My Support System

I know that I have told all of you how much I appreciate you all, but as my time grows closer I do not want to forget anyone and I want you all to know just what you mean to me and I probally will not have the time to do so next week.

• Glenn - there are not enough words to thank you for your unconditional support and I apologize for all the mean things I have said to you during my training. I love you
• Uncle Bruce - watching you fight for your life and do it with such a positive manner gives me such strength. I know I will fight through this just as you are doing. Keep going and remember today is a PRESENT. I love you both.
• Bethany and Woody - you have been my running buddy and I will carry your voice in my head when I hit "THE WALL" and feel like I can go no further. I love and miss you both.
• My Dad, Ma, and Dad and Audrey - thank you all for always asking about me and being concerned about my training. Your unconditional love and support will help me dig down deeper when I need it the most. I love each and everyone of you.
• Jim - thank you for supporting me and following my blog. It is really a great feeling knowing that you are supporting me. I love you both.
• Roger - thank you so much for helping me with this blog and letting my family and friends follow me during my training for this great event. You are the best.
• Co-workers - thank you all for asking about my weekend runs and how far I was going. Then on Monday thank you for asking me how they went. That means a lot to me. You are all the best.
• Thalia - that entry you wrote was amazing and there are pieces of it that I will carry with me during the marathon. They were very inspirational, thank you for letting me know your thoughts and love. I love you too.
• All my friends and family - I carry each of you in my thoughts and in my heart. You will never know how much your words of support and praise have made this journey worth every step of the 600 miles I have logged in my training. I love you all and thank you.

I know that there are some that I have forgotten and for that I want to apologize - It is not that your support is any less important to me, I just suffer from CRS sometimes. =-) I can not believe that the day is this close! I am super excited and can not wait to share the photos and stories with you when we return. I LOVE YOU ALL AND THANK EACH OF YOU FOR YOUR WORDS OF LOVE AND SUPPORT! I could not do this with out each of you.

Calf Issues Part II

Well here I am a week from today I will be in GREECE! I am still in pain from my right calf and the pain that happens when I run is still with me! I am hoping that my inserts will be in tomorrow and I will be able to get some running in with them. It is frustrating, but if need be I will take Advil and worry about the pain afterwards. There is nothing that will stop me from running this once in a lifetime experience.

I went to see Bronson and Wallace and they worked out some of my knots in my legs and suggested some additional stretches that I have been completing. I know that runners have issues, I am just disappointed that up until a month ago I was pain free and now here I am in pain. FRUSTRATING.

Peggy is such a wonderful person, she will not let me pay her for my last massage (Sunday) because she says that is her gift to me for all my hard work and training. THANK YOU!

That is all I have for now on my calf. I will keep you all posted - one week! I just checked the weather over there and it will be 71 degrees and partly sunny for the BIG day! Perfect running day weather.

COLD!!!

Well we had 8 miles today was supposed to be done yesterday but due to some insert problems in my shoes, pain in foot and calf I had to run it today. I consulted with Bronson over the phone to find out what could be causing this he told me some things to try and he discovered it was and insert problem. I went to see Ryan yesterday he told me we are going to have custom made inserts for my shoes because the COTS (Commercial Off The Shelf) inserts do not fit my right foot correctly (what else is new), I have an Dr appointment at 2:00 tomorrow to get fitted for them they say 2 days most of the time its 2-3 weeks but the big day is close (2 WEEKS FROM TODAY) so we need things fast, Ryan said I am used to running with inserts so it will not change much I still need run a bit longer then is on my schedule this week. Let me just tell you the cold mornings are not fun 37 Degrees today at 7:00 AM non the less I did it and felt great after it was done because it was one of my faster runs 1:15 min.

Feeling Good!!!

I started out Saturday morning at 6:20 AM. Very cold for Georgia at 42 degrees. Had my mind in a bit of a fog when I set out for my 10 mile run, Glenn told me this is easy (ya easy for him to say when its that cold and he is riding in the truck) none the less he helped me put my my mind in the game because he was correct 10 miles is easy compared to 20 the week before.

Glenn had to drive behind me for 6 miles due to how dark it was (man winter stinks)and being on the main roads, I don't like the fact that people can not see me. 2 miles into the run, once the the pain in my ankles was gone I felt my mind change from why I got out of bed, to boy am I happy I got up at 4:30. I get up every Saturday between 4:00-4:30 so I can focus for these runs. After the run was done I saw I did a 10 min mile I was very happy with myself. Athens here we come!

