The End is Near...

This upcoming Saturday is the 25K race I have been training for since January. It feels good to be at the end of it all and I feel fairly prepared (for the most part). Part of me will feel anxious until I just do it...since it's mostly just fear of the unknown (never done the route before). But I have almost run the length of the race so I am sure, if I just stay hydrated (my biggest challenge), I will do just fine.

I was talking to a girl at the gym this morning and realizing that just last June, I ran my first 10K. That was a huge accomplishment for me.
Now, only one year later, I am doing a 25K. I can't really believe I am ready to go do it. I'm in the best shape of my life, but even still - it's hard not to think about the chubby college kid who couldn't walk the 10 minute walk to class each day. Or even the fact that I only started running for the first time, just 2 years ago, almost to the date of this race (when Tommy was 8 weeks old). 12 minutes straight of running was a HUGE accomplishment at that point.

It's a cheesy old adage but it really is true - you can do anything you set your mind to. So I am excited to accomplish this goal. I don't think I will be running this length of a race again. I don't enjoy anything past 10 miles too much. My thoughts of the Chicago marathon have faded, and I am completely fine with that. Not interested in having that take over my upcoming summer. But I will definately stick with the 10 mile races. I think that is a fun length and I am really increasing my pace for that duration and truly enjoying it.

Running has given me a lot of things these past two years...
A way to de-stress from the daily going-ons with two little children.
A way to grow some great new friendships (Erin and Steph - the best running partners you could ask for in the past two years).
A way to reconnect with myself and my goals, not just the kid's lives.
A timeframe to work out the silly junk in my head wasting space.
A way to lose the baby weight.
A way to let 6-month-old Tommy take his morning nap.
A way to excuse my love for desserts and second-helpings of food.
A way to go back to certain times in my life, listening to my ipod playlist.
A way to get to know the streets of the town I live in and the beautiful lake I am lucky to live by.

So get ready for Saturday morning...pray for sun and about 60 degrees. And I'll keep you posted on the results.