Mission accomplished!

I ran the Arizona Marathon today AKA the IMS Marathon in Glendale.  My goal was to beat 4:30 and my time was 4:29:14.  I barely beat it,  but I had a PR by 15 minutes so I was thrilled!  I followed Mike, the wonderful 4:30 pacer who was supportive without being obnoxious and made me feel like he really wanted me to achieve my goal.  THANK YOU, MIKE!  My other friend, Chris ran it as well in 3:40 which is AMAZING to say the least.  The weather was perfect and there were just under 300 racers so it was nice and small.  I'm sitting here typing with minimal soreness and haven't had to take my usual post-marathon nap believe it or not.  If anything, I'm oddly energized.  I've done 2 loads of laundry, painted my toenails, and even managed to do some work (I do part time bookkeeping on the side).  Oh yeah, did I mention my husband and I also filed our taxes?  Jeez, typing this really makes me realize I'm going to crash and burn soon so I'm going to sign off.  I'm going to sleep with a HUGE smile on my face tonight!

2 weeks and counting...

I completed my 2nd 20 miler last Saturday with my friend Chris and boy, I am welcoming the taper.  It was a little rough at the end and I have to admit it kind of dented my confidence.  How I'm going to get through another marathon and set a PR?  I know I can break 4:30, I just have to believe in myself on race day.  My BRB, Tina ran Carlsbad two weeks ago and set a PR!  She did it in 3:40:44 which is AMAZING considering how hilly that course is.  I am so impressed with that girl.  She is truly an inspiration.  She works nearly 40 hours a week, has two young girls and still manages to get in every training run, every week.  I've just recently started a part time job working 20 hours a week and can barely manage 3 runs a week.  Us moms are truly amazing when we set our minds on something ~ we won't let anything get in our way.  Laundry gets done at 9:00 pm and we have to get up at 5:00 am to get a run in, but we manage to get everything done.  Never underestimate the power of a mom with an unstoppable attitude!