Another Rainy Day in GA

Mother Nature is not giving me an opportunity to run this week. It has been raining the past two days and we have had to pump water out of our garage! The water is not from the creek, but from our yard. It has been raining so hard that our yard is flooded and the creek is following just fine.

I ran on the treadmill this morning (YUCK) and that was painful since my blister on my pinkie toe has popped and now its just raw skin rubbing in my sock. I also am having some issues on my right shin area so it was not the best, but it was done. I lifted some weights to try to strengthen my shoulders and neck and core muscles. I bought a weighted hula-hoop and did that yesterday for my core also.

I have my outfit picked out and my colors are orange shirt, blue skirt, and yellow visor. I think Glenn should be able to pick me out of the crowd. I will also be adding temporary orange hair color to complete the outfit! (yes there will be MANY pictures posted!)

I am in the final days of this HUGE goal and I am looking forward to the next one. My girlfriend Bethany wants to run a race in Dec or Jan with me since this will be one of the last ones we will get to run together. Her and her husband Sherwood and their cat Vern are relocating to Kenya in April for their next adventure, so we will have a few months together and then it looks like we will have a reason to travel to Africa.

AWESOME!

I have completed my 20 mile run! The rain did not come like it was predicted and I was out there running at 6:30am (just in case). It was a peaceful, but humid morning. I saw three deer eating grass and a few dogs. I ran down one hill and then back up it and this man was walking his dog and as I got closer to him he said, "Well I am impressed. I have seen many people run down that hill, but never seen anyone run back up it. Way to go."

Glenn was still not feeling 100% so he rode behind me in the truck for the first 10miles and then got on his bike for the last 3 miles. He does such a great job of encouraging me and I REALLY needed him on those last miles! Thank you sweetie, you are the best.

When I was done I knew I did not eat enough pre-run and there was nothing left in my tank. I needed to eat right away. My left pinkie toe has a very large blister on the bottom of it and my right shin is very sore, but nothing different from any of the other runs that I have completed. I feel mentally and physically ready for this!

Later that day I treated myself to a Baskin Robins 2 scoop hot fudge sundae! We had some friends over on Sat night and I relaxed all day Sunday. I am looking forward to seeing Peggy (massage) tomorrow night.

This weekend I have a 10mile run and I am looking forward to the cooler air and hopefully a faster finish.

It amazes me this week is a low mileage week and I have run the past two nights in our town and both nights we have run into Braselton's finest! I sure hope they are going to be around like this should I ever really need them! This time Glenn was just timing me as I ran around this Industrial park and Braselton PD made sure we were okay.

Tonight we are going to map out my 20 mile run for Saturday and it looks like I will be running it in the rain. 80% chance of rain on Sat. I am not sure if Glenn will be riding his bike with me or not he has been sick all this week and does not have the strength to get up in the morning. I hope he feels better and is able to be there for some of it. He is my cheerleader!

One month away!

12 Miles

On Saturday I ran 12 miles in Sterling on the Lake for the LAST time! I was able to run up the hill twice with out stopping like previous attempts! I felt strong and there were no issues or events it was a beautiful cool morning with little or no humidity (58 degrees). While I was running I noticed something in the woods ahead of me and all I saw was a white tail, then the small deer stepped out onto the road in front of me - looked my way and was gone. Glenn was not feeling well so he did not ride his bike this trip. I can not believe the big say is almost here! I have my 20 miler on Saturday and I need to map this course out this week so I will be able to prepare my mind for this. I would like to complete it in 3hrs and 45min, but I need everything to go smooth for that to happen. This week I will have small runs and then will take Friday off to be fresh for Saturday. That is all for today. Thank you all for your support - I have to believe that there are people still reading this, but everyone is very quiet these days....... =)

It's been a light week since my 18 miles last Saturday and I have 12 miles this Saturday. On Monday I completed 5.5 miles, Tuesday 3.8 miles and Wednesday 4.0 miles. Thursday I just did some cardio and core work this morning at the gym and tomorrow other then some core work.

I feel real good my head is in the game and my focus is real good but I am still working on making it better, I am very excited 37 more days.