"I will finish this, no matter what it takes"

The title of this entry is a little phrase that I have said many a times during all the long runs of my training. It's my mantra, of sorts. I believe I started saying it during the 14 mile run. I had never run anything over 13.1 miles, and I just didn't feel it was possible for me to make it through 14. But 14 I did...and 16, and 18. And then 15 miles of a 20 miler (bummer). But I think it's time to pick that phrase back up. I WILL finish this race...no matter what it takes. I may finish it on Sunday...I may finish it 3 years from now. But I will finish it (preferably Sunday).

This training wasn't so bad. I could do this again. I'd probably do things a little differently next time around....maybe more serious cross training. And a serious regimen of foam rolling, stretching, and icing right from the beginning. Oh, and strength training. Lots and lots of strength training. I know where my mistakes were.

The weather isn't getting any better. The 10 day forecast actually has "soggy and cool" written under the high temp. Wonderful! I've created a driving route for Eric and my parents so they can see me 3-4 times on the course (and to be strategically placed in case I need to bail on the race halfway through).

I ran 3 miles yesterday. Granted, I didn't run them all in one shot...but within 2 hours I had run 3 miles. I tried to take Keifer with me because he seems to have a lot of pent up energy lately, but he was so crazy on the run that I had to keep them short in order to manage him. But I didn't have any pain during any of my short runs, so that's good. I have a 2 mile run on Saturday, which I will do on my own without Keifer just to get a good feel for things.

Today and tomorrow calls for rest. Because that's hard to do with a crazy dog, I'm planning on picking up Eric's dog after work and bringing her to my apartment so Keifer will have a playmate and won't need me to take him for a walk. They entertain each other. So I'll have Nutmeg with me today and tomorrow. This will also help with my sanity levels, which have not been great lately due to Keifer's craziness.

But overall I'm feeling good. I'm getting plenty of sleep, I'm getting the runs in (even if they are not exactly what my training plan calls for), and I'm feeling a little more confident with each passing day. The time is here...there's nothing I can now to change things. I just have to make the most of what has been dealt in my direction.

I will finish this, no matter what it takes.