Four Day and Counting, but who's counting?

Marathon #3 is in four days.  Unbelievable!  I am super excited.  I am feeling really calm.  I am just stressing a little about the weather.  I could not be happier about the temperature, but what to wear...ugh!

This last week is a total mental game for me.  It is all about staying positive and believing in myself.  For Christmas 2011, Drew gave me Mile Markers by Kristin Armstrong.  I asked for it and was excited to start reading it.  I started to read it as I was preparing for marathon #1.  With each page I read, I felt more and more inferior to her.  Her running experiences, running thoughts, and running in general just made me feel like a fool.  I stopped reading it.  I knew my mind needed to be in a good place and the book was hindering that.

Since that time, I have again picked up the book and am loving it.  I feel so much positive energy and encouragement from her writings.  I seriously feel like I could explode with happiness and confidence when I read some of her sentences.  I have turned my book into a college text book underlining everything that jumps off the page at me.  It is truly amazing how much more confidence I have in myself this time and especially since the start of this year.  I know it all comes back to deciding to EMBRACE IT ALL!

This may just be my favorite....I want to grow into a more peaceful acceptance of the challenge.  I don't want to dread the test; I want to embrace it.  I want to be curious about my potential, respectful toward my body, and grateful for my results - no matter what.  I want to be more willing and joyful about putting myself on the line. 

This Saturday is nothing if not an opportunity for me to be brave.  I have so much fear of failing...so much.  But, the past 8 weeks have put much of that fear to rest.  I feel strong.  I am grateful that I am healthy.  Joy has returned to my running.  I know I have potential to do really well.  I just have to embrace it!

There is a unique beauty to pursuing the glow that resides just beyond our reach.

When was the last time you gave something your all?...When did your effort simultaneously exhaust and invigorate you?...When did you last pursue something with the abandon of a child?

Competition is best utilized on the inside.  I need to run my own race.

...the simple bravery in the willingness to risk the attempt.

Perhaps my favorite is when Kristin talks about her coaches instructions to "run through, not to.  Her example was through the stop sign.  My through is the pain, the mental exhaustion, the fatigue, and the finish line.  I am running through the finish line because it is the beginning of my next journey.

I could go on and on and on.  I find inspiration and truth in each statement!

Four days.....

And, this post would not be complete with a few pictures.  Today Samuel, Elena, and I were at the park for 2.5 hours.  It was windy and cool and wonderful.  They had a blast, but were a little overdone come dinner time.

Finally, Jonah had his meet on Sunday.  It was a huge meet!  It went okay.  He made some silly mistakes and Jonah knows it.  He is growing as a gymnast and it is starting to make more sense to him.  Despite the silly mistakes, he still managed to receive 5 medals.  He also earned his highest score of the year on high bar...a 10.6.  His next meet is in two weeks. It would be so exciting for Jonah if he could put it all together at one meet!