Let the countdown begin!!!

Well folks, we are here.  The NYC marathon is in 3 days!  I am both excited and nervous, but mostly excited.  NYC is a pretty tough course {it's got some good hills} so I am trying to mentally prepare myself so I am not too disappointed if I don't reach my goal time.  I know in my heart that it doesn't matter how fast I run the race, it is about finishing and giving it all that I've got along the way, and I know that I will do that. And I know that I will be completely thrilled to just be running the course, enjoying cheers from the many, many crowds, and crossing that finish line in Central Park, no matter what the clock says.  

Whether I reach my goal, or whether the clock is 5 minutes or even 30 minutes later than my goal time, it won't have been a wasted journey.  Running has become an important part of my life.  I love that my kids know that I run.  They ask me if I'm going running and when I come home they ask my if I'm "all fweaty".  {Cute side story: Yesterday I was looking over the course map, and Asher was looking over my shoulder, and so I told him that this was the map of my marathon and that I was running it on Sunday!  He got all excited, then counted the miles and told me it was 26 miles, and then told me, "ok mom, if you are the first person that crosses the finish line, then you will be the winner, and you will get a gold medal..." he then went on to describe what that gold medal will look like.  Well, I will most definitely not be the first person to cross the finish line, but I will get a gold-ish medal!  I'm so glad that Asher will think that that means I won!}  I'm happier after I run.  Energized.  I feel strong when I run, and that definitely carries over into daily life with my kids.  I feel like I've become a whole new, better version of me since this time last year.  Last year I was about 25lbs overweight, I didn't like the way I felt in my body or in my clothes.  I felt lazy and just gross.  Running has made me fit, healthier, and more disciplined.  It's hard to measure success when raising kids, it's hard to know if anything I'm doing even makes a difference.  I know it does {even if it doesn't always seem like it}, and that's why I do it, but sometimes it's nice to go running, and to be able to see results right then, for the hard work I put in the week before.  It's nice to have that in at least one aspect of my life. :)  Anyway, enough of all that.  I just finished my last training run {3 miles!}, and am hoping and praying that I get over this very untimely cold by Sunday.  I can definitely use all the prayers and positive thoughts I can get!  

Which, I know it might sound silly to some people, because really, it is just a race, and in the grand scheme of things, it's not that important. But a few weeks ago my friend Breanne bore her testimony about how Heavenly Father cares about the things that we care about... if something is important to us, it is important to Him.  I believe that.  Running this race through the streets of NY has been something that I've been dreaming of doing for several years.  It is important to me... to make it to the starting line and to run well to the finish line, and Heavenly Father knows that.  I honestly feel like I've got Him on my side, rooting for me, just as much as {if not more than} all my friends and family that are cheering me on and that have supported me SO much throughout this process.  It feels good. Really good!  It makes me feel empowered and unstoppable.  I feel ready...  I've trained well, I've listened to my body and taken time off when I needed to, and I know that I've put the time and miles in that I needed to, and now I'm excited to get out there and see what I can do!

So wish me luck and we'll see you back here in a few days for the race report!