Ready to start

In 48 hours, Kim and I will be enjoying a free beer and massage courtesy of the Marine Corps Marathon after finishing our first marathon, insha'allah.  Wow.  26.2 miles finished.  Damn, son. To be quite honest, I can't really wrap my mind around what happens after we finish.  Eating 2,000 calories? Sleeping for a week? Comrades training? Time will tell but I'm pretty sure the first two are safe bets.

Heads up - I usually keep the blog nice and light (and occasionally downright profane) but it's gonna get a little personal for a second. Feel skip down to the OMFG YAY RUNNING SO MUCH PAIN ending if feelings make you queasy. No judgment, I suffer from the same affliction.


The summer before starting at Georgetown my grandmother passed away after a long battle with leukemia.  Gramsie was an incredibly strong woman - growing up in England during WWII, leaving her family behind to move to the States, raising six children, and of course maintaining her remarkable courage, poise, and humor on even the worst of days.  In the months that followed I struggled to find a way to express my loss until one afternoon when I received a brochure from Team in Training.  Regardless of your opinion on charity runners, TNT is a fantastic group  that prepares runners to participate in half-marathons, marathons, and triathalons while raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  Running and raising money for leukemia research seemed like a wonderful way to honor the woman I was named after.  So while I vowed to join TNT's training program for a spring marathon, soon college began and I was immersed in making new friends, classes, exploring DC, joining clubs. You know, life.

Gramsie was a total fox. Speedo dude, questionable...

 
Suddenly four years had passed and I was off to NYC for my next adventure, no closer to actually achieving my half-baked dream. The marathon lurked in the back of my mind ever since that summer - the ultimate challenge, a test of my strength, and a testament to an amazing woman. This year, as I've mentioned previously running surprisingly has become a joy (okay, not ALL the time) and I finally took the leap and signed up for the Marine Corps Marathon.  It only took five years but I'm finally making my marathon dream a reality this Sunday. And while you would have thought I'm bloody crazy, Gramsie - I'll be thinking of you.

Alright. I promise most of my thoughts aren't quite so reflective currently. Mainly I'm wondering if I should follow Schtinie's advice and test the anti-chafing wonders of BodyGlide, how many crack tacos from La Lucha my stomach can handle, or if it's possible to fit any more spandex into my suitcase (highly doubtful).  I can't really think about the race because then I'll probably crack out and we all know how that ends. At this point, training runs are finished, my outfit has been selected, ALL (and I literally mean everything not nailed down) the carbs have been eaten, and my playlist is finalized. While I'm sure I could have trained harder or more responsibly, this is as good as it's gonna get. In the words of the Arcade Fire,  who unsurprisingly are featured prominently on my running playlist - now I'm ready to start.

Kim and I will be photoblogging/tweeting/texting/generally spamming everyone over the course of the weekend or you can also follow me (bib number 25781) on the MCM's website. Thank you so much everyone for your support over the past few months - both for the crazy running and this blog in all its forms. It really means the world to me.

See y'all in our nation's capital. Hoorah!!