Well, the marathon has arrived. I know I haven’t chimed in with an update really since I started my whole post-20-mile slow down. There really hasn’t been much to report besides this nagging pain in my leg that I’m praying isn’t as bad as I fear it could be. I took things really easy on myself for the past two weeks. I feel very lazy though, I am kind of itching for a good run. It would have been nice to get a few more training runs in, but I want to be 100% on Sunday.

I’m on the plane writing this now, actually, and there is a woman sitting on my row who has taken on the same goal that I have been considering: running a marathon in all 50 states. It’s an incredible goal, and when I mentioned it in my typical blabbering manner to the man who sold me the shoes I’m going to wear in the race on Sunday, he laughed out loud. “Who would want to do that??”

I need to keep the long runs up though. I must admit I really enjoy my Saturday runs. Though I’d much rather get sleep, There is something so calming about lacing up at 6 a.m. and trotting down Yokohl Drive alone. It’s breathtaking and I always come home feeling incredible. Regardless of what happens Sunday, how can I not do this again? Why wouldn’t I want to committ my adult athletic life to something spectacular that only a very select few could ever hope to accomplish. It’s these goals that keep me going, these personal feats that provide me with great personal pride.

But that’s the day after the day after tomorrow, isn’t it? Shouldn’t I be more concerned over the fact that my friends have noticed a slight limp in my step the past two weeks? Shouldn’t I be wary of all those extended breaks I took at every water stop in Yokohl Valley? Is there anything more I can do?

The race Sunday will be great. I’m expecting, in light of my sometimes sluggish sum pace on my training days, I will finish between 4:40 and 5:00. That’s commendable, but I want to do better. I still somewhat consider that a lazy marathon (but an improvement on my first).

I think I might surprise myself tomorrow. While I did take the water stops slowly while training for Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon last year, I also walked a whole lot more than I did this year. I ran at a brisk pace for the majority of all my runs this time around. I also showed up to an impressive amount of mid-week training runs. I followed the schedule very closely, so I may find that even walking through the water stations on Sunday will still bring me to a 4:45 finish (maybe even 4:30). I’m just trying to be realistic and not get my hopes up.

In concert with running my second marathon and marking a second state off my marathon list (only 48 states left!), I will be visiting Georgia, where many of my dear friends still live. I’m looking forward to this very much and I’m thrilled I will have the opportunity to share this race with the people I care about. I’m especially proud of my friend Marilia, who will be running her first marathon on Sunday. I can’t wait to see her sprint across the finish line. I just hope her experience will be as positive as mine has been.

This is a dream come true for me, I’ve looked forward to this weekend since last summer when I was bemusing crazy thoughts with Marilia on a Sunday evening. It’s amazing how far I’ve gone. I’ve run over 300 miles since November 20th. I’ve been so committed to this, I’m so stoked to see it finally come full circle. Please wish me well and thank you so much for your support!

Want to track my progress? If you are registed with Active.com, you can actually get text-message notifications of my progress in the race! You can opt for a message when I finish or get text message when I reach the 10K, half, 20 mile and finish line. Click here to sign up. (But you’ll need to know my full name or bid number, so if you don’t know that, I guess you’ll just have to ask!)