Count-down to Denver Marathon

I am just three weeks away from running my second marathon this year.

One of my New Year's Resolutions for 2008 was to train for and run ONE marathon. By the time we're making New Year's Resolutions for 2009, I will have completed three.

I'm really proud of myself for sticking with my goals this year, and doing things that are important to me. Even while on vacation this past weekend in Las Vegas I got up on Saturday morning at 8:00 and completed my scheduled 10 mile run. It was hot, I was tired, my sweat smelled like Tanqueray, but I did it. This week we continue our taper, and while I haven't trained as hard for this race as I did for the first one, I've trained smarter, with a more experienced group of runners and more knowledgeable coaching staff. I feel like the taper is well deserved. I'm much faster and stronger than I was in June. I'm really excited to see how my race-day performance improves.

I think I finally know what it feels like to do something I love. I've done lots of things I've enjoyed, lots of things to take pride in, but not anything I want to identify with. I like being a runner. I like lacing up my shoes at the end of the work day and unwinding with a few miles. I like running races. I like being associated with people who like running. There's a mentality, an attitude, a shared joy in doing something that non-runners just don't get. I like reading about running, runners, races, and training programs. I really like eating like a runner. I've enjoyed figuring out how to make running a part of my daily life, and I don't like days that I don't run. I never thought of myself as an athlete until this year, but I'm changing my mind on that point. I've always been fairly coordinated, but never very confident in my abilities. After enlisting in the Army and completing basic training, I realized that I can do a lot more than I give myself credit for; I just have to try.

I'm not worried or nervous about my upcoming races; I know I can run them well. The real question is "what can I do next?" Ultramarathons? Triathalons? Adventure Racing? Who knows, I'm ready to try it all.