Home Stretch

Note to self: a monthlong hiatus in between blog posts is not good. I'll make sure to remember that for next time. But, alas, I digress from the beginning.

It is October 25th. A Monday.  The beginning of another week, and six days until the childhood wonder day that is Halloween. For me, though, it marks something else.

Four weeks away.

Four weeks until all of my hard work since early June is put to the test in one day.

Four weeks until I aim for my goal that I've been striving for manically.

This day I am speaking of is November 21st, which so happens to be the running of the Philadelphia Marathon. It will be my 4th ever marathon, and my last race of 2010.  And, the last four weeks are of the utmost importance to a marathon runner.

At this point out is when the zenith of all the hard work starts to finally ease up and crest downward, to give the body a rest, to "taper" to use some running jargon. More sleep is of the necessity and racing strategies are beginning to be thrown around between my coach and I. Different goals are cogitated, different possibilities of how to start and end the race are debated, but one thing stays the same.

Focus.

Ever since my last marathon in May, I have circled this date on my calendar. I have ran about 1,000 miles since with all of them focused toward a strong time in Philly.  I have never worked harder in my life toward something and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Determination, motivation, et. al teaches you many things.  Staying the course (no pun intended) and working through poor weather, laziness, and all the elements has taught me something spectacular.

That is, we all have this lupine energy within us to perform the extraordinary, the asinine, maybe even the impossible.  It doesn't necessarily have to be running or athletic related, but the thing is, it's there. You may not have experienced it yet. Perhaps you have. But there is some intrinsic mana within all of us to outwill the doubtful, and outwork the others. And the best part of it all is...?

You have it too. 


I'm the last person running would come too easily. I could not run more than 2 miles at a time at seventeen years old, which is flat-out lamentable for someone who is supposed to be in the prime of their life and health. I battled my own issues of being overweight for most of my life. Until about three years ago, this was me.

But not anymore.

I know now I am both physically and mentally ready for what is ahead. I can envision myself beating my best time by 5, maybe even 10 minutes. I have never possessed such focus and motivation before.

The same is possible for everyone. We all have what drives us to be better, to be stronger, to strive for the very best and nothing less. It's some internal lightswitch that once turned on by some resplendent memory or event (for better or worse) is impossible to turn off.  It's a robotic, recalcitrant even, sense that refuses to be ignored.

And when it finally turns on, you'll never be more ready.