The Excitement is Building

Today I received 2 e-mails and a snail mail about the race. The excitement is definitely starting to build but at the same time it all feels so bittersweet.

I must say I feel very happy not to run and cram so much in to each day but at the same time it is kind of a bummer to look down at my pedometer and see the lack of steps I've taken over the course of the day. I don't have the sense that I've accomplished everything I need to for the day. Even though I haven't run as much this week, I'm still pretty tired. Maybe my body is playing catch up?

It is very exciting to think this is our last group run because that means the race is just around the corner, but at the same time it is so sad to think that I won't be getting up super early on Saturdays to run hours on end with some of the greatest people I know. At least I've heard there are reunion runs to look forward to :)

I finally got to spend time with Lindsey last night and get an update on her mom, but unfortunately we had been brought together by the death of our friend's grandfather. It was heartbreaking to see our friend grieving for her grandfather but yet we were all able to share in the joy that Lindsey's mom has been such a fighter through all of her treatment. She has had some definite ups and downs but it sounds like she is really on an upswing right now. It was bittersweet to find out I will not be able to share this race experience with Lindsey or her mom but that is because she feels up to taking a road trip to visit our friend Megan. You can't argue with that :)

If you were to ask me a few weeks ago if I would ever do something like this again, I probably would have said no. Crazy as it may sound, as of this moment in time, I would definitely consider going through this experience again. What really kept me going throught it all was knowing that I was in this for all of our loved ones who have been affected by cancer. My small act of sending out letters on behalf of the American Cancer Society resulted in an unanticipated outpouring of support. This helped me feel as if there is something I could do to help out, and I'm sure donating provided some of you that same satisfaction.

Another great experience about marathon training is that it really teaches you a lot about yourself. I don't know if it's all the time you have with your own thoughts or the fact that you are constantly pushing yourself to new limits. Either way it has been a truly enlightening experience.