Last Run Before Monday...

Today a lazy 3 (or so) mile loop around the Charles with Jared...and now it's two days to go.

The run this morning was everything I needed it to be--short, slow, and completely comfortable. The weeks of rest have left my legs and knee feeling strong and vibrant. Now the hardest part will be the wait, as I am raring to go, full of energy and zest for life and running. Though I'm sure they'll be back, my fears have gone quiet for now, as they are edged out of my crowded brain with focus and determination.

Today, instead of saying I'm afraid of what will happen, I am saying:

"Come on, road. Come up to meet me. My lungs are iron, and my legs are strong and hungry for the miles and miles. My heart and mind--my will--they are untouchable and indescribable. So come on. Come to meet me."

Something I know: Monday will be slow, hard, and uncomfortable. But I am ready to DO THIS, as are so many of the DFMC'ers.

So now, since there's little more to say, I'll leave you with my favorite inspirational running quotes:

"No one can say, 'You must not run faster than this, or jump higher than that.' The human spirit is indomitable."
--Sir Roger Bannister (first man to run a sub-four-minute mile)

"May you run and not grow weary, walk and not faint."
--Isaiah 40:31

"Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows that it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're a lion or a gazelle when the sun comes up you'd better be running. (But, unless you're a runner, you won't understand.)"
--Anonymous

"Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself."
--William Faulkner

And my occasional personal mantra when running (when I'm so tired I can barely function, let alone comprehend another 5 miles) is to "Just. Keep. Running." Keep moving forward, because "Miles are just miles."

Good luck on Monday, runners. We're all in this together now:)