10 days.

10 days until my Half Marathon:

I feel OK about it.
These last few weeks have been very busy in good and bad ways.
My last long run was a disaster; so much of a disaster it was actually humorous! It was just extremely windy and rainy and I had woken up exhausted. The night was a night full of tears at a "goodbye" for a good friend moving home to Indonesia - as I went to sleep with puffy eyes and a stuffed up nose I knew it would not be a pretty looking 20k the next day.

But, as always; I finished it! It took what felt like forever, and I was mentally and physically an exhausted mess when I sunk into a hot bath at the end - but I ALWAYS finish.

This week I have done some shorter speed runs working my way up to the 10k race I will do this weekend at the Forest City Road Races in London  - my running buddy and myself will conquer the 10k before I do a couple small tapering runs leading up to my half.

My left quad has been bothering me a little and I look forward very much to my massage this weekend.

It is a different feeling going into your second Half Marathon; I feel a mix of less pressure and more pressure on myself. 

 I feel less pressure about finishing - I was so stressed out about the Niagara Falls Half Marathon and just being able to finish - I remember telling myself over and over - "just finish, just finish, just finish" So now that I have the right to call myself a Half-Marathoner I feel less pressure to finish just because I know I can do the distance, and if for some reason I fall in a pothole and break my ankle at the 18th km and I cannot finish it is OK because I am already a Marathoner.

I do feel a little pressure to be faster though :) The Lord blessed me with legs than can run 21.1km even if it is slow - and I like the slow crowd at a race; they are much more fun ;) But I do want to be faster than Niagara, that is my only time goal - I would like to say that I will beat my PR but 20 minutes, or 15 minutes - but the realistic goal is simply to beat last seasons Half Marathon time of 3:03:26.

Regardless of what happens in 10 days, I will run with perseverance; I will run in thanks to God for the blessing this life He has given me, for the gift of the run; for the husband and friends that will be at the finish line cheering - or across an ocean cheering.

If it takes me 2 hours, or 4 hours - I will be a marathoner again and I will raise my hands in praise, relief and joy as I cross that finish line......again.....