No. 13

So, since it took me like over 3 weeks to cover 27 hours and 48 minutes of running, I haven't had a chance to really blog about my next marathon... which ummm... just happens to be this weekend!

I am really excited about this race... not because I'm well trained (hahahhahahaha) or expect to PR (bwahahahahaha), but because it's one of my favorite races! It's a challenging race course, but it's unbelievably fun, too.

You know, when I started running, it was all about me... about getting into shape, alleviating stress, and spending time in nature. And while it's still about all of those things to me... it's become more and more about the people. The past couple of years, I've made really good friends through running and though it's made my running habit a little more addictive, it's made my life more full. And this race is the perfect example of that. Not only will I know a lot of people running the race on Sunday, but I'll know people at the aid stations, and there will be spectators out there that I know (including family!). It makes the experience so much more fun and special.

Okay, now enough of that feel-good bullshit...

I'm not really trained for a marathon. So, my expectations for Sunday are pretty, pretty low. I would love to beat my time from last year, which was 4:57, but my main goal is to walk less than I did last year. I was cruising last year till around mile 18, where instead of hitting the wall, I smashed into a hill. The backside of 9 mile hill to be exact. This year I'd like to finish a little stronger. I'm not sure if my legs are ready for that, but I'm hopeful.

This is Marathon # 13. And I'm deciding that in this case... 13 is a lucky number.