It is now marathon week. This is it. Months of training, emotional ups and downs, injuries and exhaustion. On Sunday it all comes to an end. I think I am still trying to process this. As a result I am not quite ready to write about my plans for the big day. So instead of looking forward, I have decided to spend a couple of days looking back. My next couple of posts will be about training memories – good or bad. They will be in no particular order, just moments that come to mind when I think of the last four months.

Memories #1 and #2: The High Moment and the Low

My first real moment when I thought I might honestly be able to do this was the day I ran 11k and then followed it up with the Army Run Half Marathon. The run had many moments of feeling effortless and I was able to maintain such a steady pace. Completing more than 30km was a huge feeling of accomplishment, particularly when I crossed the finish line feeling great. I think that day will be remembered for a long time.

The lowest moment was definitely when I hurt my hip and I.T. band while trying to accomplish a 30k run. Having to give up at 25k and limp my way back to the car for 5km was completely demoralizing. Having no idea how much training time I would lose while trying to heal did not help my mood. That was definitely the closest I came to quitting. I am sure it would be nice to bury this memory but it is worth remembering. I did get back to training and I did have successful long runs. I may have had to readjust my goals but I didn’t quit. If I ever do this again, I will need to recall this low point to remember what I can accomplish.