Mission Accomplished.

This morning culminated three months of marathon training; we ran our last Saturday morning training run on the Tammany Trace. This run was only six miles and it was nice to meet the group and not have to worry about an increase in mileage. Everyone just seemed a little big more chipper this morning and eager to enjoy the moment as opposed to dreading it.

I have often heard that good marathon runs only result from training that produced at least a few nagging injuries. I don't think this is always true, but those things nagging do make you feel like you are accomplishing something and you have pushed your body to its physical limits. Three to four months is a long time to commit to anything, let alone something that puts so much strain on your body. You have to deal with all the things that pull you away from your goal; family committments, sickness, injuries, and pure exhaustion. Getting through all that in relatively good shape is one of the best feelings in the world.

There is nothing quite like lining up to start a major physical event, whether it is an Ironman or a marathon (the two things I have the most experience with) and knowing that you have done the work required to get you to the finish line. Once you have gotten there you know that the hard work is behind you and this day is for your enjoyment.

That is what I will be dealing with all this week while I mentally prepare myself for next Sunday. I have a lot of people to thank for getting me to this point, and none are more important then my wife and kids who sacrificed the time with me to let me get in my runs.

I do my best to make sure they know that they are appreciated.