Another Marathon Blog: It's Almost Here!

Well folks, it's finally here - in just two days, I'll be running the NYC Marathon. As a matter of fact, at this exact moment on Sunday, I'll be in the middle of Brooklyn at about mile 7, with much of the race still in front of me. I admit I don't feel as prepared as I'd like to feel - lots of things happened this summer that threw various wrenches into my training plan.

But even if I had completed every single prescribed run in that plan, I STILL wouldn't feel prepared because I honestly don't know what I'm getting myself into! The farthest I've run is 18.5 miles, so the last 7.7 miles of the race will be a giant question mark. Strangely enough, I don't feel very nervous about that part because I do know that I will not let myself not finish this race (double negative, but you get it). Unless I break a bone, I will be crossing that finish line, and hopefully I'll be smiling when I do.

I took some random photos here and there during my training, so here's a look back at my training - and my life in general - during the past 19(!) weeks.

I often dressed like a giant weirdo when going for long runs, much to my husband's joy:

Much to my joy, I often ate a giant bagel after those long runs:

When I did speedwork, I ran so fast my ponytail traveled back in time!

These purple guys became my best friends. They contain magical powers that instantly soothe sore calves and shins.

During my first 15-mile run, I got a crazy blister-callous combo special on my right pinky toe, which required many trips to the drugstore to figure out how to cover it, cushion it, and let it heal while still running a trillion miles a week.

One example of my doctoring skillz:

Then, my husband and I packed up our Brooklyn apartment...

And moved to our new home in Westchester.

So I went from running here...

To running here:

And here (up on top of that bridge, believe it or not):

While we were getting ready for the move, closing on the house, and unpacking, I barely managed to get in any runs. On the plus side, my pinky toe healed! On the minus side, I felt ill-prepared for the marathon.

The entire time, I never forgot who or what I was running for:

And my friends and family were more than generous with their donations! I beat both my fundraising goals and I'm eternally grateful to everyone who donated.

So on Sunday, I'm gonna lace em up...