With my next half marathon less than two weeks away, I am off the wall excited. I will be running solo. No one else has registered to run the race purposely because I am running it, nor did I register because someone else is running it. I do know others that are running, but this will be different because I will be at the starting line by myself. I am excited for this opportunity to get out there and race by myself. Also, my most amazing husband will be at different places along the route. This will be fun and new as well. I have only seen friends and family at the end of a race. I am excited for the mid-race support.
After this race is over, I will have one month until the Portland Marathon. It is not coming soon enough but yet it is creeping up faster than I realized. Soon I will be telling everyone that I am only weeks away, and then before I know it I will be road tripping it out to Portland. Just thinking about it, I am getting race jitters! It will also be fun to see family and friends out in Oregon. Plus, we are dragging my sister to run it with us. Another friend is carpooling with us to give us support. He was going to run it as well but hurt his knee. It will be a great time.
Lately, I have been doing my “easy” runs with my sister, but they have not been as easy as they once were. She is getting fast! It has been great watching her improve and get back to where she was before she hurt her ankle back in November. I knew she could get there and am glad to see it happening. Normally, I am not very good about pushing her to go faster, but lately the silent and slow increases in pace have been working. I have been leaving my watch at home on the days we run together. It helps me to just take my mind off our time and run how my body is feeling. It has been a good part of my training and I have been happy to help her out.
It is funny because just talking about running really makes me want to get out and run. It does not matter whether I have already put my run in for the day or not. I just want to get out and hit some pavement or a trail. I love what running has done for me physically and with my personality in general. I believe that it has made me a better person. It has given me a reason to push myself to the limits when I do not necessarily believe that I can do it. I am excited to see what it continues to do for me in my life. It has also been a great thing to help me think about things going on in my life, my relationship with God, my relationship with Brent, my relationships with people in general, my actions, my attitude, and my emotions. It is a great stress reliever. Running puts things into perspective. This is why I run. Oh and did I mention it is a wonderful thing to do with my husband. Couples that run together, stay together! I can see how this is true as it gives us dedicated time to talk and spend with each other doing something we both love. Especially when life gets busy. It is also a great activity to do with my sister and other family members. If you do not run, you are missing out. ‘Nough said.