The miles just keep coming

Well into Week 11 of my training I've logged somewhere around 300 miles since this journey began-give or take of course.  I'm on my second pair of sneakers, have consumed approximately 30 or so packets of GU, sport beans, gels or chews, have visited an orthopedic doctor and have risen before the sun on more than one occasion.  The range of temperatures has been as low as 35 (hello 5:00 am in Binghamton in September!) and as high as 90.  I've run 16 miles talking about topics with my fellow runners ranging from the new Pope to stress fractures to GU flavor preference to our dog's antics to the pros of compression socks to the preference on running on a Saturday so you can have a glass of wine on Saturday night.  I've run 16 miles alone slowly contemplating and reflecting on why I took this on and how at times it has seemed like a little bit more than I could handle on a given day.  Throughout the past few months the end goal, doing this for a really important cause, running for my dad, dot and Alice, has never waivered.  I've realized on those very long runs that I have the best husband on earth, who waited patiently in the car every three miles for me to arrive to provide water, a pep talk and make sure he didn't have to peel me off the road 3 miles ago.  The marathon on November 3rd has always been the end goal but it's really the time leading up to it that strikes me as the real accomplishment.  4 months of rearranging your life around runs, waking up to run in the dark, the heat, the rain.  The support of your loved ones when they get behind such a crazy idea often is the most validating, the most significant part of such a journey.  It will all be worth it and I'm always aware how blessed I am to have this opportunity to get out there and pound the pavement for people that I love.  Run on folks.