This is it!

Two days away from the Boston Marathon.

In the week leading up to MCM, I was insane with anxiety. But, I realized that it was just another long run and only step one to my actual goal: Boston 2010.

It's really hard to believe that its here. There are very few things that I've worked this long for at 22 years old. Its hard to remember running the Baltimore Half Marathon in Fall 2008, and hitting that 8:00 pace and realizing that if I worked hard, maybe I could qualify for Boston--something I never imagined I would do. I thought about trying the Spring of 2009, but decided to wait until MCM in October.  In May 2009 I started training, and found that 8:00 pace hard.

Marathons are all about the training. Every runner sees the actual race as the Victory Lap--the 26.2 mile run that tops 500-1,000 miles of training. And on Monday, I feel like its finally my victory lap. After two marathons, countless long runs, three injuries, and 11 months of training, this is it! This is the big one! This has been my goal since May of last year. Its been my computer screen background, my phone background, my motivation for every run, swim, spin and strength workout. The reason I didn't go out so many Saturday nights; why I got nothing but cold running gear for Christmas; and why, for some reason, my race pace has gone from 8:23 min/mi to 7:17 min/mi. I've learned how to challenge my body, to stop underestimating it, and that its possible to overwork it. I actually started to take running seriously.

I've been sick all week, but finally recovering from a bad head cold. And no matter what happens on Monday, no matter what time shows up on the clock--I made it. I set a goal for myself and I got there. And really, that's all the matters. The finish line has been my phone background for 9 months now, and I can't wait to cross it.

Good luck to all the other runners on Monday. I'm bib # 9546 if anyone wants to track me online or by text/e-mail.