Last hurdle before the home stretch #roadto26.2

As I look at my Countdown the days are getting closer.

My chest tightens with anxiety; my concern grows over my eating regimen.
My legs immediately get sore with the thought of my last long run ahead next weekend.
“Breathe” I tell myself.
I look at my running schedule and I see that this is the 9th week of 12th. It will be the last hard week. “You got this,” I tell myself. Your not injured. Training is going well.
I realize I followed the training thus far without fail and I am actually quite proud of myself.
I just have to get through this last week and then I have three easier weeks ahead before the Marathon.

If you look at my event list I even added something new to it recently.
My first ‘Trail’ Half Marathon. I have been wanting to do a Q50 race but hoped it would be a 5 or 10miler. Well this option came up and its 5 weeks after my Full. My endurance will still be good from training. It will actually be the shortest race distance of the options that day. (It coincides with a 50 & 25 mile Ultra.) Part of me was going to play it safe and sign up after I run my Full to make sure I make it through injury free but I went for it anyway. Have you heard of Race Blues? It is the let down after a big race goal is completed. It’s the “What now?” complex. I had it after Disney Princess. The fix is to find another goal to focus on afterwards. So my first Trail Half sounded like a good option. Trails are no joke. You have to run them at a slower pace, music is not allowed, you carry your own water plus your calves and ankles will not be happy with you the next day. You will work them a completely different way but it is challenging and thrilling. I have only done a couple 5k Trail races so this is a bit of a jump for me but I am excited and for me to be excited is a good thing. I will have to dust off my trail shoes and go to Comite to prepare.
Check it out here: http://q50races.com/q50-races-marathon-and-half-marathon-2013/

First thing first. I have to get through this next week. Mother Nature has been quite fussy lately as you may know. Warm one day, cold the next plus very rainy. I have a 5 and 10 miler training run this coming week that I may have to go to the gym and fight over a treadmill to get it done then my long run next weekend. I really need to get it in. I feel good that I did get one 20 in but my friend and Coach Stephen says it would be good for me to get another. So I must trust in the training to get me through to that Finish line which is the ultimate goal. I have come this far. People are dropping like flies with colds and flu also. I am taking my vitamins every day and hoping I have this shield of protection to save me this next month ahead. I must stay Healthy and Strong.

Wish me luck! What big races do you have coming up? How do you stay focused?

Sidenote: My personal blog hit over 6k views this week. Thank you for following along on my journey and for all of the encouragement. These past couples of posts have been very therapeutic to my Marathon training. Something that I hope to be able to look back on if I decide to do it again. I have surprised myself already several times since I started this blog in January 2013 with the challenges I have taken on. Even this post from last April proves I am lot stronger than I gave myself credit for: https://ndeckerrunner.wordpress.com/2013/04/11/to-go-the-distance-or-not/

What have you done lately to prove your strength?