With the marathon only a few weeks away, the level of anticipation has been mounting. I mean, it’s no small undertaking, right? I’ve been training earnestly for months and so far I’ve been amazing myself over just how far my body is taking me. The one big concern that’s been gnawing at me though is the question of how my training will carry me to the end. See, the longest distance that we cover during training is 32 kilometres, but the length of a marathon is 42.2 kilometres. How the heck does anyone manage to cover those last ten? When I ask other people, the answer I get is generally something along the lines of “you just do.” Gee, thanks. I guess, after a certain point doing another few kilometres isn’t something impossible. All it comes down to is how the mind handles things. Can I gather up enough focus to make it to the end? That’s what I’ve been concerned about. I’ve been able to find pieces of the puzzle along the way. It wasn’t until this morning’s run when everything finally clicked. I get it!

So, this morning’s run was our second and final time covering 32K. I ran with someone who tends to run more my speed. She’s training for a different than I am, but she insisted that she run with me because I have a tendency to keep a very steady pace. The whole run went well; we were in good spirits the whole way. The weather was totally cooperating; it was overcast, cool, and breezy. I wasn’t sweating buckets. Past the 21K mark, I started paying more attention to any aches and pains I had. In the past I started feeling killer fatigue at specific distances, and I wanted to see if I could push through. Well, the distances came and went and I was still feeling fine. Sure, my muscles were tired and why wouldn’t they be? However, it was the kind of fatigue that could be worked through. There was still enough in the tank to keep going. Even in the last kilometre, I suggested that we dial up the speed a little bit. We dropped our pace by a minute per kilometres and pushed our way to the end. Imagine: even after 32K we still had enough energy to sprint. Crazy! We both realized that if we felt that good, 42 certainly isn’t that scary a distance anymore. I needed that confidence boost and I got it. I’m ready! Conditions on race day might not be as great, but just the idea that things are in the realm of possibility brings me comfort.