First, a shout out to my friend, Greg, who will be running the SF Half Marathon this morning =) Greg, I know you’ll totally kick ass!
I’ll be running with you in spirit, my friend.
I woke up today with some butterflies in my stomach. I was a little nervous and anxious about this morning’s long run. It’s not a real race or anything, but I think the distance is psyching me out a little. I know I can do it, even if I have to crawl in those last 2.1 miles, I know I can do it. But I guess my expectations are not just to finish it this time around, it’s to finish it strong, to finish it with a time specific goal in mind. So, I guess that makes me a little nervous.
But what came in the mail yesterday?
The newest Runner’s World issue. I signed up for a free 6 mo subscription =) And it was filled with stories of people dedicating themselves to reaching their goals. Especially admirable were the stories of the athletes who made the Olympic team. I teared up just thinking of how happy they must have been when they found out they made it. And of course, there was a short little story on Deena Kastor, which made me re-live that glorious moment in the Athens 2004 Olympics when she, in tears, came in third to bring the US a bronze medal for the marathon. I hope she reaches her dream of bringing home gold this summer. (video link – you have to do a quick install of NBC’s Silver Light to watch it, but worth the effort!)
I know I’m far from being an Olympic athlete, but like them I have goals and dreams I want to reach and achieve. Reading their stories gave me the inspiration to brush aside the nervousness and mentally focus on the task at hand.
“Race report” to follow as soon as I’m out of my ice bath this morning =) Wish me luck, everyone!
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August 5th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
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