I love this quote! Remember Home Alone? Kevin said it right before the bandits invaded his house while the rest of the family was away. As for me, I use it because in one short week the Illinois Half Marathon will be here. Tomorrow's last long run will end my 13 weeks of training. It's been an amazing road and I feel absolutely ready and excited to run this race! I did not have the best attitude at the beginning of training. I doubted my abilities and made myself think that I could not do this. After a short pep talk and a slap on the rear, I went and ran my first long run. It was 6 miles and though I had done that before, I finished, remembering that it wasn't bad and that I am fully capable of completing the miles.
After that, I changed my mindset and took each week one run at a time. I actually started to enjoy the Saturday long runs with my Chix. I will miss them. Each Saturday, I set out to run the longest miles I have ever ran. It was like breaking my own record each week. One would think that I would dread the obstacle but I didn't. It turned into a time to reflect on my week, enjoy the beauty of nature and a chance to have a one on one conversation with God. Last Saturday, I completed 11 miles. It was the longest distance I had ever run and will be until the day of the race. I had the strangest feeling during my run. I was completely at peace and fully aware that I would complete the miles. I don't want to say it was easy but that was kind of how I felt. It was like my body knew it was coming and was 100% ready for the challenge. I even ran the last 4 miles in the rain and didn't seem to care. I had a half of a mile left to complete when it started lightning. Tish and Rebekah rolled up in the car and instructed me to get in. I looked at them like they were insane. I wasn't quitting now. I ran up the hill and finished the run just as the next bolt of lightning hit. It was an awesome feeling and I left knowing this was exactly how I wanted to feel before, during and after the half marathon.
I cannot wait for next weekend! I already have butterflies in my stomach and a tear in my eye when I start to think about it. It will add to the list of big moments in my life. It will be a weekend full of memories and triumphs, for not only me, but for some of the most important people to my heart. I am eager to run across that finish line with my fellow Runner Chix waiting 
for me!
for me!
Come and show support to all the runners on Saturday, April 28th in Champaign-Urbana. It is an incredible thing to watch and I know we would all love to hear you cheering us on!
I look forward to sharing with you my experience during the half marathon and the amazing things that have happened for me in the month of April. Until then....God speed!
