A year ago, I wrote this post. I was about to run my 5th marathon. Long story short, that marathon turned out to be my least favorite 26.2 mile jaunt in the history of ever, but it was quickly followed up with Disney magic, which ushered a roller coaster of running – highs, lows, and everything in between – I learned a lot about running, and went forward with what would arguably be the hardest training plans of my life, preparing for 18 weeks of the unknown…

…which brings me to today. Since July 29, I’ve:

• logged 705 miles.
• listened to more than 21 episodes of the WDW Radio Show, and two audiobooks on training runs.
• completed three half marathons (Disneyland Half Marathon, Labor Day Half, Wine and Dine Half Marathon), as well as one 10K, a 10-Miler, a 5K and a 5M.
• consumed all but 4 packets of my case of Salted Caramel Gu (good timing, huh!?)

I have three more runs before game time on Sunday – all easy: 6 Thurs, 5 Fri and 3 Saturday. I’ve been really paying attention to effort levels, and staying off my feet as much as possible (we went to see Catching Fire last night, loved it).

So, how do I feel? Calm. Nervous. Scared. Ready….yeah, it changes every few minutes, but looking back at these past weeks, I am confident in a few things:

• The training was solid. I said this last year too, and there was nothing inherently wrong with my training plan last year (after all, it gave me a PR that fall, just not at my “A” race), but this year, I had really deliberate workouts, and much more time on my feet.
• My new Garmin rocks. I am so glad that I was able to “upgrade” to the Garmin 310 XT. So, thank you everyone that chimed in on this post. It’s easy to read, was a trusty training partner through wind, rain and buckets of sweat.
• I am more in love with running than ever. I am thankful everyday that life events and circumstances allowed me to devote a lot more time to my favorite sport this fall, and in this period of my life, I was able to fully embrace the gifts that running gives every single day….I never had to lace my shoes up, dreading a run, or feeling demotivated. I felt honored, humbled and just so incredibly lucky to be able to put in each mile.

Reminding myself of these things is a way for me to reach an emotional center – a place where I know that I will not allow whatever the finisher’s clock says to define me, since I know I’ve already accomplished more than I would have ever thought possible, just being here, ready to toe that line.