49 days away...

Wow. Out of the 50's on the days-left-countdown. That translates to 7 weeks, counting marathon week (with the marathon being the last day of the week)

Scary.

I'm at 40 mile a a week for the next 3 weeks, starting tomorrow. Then the tapering begins, with 36 miles, 33 miles, 24 miles, and then 14 plus race.

Today I ran 20 miles. I have to do this two more times, and it was a daunting task. It took me 4 hours, which is about 12 min a mile. This seems to be where I'm at. Last week in the Rochester half I averaged 12:10. I will be happy to finish the Marathon at 12-12:15 min miles, a total time of 5:18-5:30.

I'm registering for the Turkey Trot, a measly 8K on Thanksgiving morning. I'll have about 2 weeks between the Marathon and the Trot. Seeing it's only 5 miles and I'll be back to running 3-4 miles a day starting a week after the marathon, it should be a comfortable run.

Once I tackle the NYC Marathon, it seems a waste to let all this hard work turn me back to mush, so I plan on becoming a race junky. 5K's, 10K, halfs, and the Buffalo Marathon in the spring...I'd love to do the Disney Marathon they have, through the parks in the evening. Why not turn all this into a permanent thing, and be able to call myself a runner? Plus, this keeps me in shape in case SBA is able to be a partner charity for NYC next year.

So back to today, and the fours hours. While I was running, in order to encourage myself to keep going I thought about just how long 4 hours is and what can be done in 4 hours. Here are a few ideas I came up with:

Play with Emily. She has a 4-hour window in the mornings.

Roast a 26 pound turkey.

Drive to Toronto, walk the city for an half an hour or so, then drive back.

Fly to Chicago, hang out for 10 minutes, and fly back home.

Drive to Cleveland, and spend an hour eating at the bar at Michael Symon's Lola.

Have two drinks, and enjoy the Tasting Menu at Gramercy Tavern.

Tailgate for an hour and watch an entire football game.

Watch one Lord of the Rings on TBS, commercials included.

Hmm. So, it IS a whole lot of work to run for that long! If I was faster, it wouldn't be so daunting...but that's what the continued training is for.

In donation news, we are only $1,200 away from our $5000 goal. Thank you to everyone who has opened their heart and donated. There are 40 donation days left (money is due in October 29th). If you haven't donated please consider a donation to the Spina Bifida Association In Honor of Emily Keicher. This donation will go towards our team goal, and help out a fantastic organization. Information on how to donate online, or by check, can be found at the links on top of the page. To read more about Emily and this cause, please click here.