I'm now into week three of training, and have been refreshed by getting to run with my training partner, Morgan, over the weekend. It is amazing how fast 7 miles can go by when you have someone running alongside you. We both agree we need to make the effort to get together when we can.
Yesterday it was a whopping 12 degrees outside. For about a minute I seriously considered not running. But, I only had 3 miles, so I sucked it up. It wouldn't have been bad if I could've breathed! Afterward, when I took a deep breath I sounded like my dog's squeaky toy. I hold on to moments like those so that when I face challenges in the future I can say to myself, "If I did that, I can do this too."

Count down

Four and a half months to go 'til Pittsburgh!

The beginning

About a month ago I decided to run a marathon-something I sometimes thought about, but never really believed I would do. I searched for close races and found the Pittsburgh marathon in May 2009. I recruited a friend to run it with me, printed off a map of the course and was so excited that night I could barely sleep. I bought a new pair of shoes and spent the next few weeks working up to 30 miles a week so that I could begin my training plan. I am now in my second week of training. I have completed my first long run of 10 miles. I am not nearly as excited as I was at first! It is hard to get out and run everyday by myself (my running partner lives about 50 minutes away). I am managing bad knees and have run for weeks with some nasty blisters (though, I have found some ways to manage them). I keep inspired by visualizing crossing the finish line with my friend and by keeping up on reading about others' stories of training and running tips. I also cling to what I now call my marathon verse: Isaiah 40:28-31 "Don't you know that the Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of heaven and earth? He never grows faint or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to those who are tired and worn out, he offers strength to the weak. Even youths will become exhausted and young men will give up. But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint."