Paving My Path Into New Territory

Week 12 of 24

Total KM's this Week: 46.5

I am so excited to be heading down this new path!!! On Monday morning Julie & I got up at the crack of dawn to conquer 23km. This is a distance we have never before run. I was very excited but also a little scared...what if I can't do it, what if I injure myself, will my body hold up???? Valid questions for sure, but I haven't done all this training for nothing. My body has been trained to be pushed a little harder each and every week, and I WILL DO SO for another 12 weeks! I will admit about 5 min. into the run I had some knee pain and was starting to panic. My knee had a tracking issue that was easily corrected and we continued on.

23km was long, but I loved every minute of it! I must admit my favorite part of the training is the long runs. I really do look forward to them every week. Who could not love the beautiful scenery, minus the dead roadkill on the side of the highway and the peacefulness of an early morning, minus the fast paced running tunes pounding in my ears! Those long runs seem to allow me the opportunity to do my best thinking.

Julie might not have loved the run as much as I did but she was right there with me at the end. She insisted before we ran that morning that we needed to take a before and after picture to prove we made it. We did make it, a little stiff and sore but are looking forward to taking on the next long run.

One thing I have learned over the past few months is the need to start listening to my body. Every week for the past month and a half I have been seeing a couple of massage therapists to help me get through some of the aches and pains. I have to laugh, cause I go in to see them so they can fix me back up so I can head out and do it all over again. I feel a bit like Humpty Dumpty! However, I won't be able to run this marathon if I don't continue to see them and I'm sure they appreciate the business. Now if I can only get Julie to do the same we could have a team support staff.

As we continue this journey there will be great moments to celebrate and I look forward to paving my path into new territory!