23 Days to Go

February 5, 2015: I am in awe of God's goodness.  First of all, He is good no matter what.  It certainly does not hinge on how well training is going.  However, I want to thank Him for a better than expected race this past Sunday, and a much better than expected Medium Long Run yesterday (Wednesday).
     Going into the Sunday race (a flat 10K), I wasn't exactly sure what to expect.  With no taper and minimal speed work,  I was thinking anything under 32:00 would be great, and I would be ok with low 32's.  I felt okay during my warm-up, but nothing spectacular.  When the gun went off, I quickly settled in to a relatively comfortable pace.  I could tell I did not have blazing speed in my legs, but I felt pretty strong.  I wanted to run my mile splits pretty evenly, or if possible, run progressively faster as the race went on.  My splits were as follows: 5:06, 5:05, 5:05, 5:08 (cone turnaround), 4:59, 5:01, and the last 0.2 in 1:02.  My relatively comfortable pace became considerably less comfortable the last couple of miles.  I really had to concentrate to maintain pace.  With the out and back nature of the course I was able to pass the rest of the runners coming in the opposite direction.  Typically when people cheer for me, I like to wave, give a thumbs up, or at least smile at them.  I could muster nothing.  However,  I certainly appreciated each word of encouragement I received on the way back.  One thing that helped keep me going was thinking about my family standing at the finish line.  I wanted to finish strong for them.  Even before I reached the finish line area, I could hear in my mind, "Go Daddy! Go!."  Sure enough, I heard just that as I approached the line.  There is nothing like hearing that coming from the sweet voices of my two kids. 
    After taking 2 recovery days after the race (8 easy miles Monday; 11 easy miles Tuesday), it was time for my medium long run on Wednesday.  Originally, I had planned to do a speed workout, but I still had lingering calf soreness from the race.  Therefore, I opted for a run that would keep me off my toes.  I expected a decent run, but not one as fast as last week's Wednesday run.  Well, to make a long story short,  I ran the 16 miles faster than last week....even with a slight headwind.  I felt possibly as strong as I ever have on a run of that distance in a marathon training cycle....and unlike last week, no new blisters formed, so I was able to jog an easy mile as a cool-down. 
     I can't help but feel excited for the upcoming marathon.  Normally, at this point in the training cycle, I am feeling pretty fatigued, and my legs feel relatively 'dead'.  During this training cycle, it's not the case.  I feel stronger now, and have just as much or more bounce in my legs than at the beginning of the cycle.  With my taper starting next week, I want to continue to surrender everything to God, and run for His Glory.  I feel absolutely blessed.  I want my heart and eyes to be focused on Him.  I want to be the person, husband, father, and runner that God desires me to be.