10 Days & Counting

Time is going by so fast. I can't believe that the marathon is almost here. I'm feeling very nervous and excited. I really want to break my 5 hour 12 minute PR. My goal is to someday get closer to 4 hours 30 minutes but if I could just get under 5 hours I would be thrilled. I really wish I could get with someone who could coach me a little and give me some training tips to possibly whip my body into going a little faster. I know that I'm never going to be a world record holder but improving some would be awesome. I have been running a lot more this year than I have leading up to the other two marathons. I've also been able to work out at Thorbecke's which I think has helped a ton.

Last year was so great. Even though I was 6 minutes slower than my first marathon I had friends and family there. The first year I didn't. It makes a huge difference. I was motivated a lot by all the people who had helped support my charities. My friends Julie & Barry were able to come last year and hang out with Jason from the beginning. They were with him around mile 6, drove him to roughly mile 16 before the St. Johns Bridge, and then again they showed up around mile 24. They somehow made it back to the finish line by the time I got there to see me finish. My friends Susie and Heidi also came down for the finish. Getting to the finish line is a very emotional thing anyway. Unless you've done it I don't know how to describe it. To run 26.2 miles and then have people who love you there to support you and be excited for you is wonderful. To hear my friends cheering for me makes me emotional even now thinking about it. Knowing that I'm running for Brian this year has me even more motivated. I've felt like I haven't been able to do much to help. I want to run, I want to finish, and I want to do it well.

Today there is a blood drive which I always participate in. I have read several articles and spoken to a few people who have advised me not to do it. If I had about two weeks or more until the marathon I would still do it. If it was a smaller distance I would too. I just don't think I should risk doing something to my body that it won't fully recover from and then run that far. I have trained too hard to do that. I'm very bummed regardless. It's something that I really like to do.