Almost there!!!

Apologies to my 1 or 2 readers for not posting in a while. I swear I thought I had posted, but I must've dreamed it. So, where do I begin?

Last week's long run was pitiful. I had some "stomach issues" & that really slowed me down, but I trudged on through & finished the 14 miles in so-so time. It was very frustrating, especially considering how great my other training has been. My sprints are the fastest ever, averaging about a 13:00/mile pace. I am tickled pink about that!

Today's long run... my LAST ONE before the marathon... was FANTASTIC! The weather couldn't have been more perfect. I was in heaven! It's amazing what a 20º difference in temperature can do for your pace. I did 13 miles in 3:11. If this had been an official 1/2 marathon, it would've been a PR! (My current 1/2 marathon PR is 3:27) I started out walking the 1st 2.8 miles but I ran the whole rest of the way. I only stopped to walk twice! I couldn't believe how great I felt! I never got winded & my body felt awesome! It was definitely my best run ever & made me SO much more excited about the marathon next week.

Speaking of the marathon, Thursday night I picked up my race packet from the TNT group. They had a happy hour at a local pub, Kobain & all our stuff came in a blue Tiffany's bag w/ Tiffany perfume & a catalog of the most GORGEOUS Tiffany jewelry. OMG, I want! I want! I want! I was giddy with excitement. I can't wait to see what the race necklace looks like. More importantly, I can't wait to WEAR the race necklace. I don't know if I'll ever take it off!

I want the marathon to be here already. We leave at the butt-crack of dawn Friday morning & arrive in San Fran around 10:15 am. We'll quickly check into our hotel (the super swanky Sir Francis Drake) then walk over to the expo. I'm almost as excited about the expo as I am the race! After that, we'll do a short 3 mile run in the city, then we're free until the pasta party Saturday night.

I don't know how I'm going to sleep on Saturday. What sucks is that since I'm doing the early start, that means I'll have to get up at 3:30 am!! But it'll be worth it just to have that extra 90 minutes to run. The only thing I'm bummed about is that apparently we will have a motorcycle escort & we will not be permitted to go any faster that 15:00 mins/mile. My original plan was to keep up a 14:00/14:30 pace for as long as possible so when I slow down later in the race, I'll still hopefully be able to finish in 7:30. But maybe if I'm forced to go at that 15 min. pace it'll help me save some energy which will help me sustain that pace for a longer period of time. I figure if I can keep that pace for at least 16 miles, I'll be able to make my goal.

I still can't believe it's almost here. I keep thinking back to where I was a year or so ago & it amazes me how far I've come. I'm stronger than I think I've ever been in my life & I'm also becoming the thinnest I've ever been. To date I've lost 35 lbs. My original goal was to lose 40 lbs by race day, but I'll take the 35. I figure I've gained SO much muscle that it's basically the equivalent to losing 40 lbs.

I'm going to take a week off after the marathon, then I'll be back running. Next race up after Nike is the Aramco Houston Half Marathon in January. With any luck I'll be at least another 20 lbs lighter by then. :)