Sunday, November 11, 2007

The Final Stretch

Down to six days until Philadelphia, and of one thing only am I certain. That I will complete the 26.2 mile trek for a fourth time. What I am uncertain of is how quickly (or slowly) I will do it. This has been one of the strangest preparations for a marathon thus far.

As I ran in a light snow for the first time since the break of last winter just the other day, it dawned upon me that my training has been difficult this time. That is perhaps the reason that it seems as though it has taken an eternity to get here. In each of the past three marathons, training seemed to fly by and I was heading to the marathon city "before I knew it".

This time, however, it seems as though I've been training endlessly. The odd part is that this will be the lowest mileage total in preparation thus far (just over 200 miles). It is for that and other reasons (all of my health issues leading up to this one) that I go in with a huge question mark. It is also perhaps the other reason that I go to Philadelphia with next to zero expectations. I am never one to say never, but it is very likely this will not be the Boston qualifier that I set my sights on just over six months ago.

Each race is different, and yes, this is no exception. I almost don't look foward to it. And that tells me that after next Sunday I need a well deserved break no matter what happens.

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