Rain Rain, Go Away

I’ve been freaking out about the upcoming hurricane that’s ready to crawl her way through the marathon with us on Sunday. I’m trying to keep positive though. Negative thoughts will not ruin this experience.

I’ll think of the man who greatly shaped the athlete I’ve become – my tennis instructor, Dan. My dad dragged me to tennis lessons in 6^th grade, and I was not happy about it. Dan didn’t care. He taught me week after week for six years. Dan served in the Marine Corps for four years, and that must have taught him patience and perseverance to deal with me. Two things I’ll need when shuffling along this weekend, for sure.  I’ll also think of my grandmother, also known as one of the coolest ladies to ever walk the planet. She was a Marine during World War II. Thinking of her tough love has forced me to suck it up. It’s not like I’d be comfortable even if it was 60 and partly sunny.

I’ll be thinking about how around 2pm on Sunday, this will all be over. Training will be done, and I will get to celebrate my accomplishments. For children battling cancer, this is not the case. There is no end in sight. I’m sure they’d love to run around in the rain for 6 hours and then be free from pain. I’ll be thinking how grateful I am that this does have an ending. How lucky am I?

I’ll keep in mind the hard work I’ve done. I’ve run almost 290 miles since the end of June. I’ve gone to 10 sessions of physical therapy, with my final session being tonight. I’ve spent hours cross training at the gym. Hurricane Sandy does not get to discount all the time I’ve put in:

Sandy can take her rain and 22mph winds and bring it on. It’s a MARINE CORPS Marathon, after all!