4 Days Until the Marathon!

my first "good luck" card. Thank you, Mandi!

Hard to believe it's almost here . . . basically, I'm thinking:
- 4 more days until I'm finished with the relentless training
- 4 more days until my dad and I endure pain for an extended period of time (we're talking more than 4 hours, most likely) together
- 4 more days until my dad and I share a transcendental experience together!


I'm keeping things simple for the next few days. Lots of eating and sleeping, shorter runs, lots of ice cream. Duh. Here's a quote from the editors of Runner's World Magazine:

The body does not want you to do this. As you run, it tells you to stop but the mind must be strong. You always go too far for your body. You must handle the pain with strategy...It is not age; it is not diet. It is the will to succeed.
-- Jacqueline Gareau, 1980 Boston Marathon champ



I'm just ready to be done and take some time off! My feet could be extras in The Hobbit. Lately, we've been taking Huckleberry and Maybe (our dogs) on our shorter runs. Both Maybe and I will be very happy when to take a break from running . . .



Also! Our team Good Grief uniforms arrived! We'll be wearing yellow, in honor of Julian. Why yellow? It's from a poem of his we found a few days after he passed away:

What the Yellow Had To Say

by Julian Ptacin

I am the joy of a flower

the singing of birds

I am a promise

the happiness that fills your body

I am the delight of friendship

the feeling of being with someone

I am the light shining through your window making you warm

the sight of someone you love

I am the peace keeper

the never ending joy.