Step outside and take a deep breath

Yesterday was the first time I ventured outside since the accident...pretty traumatic. I know that she was just concerned, but the receptionist at the massage place just took one look at my face and was horrified. You can imagine how I felt! So I seriously thought about skipping my long run today. I didn't want to deal with all the questions, stares and snickering. I just wanted to hide under my covers until I look normal again.

Lucky for me, I have a super coach who talked me into coming out today. The marathon is coming up real soon and I can't afford to miss any more runs. Spending all that money on physio and massage, all that time training, giving up all my Saturday nights and (this was the hardest one) giving up the snowboarding season, I'm determined to finish this race!! It was hard for me lace up my shoes this morning though...I still get pretty upset at people's reactions. But the group is really great and supportive, and I made it...and finished 26 km too! My coach and a couple of family members followed us on bikes the whole way and talked us through it all, keeping us preoccupied, hydrated and motivated. It wasn't a great run for me time-wise, but it was the most emotional, and the most gratifying run I've ever completed.

There are a lot of parallels between training for this marathon and writing my thesis. Both require a lot of self-discipline, a lot of sacrifices, a lot of time, a lot of perserverence, and a lot of digging deep. Sometimes the road is bumpy, and sometimes you don't know where you're going. The road is long and arduous. Often, you question whether or not you can finish, especially with no finish line in sight. Both take a lot out of you, physically and mentally. Without my "support team", I'd wouldn't be able to finish either. So a HUGE thank-you to my coach, Peninsula Runners, my physio guy and my group for getting me this far. One step at a time, eh?

By the way, next year I'm setting easier, more fun goals for myself...