I woke up this morning with excitementdreadjoyworryenergynervousnessanticipationfearconfidence.
(Look it up, I am sure it is a real word!) The knowledge that I am only 60-ish days away from reaching the final stages of a year long goal hit me like a 20 lb. sledge hammer as I rolled out of bed at 3:00 a.m.. I suspect that from here out, this dogs breakfast of emotions will be my constant state of mind until I actually get on the road on March 1st.
I ran 12 miles in 30 mile per hour winds this morning. On the proverbial suck-o-meter, it was at least a 9.5....until I turned around and had the wind at my back! Then, as if I suddenly developed wings, the run was probably the best 6 miles I ever had. I could feel the wind adding speed and reducing strain. I was like an Ed Kite! I have decided to have my chase vehicle outfitted with a big fan to help me along!
Couple of updates/WOW! moments...
I had about an hour long interview with Matt Frazier of NoMeatAthlete.com last week. Matt, besides authoring a hugely followed blog on endurance athletes who are vegetarian, is writing a book for first time marathoners. He is interviewing some endurance athlete luminaries like Scott Jurek, Brendan Brazier and the like on marathons and the impact a vegie diet has. To be even considered for an interview in that company of people simultaneously amazed me, humbled me and amused me! If I get the transcript or a link of some sort, I will post it here! (Wow!)
A second WOW moment occured yesterday. A random connection that I made a few months back totally floored me with an act of kindness/generosity. Two or three months back, I was on mile 38 of a 45 miler. That day, I was making a game of catching/passing a person running in the distance. I do this often as it helps me pass the time and I like to compete...whether the person I am competing with knows it or not. Well, it took me a LOOOONG time to catch this person...as she was running along at 6:45 minute miles or so. (Hard to tell when you are a half mile back how fast someone is running.) When I finally did catch up, I gave a friendly respect wave and moved ahead. The chase rabbit, once I passed, must have had a little competitor in her as well. She ended up pushing me for a half mile or so. Tourist traffic caused a running pause, she caught up and we started chatting. I thanked her for the push and over the next mile or two we chatted. It turns out, she was running the NYC Marathon in a month or so. I then explained what I was doing with RAA. We parted, I forgot about the dialogue.
A few weeks after that, I got a comment from her on the blog. A few messages back and forth about the run were traded over the last few months. Yesterday, this cool person asked me if she could raise money for Freedom is Not Free in association with my run. She had signed up for the LA Marathon and wanted to put a cause attached to it! This made my day...and is just another awesome thing that has happened as part of my personal adventure. I will attach links to her pages etc. when she makes them available. Thanks Kathy! So cool of you!
Training is going great.
I ordered my 10 pairs of shoes yesterday!
60 days to go!
I am filled with excitementdreadjoyworryenergynervousnessanticipationfearconfidence!
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