Today is the day... That I lose my Marathon Virginity!

Once upon a time, in a faraway land (called Waterford Maine) There lived a girl (that would be me!!) who was prone to making questionable life choices (specifically in the "running 1000 miles sounds like a GREAT idea" kind of choices...)

After running a few pretty solid Half's in early 2012 a wise decision was made that this would be the year of unbridled and amazing marathon success....

Little did the girl of odd running choices know what kind of long and twisted road she was about to embark on!

So what have I been doing for the past 18 weeks?

Let's take a walk down memory lane....

The decision was made to run said marathon right about here...
Great Bay, 2012.
Where our Big Pimpin attitudes were revealed to the world! Bwahahaha!

After GBH An epic training plan was selected and taken on with righteous indignation determination and mad skills!

Actually, the plan was taken quite seriously. Come rain, snow, sleet or hail, injuries, chaos, the plan was followed, adhered to and regarded with great reverence. (or a tiny bit of hatred. who really likes running 800's?) I found that doing "real life" stuff was simply out of the question. I was either running, planning to run, recovering from running, thinking about running or running some more.

It is amazing that my friends have stuck around thru this madness, I have been a very, very poor Friday night drinking buddy lately! I managed to run thru chaos, horrible weather, thunder, snow, 90 degree heat, at 4AM, after dark, when I was sick, when I was hurt, and when there were better things to be doing... (like WHAT? what could be better than running????)

This is what my Friday nights have consisted of for the past several months.
Running long, long miles and ending up at Angie's house.
Not to have fun, but to demand Gatorade, Advil and a ride home...
(damn, I'm a fun fun girl!)

During my long runs I have had plenty of time to think about what has brought me to this point. A lot of stuff happens over the course of such a long training plan (like, multiple seasons change. I have had several birthdays. the children I know who were in first grade at the start of this madness are now graduating college... oh time, where have you gone?) I hit 1,000 miles for the year sometime in late June... I wore out at least one pair of perfectly good shoes. I consumed endless quantaties of Gatorade (and yet still have not found a damn thing that I can eat mid run. you'd think 1,000 plus miles would have given me enough time to sort that mess out. no..)

I can't say that I've solved all of the worlds problems while pounding the pavement of the surrounding towns but I've certainly solved some of my own. As much as I sometimes hate running I'll give it full credit for my fantastic mental health (ok, there is no need to argue this point. I'm clearly a very stable and sane person. and awesome. and fast! and badass so don't mess....)

It's also inevitable that one will suffer from a series of horrible injuries when running 200 miles months.
Hopefully I'm healed enough to pull this off!

Running is a strange and twisted combo of being the hardest thing I have ever done and the easiest. In a way it is so simple to throw on your shoes and hit the street, simply putting one foot in front of the other. When I'm having a great day of running it honestly feels that easy and in those moments I remember why I continue to put up with this absurdity. At the other end of the scale, when I hit the wall at mile 20 and start to break in every possible way it takes a huge effort to talk myself into the fact that I can do this. But I can.... Because even when running feels like the most foolish and impossible thing that I've ever done I know that if I continue to put one foot in front of the other I will reach my destination no matter what.

How running makes me feel most of the time...
I hope I don't look like THIS later today...

It hasn't been easy, these past few months, but it has been good. I've followed a plan all the way through with only a couple bumps in the road. I am as ready as I can be.
What happens from mile 24 -or so- on is completely uncharted territory for me. I have no idea what my legs and my head are going to be doing at that point. What I do know, is that I'm as prepared as possible and what will be will be....
Do I have a plan for tomorrow? Plus a plan B? A back up plan in case things fail? And a plan for if things are awesome?
No.... I am going to take it one step at a time and simply remember to keep on trucking.
That is, after all, what I have been doing every day for the past 18 weeks.
What happens today happens, I have no excuses and I plan to throw it down, 100%.

This is how I HOPE to look around mile 25.
Huh. That's a big goal!!

So here I go, about to loose my marathon virginity to 26.2 miles of repetitive road, around some random lake in Wakefield Mass.

I hope that when all is said and done that I feel good about giving it my best effort (and I honestly hope that I do not break somewhere along the course, requiring rescue...)

This is it kids. This is what I've been working my ass off for, for 18 weeks. Blowing off my friends, making my family raise their eyebrows in horror while I basically lived, breathed, and dreamed about running. What am I going to think about at mile 20 when if the wheels come off my bus? The fact that after 18 weeks of running obsession I still have friends and family who love me and have stuck with me every step of the way, kicked my ass when I needed it, given me pep talks, picked me up, fed me, and reminded me that I can DO THIS!

Thanks you guys. There is nothing that I can't do with the kind of support that I have had. I'm a lucky girl and I certainly don't say thank you enough...

Here I come, 26.2 miles, you had better watch your back....