Marathon Update #7 - I Just Ran

"That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run. So I ran to the end of the road. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd run to the end of town. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd just run across Greenbow County. And I figured, since I run this far, maybe I'd just run across the great state of Alabama. And that's what I did. I ran clear across Alabama. For no particular reason I just kept on going. I ran clear to the ocean. And when I got there, I figured, since I'd gone this far, I might as well turn around, just keep on going. When I got to another ocean, I figured, since I'd gone this far, I might as well just turn back, keep right on going." - Forrest Gump

That's about what this week feels like for me, just looking at my training schedule. This is the peak week for mileage, finishing up the week with a 20-mile run. Then the "taper" begins until marathon race day.

With this being a high-mileage week, I took last week easy to rest a little. Saturday was just an easy 14-mile run around the mountain (boy does it feel good to be able to say that). I did do something a little different, though, this weekend. I usually strap my iPod to my arm and listen to music when I run, but Saturday, for no particular reason, I went iPod free for the first time and I actually rather enjoyed it. It didn't help me run faster, but it didn't slow me down either. It was just different. I'll probably go back to the music for my 20-miler this weekend, but it was a fun little experience. I just hope that when I get to the end of that 20 miles that, like Forrest, I feel good enough to say, "I figure, since I've gone this far, I might as well just keep right on going."

26 days and counting...