33 Days....

It is absolutely unbelievable that in just 33 days the race will be here and over.  More amazingly is that I already feel ready.

Today I did a long run by myself - 12 miles in 2.17.  This is my best time yet.  I took great care to stretch really well before and after,  I discovered a perfect set of stretches for the muscles I seem to over use on my runs, particular my glutes!  Not sure why my glutes get worked so hard - tried to figure out how my gate makes that happen.   But that is where I feel the pain every time at the end.  So the term pain in the butt is a very true statement in my life right now.  But the stretches I am doing feel oh so good and I find myself just stopping in the middle of something I'm doing to stretch.  I think this may be a runner's habitual action.

 
On my way home from the trail my thoughts were having their own race today.  I was filled with awe and satisfaction.  Awe because it still blows my mind that I am running at all much less the distance that I have trained to now achieve.  When I started this I could barely do  2 miles very strong.  Though it has taken a solid 8 months I now stand here at a 12 mile run looking back instead of 2 miles looking toward what seems like the impossible. THis leads to satisfaction.

I have such a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that I feel reaching these run goals is enough.  I hate to say it and I don't mean disrespect to the race itself, but if I didn't even run the race I feel so proud, satisfied and good about the training and achievement; that is as good as a medal.  So it's almost as if I am looking at the race with the idea that the race is the REWARD to all the hard work instead of the hard work at the end of training!  So what I am looking forward to with the race is being at Disney, being with all those other runners who have trained faithful as well, experiencing the thrill of the run, and the rush of the finish line - nothing is like the thrill of the finish line!  Oh yes, the medal.  


Another random thought is:  It's also funny to me that just two days ago on my six mile run I set a new goal for time that really boosted my motivation to continue training after the race.  I ran six miles in 1.05.  I never have been able to get faster than that time.  Today I actually tried to push to get under 1 hour for six miles and was so disappointed I didn't do it.  I don't want to waste energy trying to do that now before this race.  I just want to do the entire 13.1 under 2.45.  So I am goaling to work getting a 59 minute 6 miles when I hit the trail after the race.

On side note for the day:
I came home after 12 miles and rested for about an hour and then hung window coverings in my bedroom the rest of the day.  This entailed climbing up and down repeatedly on a ladder.  I'm really feeling the burn tonight.  Ouch~!