Bitter-Sweet

Can you believe it, 4 days to go until my big race. I feel nervous and excited at the same time. I feel like I am ready for the challenge but there is always that fear of the unknown. Can I actually run 26.2 miles? Will my body hold out? Will I trip over someones feet? I just know that I need to go out there and be confident that I have trained hard and that God is on my side.

The reason I titled this post "bittersweet" was because on Monday morning my very precious and dear Grandpa died. He had been sick for quite a long time. He had always been so supportive of my running and always such a great encouragement to me. He was a very gentle and sweet man. He had a very big heart, always willing to help other people, nothing was ever too much for him. I remember how he cut out hundreds of paper hexagons for me so that I could do a patchwork quilt. They were so exact, everything my Grandpa did was with excellence and patience. I loved the way that he never rushed anything, he enjoyed the small delights of life. I really think that my Grandpa lived his life to the fullest and I am so grateful that he is not suffering anymore and that he is safe in the arms of Jesus now. But I do feel sad that I will not be able to share this marathon running experience with him. I do know that while I am out running on Sunday he will be in my thoughts a lot. He was such a wonderful Grandpa and I miss him.

 Saturday was my last longish run, I did 11 miles (which actually just didn't feel that far). It is amazing because when I started training for my marathon 11 miles seemed so far.  I had a good run on Saturday, it was a beautiful morning running, very peaceful. Running really is such a joy for me and I just love being out enjoying the beauty of God's creation. As I have said before, running is a great time for me to think. On this run I was mostly thinking about the marathon and praying that it will go well.

On Sunday I did an 18 mile bike, again I went out early in the morning. I must say it was one of the most amazing sunrises I have ever seen. The colors were stunning, the sky just seemed to light up. I just wanted to stop and enjoy the beauty of the day. And I was reminded of this scripture Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God." That really was a moment to be still and know that God is in control and that we can rest in Him.

It is now Wednesday and I am mentally and physically preparing for race, I have done quite a bit of reading up on what you should do a week before the marathon. The best news is that I should eat lots of carbohydrates, apparently pancakes are great and easily digested. The bad news is that I am not really hungry at the moment, I think it is because I am a bit nervous. Hopefully I will feel like eating soon. Maybe I should just make a big plate of pancakes, the girls would be very happy with that for breakfast. Mentally I am just praying and trusting that God will be with me. My goal is really to go out and have fun and hopefully get  a good time.

My ankle is still a bit sore but I am still able to run without too much pain. It is going to be a case of just pushing through. But I am going to try and rest it this week. I did do a Zumba class on Monday and I did a 5km run on Tuesday. The 5km run on Tuesday was very easy and I felt really good. Now I think I need to force myself to relax and rest. It is rather hard when you have been running so much.

My next concern is the weather, there is a forecast of snow towards the end of the week. I am really praying they got that wrong, I really don't like running when it is really cold. The 9 news weather says Sunday should be clear and dry just a bit cold. I hope that they are right. I have decided to run in my bright orange running shorts and running shirt. I have some bright orange hair bands as well.  I think I will paint my nails bright orange, may as well have some fun.

My next post will be a detailed blog about my marathon. I appreciate all your prayers and encouragement. I am so grateful for my amazing family and friends. I feel incredibly blessed. Thank you to my darling and wonderful husband, he has been a great source of encouragement. Thank you to my three precious girls, Amy, Emma and Chloe, they have been such stars especially on days when I have done my long runs. One of the girls, can't remember which one said "I hope you win Mom!" I did have to tell her that there are about 15,000 runners and I am not going to win but I appreciate the vote of confidence. I am also grateful to my dad and mom for all their encouragement over the years. I am really blessed to have the most amazing dad and mom. I really wish they could be here to see me run.

Well time to rest and relax!