Two weeks remaining!

With only two weeks left before the marathon, I'm getting pretty excited about it. In some ways, it seems like yesterday that I got the hare-brained idea to run a marathon, and in some ways, I can't believe I've been training for it since May!

My two longest training runs are behind me (18 miles each). The first time I did 18, I was on the NCR Trail, north of Baltimore. Very pretty, mostly shaded, packed gravel, and flat. I was told there were ample water stops along the route, but this proved to be not-so-true. At about mile 12, I ran out of water, and the last four miles were very difficult. I was not well for the remainder of the day, but I recovered relatively well by the next day and was planning for the next 18-miler the following week.

For my second 18-mile day, I was at the beach with some friends, so the route was mostly flat. Despite a 15-minute stretch on the sand dunes (brutal!), I had a great run! I had plenty of water, and I recovered well.

I've now started the tapering-off process. My long run will only be 9 miles this Saturday, then 8 miles the following Saturday, with several shorter runs during the weekdays. Tapering is important, as my muscles need time to recover from the trauma of the super-long training runs I've been doing. This will allow me to be at my best on the morning of the race.

I have no time goal for this race... I just want to finish. I'm sure there will be points along the race (mostly on hills) that I will need to walk, but that doesn't matter. Crossing that finish line is the only goal I have... well, that, and raising as much money as possible for Yellow Ribbon Fund. That being said... click on the "Donate Now" button to the right, and do your part to help support our Wounded Warriors!