I'm back, baby!!!

Small victories are what we need sometimes.......there are those times when it really doesn't take all that much to regain lost confidence.

After dealing with a sketchy right foot over the past few weeks, punctuated by taking 9 whole days off from running, I was looking for a little light at the end of the tunnel.....and with my date with the Boston Marathon looming ever closer in the future, I was really in need of some good news....

And I had a GREAT week running......well, at least so far.  First 2.13, then 3.21, then 4.18, and 6.37 earlier today.  All at reasonable paces.....and with no pain afterwards.

So with little more than 2 weeks to go before the Marathon, I'm getting my confidence back.  While I know that I can make the distance, I'm still not sure how I'll be feeling in the later miles, but I'll find that out on that day.  At least for right now, my worries are gone, and are rapidly being replaced by the overwhelming anticipation of the adventure ahead.  Even though I'm going to continue to train lightly over the next 2 weeks, the taper which started way too early due to injury is now going into effect.  My training schedule for the next 2 weeks calls for 22 miles next week, followed by 10 miles the week after. 

And then comes Monday, April 16th.......Patriot's Day here in Massachusetts.......and at 10:40am, Corral 3 will be set loose on the Boston Marathon course.  Because I was injured, I didn't get to run my final long run on the course with the rest of my team, so when I pass by Boston College that day (around Mile 21 - just after Heartbreak Hill), I'll be heading into the "unknown", as I've never run that final 5+ miles.  In a way, I'm kinda glad I missed out on that, as I think it will make the last part of the marathon that much more special.  Not that the preceeding 21 miles won't be special........when I ran from Ashland to Boston College, I ran past the campus of Wellesley College......and it was silent.  On the day of the marathon, the road by the college will become the legendary Wellesley Scream Tunnel, and I can only imagine the surge of adrenaline all those screaming coeds will provide at the halfway point of the marathon!  For that matter, there were no crowds at all when we were out there on the course, so I can't even imagine the effect it will have on me when I'm trying to scale the Newton Hills.  My previous marathon was run in near-silence, as there really weren't any spectators to speak of....partly due to it being a smaller marathon, but probably mostly due to the horrendous weather that day, so I've never experienced crowds before...

And then there's the thousands of other runners on the course.  The biggest race I've run thus far was a local 5K that had over 3000 runners, and Boston is about 10 times that size!

Anyway, I need to close, as it's bedtime..........but I'm just so thrilled and excited that I'm feeling strong, and not in pain.  Beyond that, the wonderfully supportive comments from all of you mean the world to me.  Many of you know what I'm going through because you've been through it yourself, are going through it currently, or have been through it recently or in the near future, so you know how all consuming it can be to train for a marathon.  I so enjoy reading all of your blogs, and hope you enjoy mine as well!

And with that, I'll bid you all a good night.  I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday and a terrific week ahead.  If you're running, I wish you good weather and pleasant company, and I look forward to sharing the journey with you, my friends....