Week in Review

80 miles
3 doubles
3 states (NC, IL, CA)
3 treadmill runs
2 weeks until Houston

The take-home lesson from this week? With a modicum of determination and some skillful schedule juggling, you can find a way to meet your training goals regardless of obstacles. When I woke up on Monday to find a blanket of snow--soon to be ice--on the ground in Charlotte, I thought for sure it would hamper my running. When I looked ahead to the rest of the week and saw a schedule filled with early mornings, rental cars and airports, I mentally acquiesed to the seemingly inevitable reality of having to miss at least a day or two of training. Now, with the week behind me, I'm pleased with the final mileage result. It's not nearly as high as the past few weeks, but with less than 14 days until the marathon it probably shouldn't be anyway. I wish I could've squeezed in a short workout early in the week, but Sunday's positive race result almost entirely makes up for it.

Also, more importantly, reflecting on this week in training makes me feel incredibly grateful. Grateful for selfless friends like Jay Holder, who drove all the way across town to pick me up and drive me to the gym on the snow day. Grateful for being able to "work from home" with John and Caitlin for the entire afternoon and share in some, um, interesting conversation topics. Grateful for a job that not only affords me the opportunity to travel across the country doing something I love and meeting amazing people along the way, but--get this--actually pays me to do it. Incredibly grateful for the outpouring of love and support I received from friends and family after doing something as insignificant as winning a silly race. And, finally, let me assure you that I didn't take one single step during that race without feeling overwhelmed with gratitude for being healthy, fit and strong enough to participate in this amazing sport of ours. Regardless of what happens in two weeks, I hope I am able to maintain that positive attitude and thankful spirit all the way to the finish line.