a lovely area called University Heights. I love being within running distance to the park, especially when the weather is as good as it has been recently. It makes me want to run. Moving is always an ordeal, and we are still unpacking, but somehow amidst everything else going on, I found a little time to train. Jeff has started running with me again too, which is always nice. The time always goes by a lot more quickly when I run with him!

This past month has been great overall, but this past week has been a rollercoaster. I am sure this happens to everyone at some point or another, but sometimes when things seem to be going really well for me, something unexpectedly flies up and hits me in the face. Figuratively, of course. Hitting me in the face literally would probably be a bit worse. Anyway, that happened this week. I thought everything was running really smoothly in my social circles, but apparently it was not running as smoothly as I thought it was. I won't go into details. The point is that I almost let it affect my mood, which would in turn affect my training and my outlook going into this race. Instead, I realized that what was happening was out of my control, and I had done everything I could to prevent it. I had done my best, and at the end of the day that's all I can do. Everyone has their own opinion and their own way of seeing the world, and I can't change someone else's outlook. But I can control mine. Epiphany! No negativity for me. I feel fantastic going into this race! :-)

My 16-week training is coming to an end, and more than anything it has taught me what to do and not do next time I want to train for a full marathon. I did some things right and a lot of things wrong. I am sure next time will not be perfect, but I know more what will work for me and what won't. I ran into a few roadblocks, mostly when it came to my schedule, but it hopefully will all work out and I will finish my race. Next time I train for a full marathon, I definitely won't be planning a wedding (one is enough for me! haha), and I hopefully won't be moving. I can't believe that in the span of 4 months I will have started planning a wedding, moved into a new apartment, and completed a marathon. I just joined a site called The Daily Mile, which is a forum for runners and other athletes looking for some advice and encouragement. I have already made a few new running friends and I am looking forward to their kind words.

I know I have said this many many times, but I am soooo thankful for those people in my life that have supported me through my training. Number one goes to Jeff, who encouraged me to take 5 hours out of our Sundays together to go on my super long runs, and who put up with me not being able to move after said runs. He also gets double brownie points for driving me to the start line on Sunday at 5 in the morning- he's a keeper! My sister, parents, and friends have been more than supportive, and I have learned a lot from both the runners and non-runners in my life.

You can tell you have ADD when you are not just thinking about the race you've been training for for months, but also what your NEXT goal is going to be. I am definitely focusing on the marathon, but my mind can't help but wander to what I will attempt to accomplish after this accomplishment. My goal for the end of the summer will be a sub-2 hour half marathon at AFC. I completed last year's at 2:03:54, and that was my very first half. So I am confident that with the right training I can meet my goal. And if not, then oh well! I will be happy with my best!

The next goal will be triathlons!

But for right now, all I can say is... I am ready to Rock N' Roll! See you at the finish line :-)