24 hour countdown

The 24 hour countdown is on...I have been training for this day for a long time now. It is surely one of the most important races of my life. There is nothing particularly special about the Myrtle Beach Marathon, except that this is where I hope to qualify for the Boston Marathon. All of my training plans and effort since October 31 has been geared to running a 3:45 time. As far as the data goes...I should run that time, no problem but unfortunately, there is more to a marathon than the data. I have learned in these few short years that I've been racing how much the mental aspect is along with the physical aspect! You must be prepared for both or you will not do very well. I am still learning a lot about myself as a runner and person. One of my favorite quotes has been, "the minute you think of giving up...remember the reason why you held on for so long." running has become a very important part of my life, as all of you know. It's not just about me, but I want to help others get active--whether that is running or some other type of activity. It has been an awesome journey...filled with victories and pain. Yes, I will be super disappointed if I don't qualify tomorrow but it won't be the end of the world. There is always another race! "The pain of discipline is far less than the pain of regret" and I can say that I have no regrets from this training cycle. I have followed the training plan that Bobby had for me pretty much to a tea. My interval workout split times have been dead on or faster. I wanted to weigh 10 pounds less than my first marathon a year ago and as of yesterday morning, I am down 9 pounds. That's close enough and for all you thinking I didn't need to lose anymore weight, I am well within the suggested weight for my height, so all is good there, no worries. Now, this last day before the big race I must do this...trust my training, trust my coach, and run the best I can! As always my races are in memory of my mom and dad, affectionately nicknamed Fred and Ethel! They never saw me race a marathon but made me the kind of person that has the discipline to train for such a race. I love and miss them so very much. A huge thank you to my husband, Will, my biggest supporter! My sisters, Donna and Connie and the rest of my family and friends for always believing in me! And my coach, Bobby Mack! Thank you! I love you all! Now...off for my last training run!