Nerves...100 days...

If anyone knows me…they know I always panic to be prepared, prepare more, and overly prepared for about anything I do.  (That’s probably why in cross country dad got us team bags big enough to fit clothes for a month in, however my argument is you NEVER know what to expect at a cross country meet!)  I realized today we have snuck upon the 100 days till the marathon and I won’t lie, it makes me nervous!  I mean 100 days seems like a lot to some…but I have 26.2 miles to run here!  Fast isn’t my concern at this point J  (Fast was a goal 10 years ago…)  I’m as motivational as can me, but I’m a nervous mess when it comes to myself!

You’ve heard me tell the stories about hives before races and basketball games, while dad had to convince me of everything I can do at the moment before I’d have a nervous breakdown.  When giving a speech at the West Virginia Awards banquet I remember Jim Butta teasing me about the speech notes I had prepared and had organized throughout the page.   When I started my insurance agency in OH, they wanted a 1 page business plan (I didn’t realize at the time they meant 1 page)…so 12 pages later I submitted my analysis of the market and my plan.  So I suppose this process is normal …but….100 days! Ahhhh

Me probably wanting to throw up before the state meet in this picture...dad being side tracked talking (of course) to the Scott High School Coach I believe :) 

We are in the midst of planning a fundraiser for Team Spangler at the Ritchie County Fair…it’s definitely going to be a fun tent so be sure to come out and look for us! We’ll be decorated out with Team Fox colors, mardi gras beads, prizes, while hosting a game! 

We also will have a big poster for everyone to sign for us to take back to dad!

I suppose your wandering about my running….

Monday evening I ran about 30 minutes on the road then came back home to run another 10 with the dog.  He’s been running off lately so we’ve had to keep him tied up more, so I was hoping I’d wear him out a little bit more by running him around.  I think the only person who got tired was me.

Tuesday evening I had enough guilt to consume me as I didn’t have time in the schedule to run….  I did get to see dad however and visit for a short bit while going to meet mom to work on a rental house project o(f course)

Last night I went out for about a 40 minute run…which I had to finish in the dark because the evening somehow snuck away from me by the time I was able to get my run in.

So I suppose I better get off here and realize my triple digit days are gone and tomorrow begins 99 days till the big day J 

100 days     16h     10m     30s

TILL RACE TIME

Just Being Lost in the Moment

Ryan Hall, on running a marathon: "I don't think about the miles that are coming down the road, I don't think about the mile I'm on right now, I don't think about the miles I've already covered. I think about what I'm doing right now, just being lost in the moment."

What do you do when you’re at a turn-around point with your watching displaying 48 minutes?...Well...you run 48 minutes back...  (ok actually 44 minutes back) No I didn’t really pick up the speed much; I just got lucky that all my up hills turned to down hills J

I almost forgot how accomplished the long run days can make a person feel.  After my 92 minute run on Saturday I felt a little bit closer to the marathon.  I still have moments where I almost get nervous and overwhelmed already at the thought of it...and today we are still 103 days away.  During the run it can easily consume you with what seems to be a slowly ticking watch....I felt great at the point where I turned around last week knowing I was going further this week, even so not having a clue where the road was going to take me.  At times it can seem overwhelming with what lies ahead of me with a long run, but when I saw this quote above; being lost in the moment is one of the greatest things about a run.  

Reflection of goals, aspirations, dreams, fears, memories can consume me and when my legs start to burn a little bit at the start of a hill I realize my reason for running is so different then it was 10 years ago.  When I ran in high school and college I ran for my team, for the name that was imprinted on a jersey, you never wanted to let your teammates down as we depended on each other to perform well to allow the team to finish even better.  I run now because of the pain of someone else. 

This journey is a remedy of something I’m not so sure on an emotional level is capable of being fully recovered from, but it’s a start.  I run to deal with thoughts I’m not certain how else to deal with, thoughts I’m not certain even if I put into words for someone else that it would even make sense or tell the actual story when the words try to flow together.  I run for the moments I’ll never have again running next to my dad literally wanting to walk but knowing I was stronger than the actual reason to start walking...so much of it was in my head, and as I’ve discussed before...that is why I believe that if you truly believe in something, anything is possible.  People always ask me why I’m so optimistic or how I am the way I am when approaching things.....I’ve realized through this...the smallest things that use to consume me because they weren’t perfect...it wasn’t about being perfect, perfect isn’t a necessity.. things in life it could always be worse than not actually being perfect....so find a reason to be optimistic..Because even on your worst day, someone else has it worse.

I know in regards to the training side of things, I left you on Thursday.

Thursday I ran 35 minutes...followed by Friday I ran 20 minutes, (we were suppose to take the day off however I feel like my week was switched around a bit I wanted to do an easy 20 just to feel like I did something).  Saturday was the long run I spoke about earlier, and then yesterday was a recovery run (to say the least) where I ran an EASY 38 minutes.  I will be utilizing some ice this evening forcertain. J

Thanks for listening today, as you can see the longer runs sometimes brings a little bit more of a personal touch to things....  Now...as dad would say...get over it and let’s get going....

Megan...please know we are thinking of you and your family....and your cross country family will always be here for you and thinking of you....  Whenever you need to smile just think about Dad screaming your name creamed out loud with the background music of the Price is Right :)  We are always here to make you smile!