Thankful

January 15, 2015: Today was a bit of a judgment day as far as Phoenix preparation.  After the sore calf night before last, I scratched my scheduled 15-mile run yesterday, and took the day completely off (from running….I still went to work. :-P ).
My plan today was to run easy around the lake (staying around the lake would mean I would never be more than 2/3 of a mile away from my house) to test the calf out.  If it felt good the entire way, I was going to run 8-miles at a comfortable pace (6 laps around the lake).  If it flared up like my left calf did while training for Chicago, then I would obviously stop and walk it in, and probably take at least 1-2 weeks off putting aspirations of running the Phoenix Marathon on life support (I think the last sentence was way too long). :-P
So, how did it go?  Well, during the day today, my calf felt great walking around……….and…….it felt  just as great during my 8-mile run!  In fact, I ran the 8-miles faster than I thought I would.  Staying comfortable, I ran it in 52:00, so I lightly jogged 1 more mile as a cool down to get a total of 9 miles in.
This truly lifted my spirits.
As I contemplated the possible outcomes of this run at various times throughout the day, my thoughts were all over the place.  On the positive end of the spectrum, I felt it could go well, and training could resume as normal the next day.  On the negative end, I was already taking several weeks off of running with the sun setting on my race in the Valley of the Sun…..that would be Phoenix in case you're not up on city nicknames. :-P
I am extremely thankful and relieved at this point.  I know I need to continue to submit to God and trust Him day by day.  This is a daily battle as my 'flesh' and periods of 'unbelief' try to pry in and derail God's best for me.  I am so thankful that He sticks with me through it all.  He's the best. :-)