You Can Do EEEEETTTTTTTT!

Well yesterday was a coach led practice...and the distance was to be 9 miles (for the individuals that were going to be participating in the full marathon and then 5-6 for the individuals participating in the 1/2 marathon). Since Kael and I had done so well the week before, we decided to run the 9miles.

We took off and stayed with a pack that had a good speed for both of us. We got a mile in and then the coaches had pulled us off the path to stretch out a bit. Then we were off again. We were going to run 2.5miles down the road, turn around and backtrack to where we started and then we were to head into the park and do another 4 miles in the park. It is funny how your forget about the hills that seem to strangly appear when you are starting to struggle a bit! The 5 miles went by with no problems. Then we turned into the park...then the wall that I had so effortless avoided last week, what we like to call BONKING, was so close...it was chasing me down!

I had to stop several times to walk...though when I walk I walk for less than a minute and then we take off again. I can't walk for to long for fear that I won't start running again. As we were running towards the last water stop I knew that I was so close to running out of energy! And then the self doubt started to set in..."What was I doing? I hate to run! Do I really think this is feasible?" AAHHHH, yes....this is what I like to call the edge! This is what I had to talk myself off of when I was in Alaska the last 2 seasons.....

This Edge is like that devil sitting on on your shoulder telling you that you can't do this. Then I remembered the time when I was on a hill up in Tahoe and I had completely freaked me out that I couldn't do it...I was able to talk myself down the hill and I made it down without falling....so that is what I did this time! I said to myself, "You can Do EEEETTTTT! You totally can!"

And you know what? I totally did! I came into the finish and we were at mile 8.75....so what did Kael and I do? We kept running until we hit 9 miles!

So now the next thought in my head is that....my 1/2 marathon is on October 21st. I am already running close to the 1/2 marathon distance in a lot faster time then I thought I could....so Could I? Would I? Should I train for the full?..............

Time will tell.,....but the thought is there!