Move on down...move on down the road....

Hi everyone,

Well I am in my 2nd week of training and things are going great. I ran about 18 miles last week and I feel really strong and healthy.

It is amazing how much running is more of a mental challenge than anything else. I had a hard day on Tuesday of last week...for some reason my breathe was off...I was getting a cramp in my side and my legs felt like they were full of concrete. I was running and I honestly wanted to cry because I was so frustrated. I had so many good runs in the previous days and I could believe that running a simple 3 miler was beating me to the ground. Then I had a total AHA moment...that is life. Sometimes for no reason at all you are swimming in the pool of crap and you don't know how you landed there but it smells really bad and it is gross and you just want to cry. So I cried a little and I kept on running. I finished the 3 miles...my time wasn't good and I felt YUCK about the whole thing but I finished. I finished....

The next day my legs felt like gold and I easily ran at a quick pace a nice 6 mile run with ease. I DON'T GET....I probably never will.... The day of the marathon could be a day in the pool of crap or it could be my I GOT A GOLDEN TICKET day....who knows? All I know is that I need to prepare myself to persevere regardless of how my day is going. That begs the question of how do you prepare for a mental challenge? I guess my only answer at the moment is that you just keep focus...you remember that as bad as it may feel in that one moment...it is ONE moment that you need to get through...and you deal with one at a time until you are in the moment that feels better. The moment that feels better is just around the corner...

That's all I have for now...

With love...
Jen