What is My Inspiration?

Runner's World Magazine recently published an article about pace teams. The article actually inspired me to sign up for the Clif Bar Pace Team for the White Rock Rock Marathon. I signed up for the 4:15 finish team, but I am secretly hoping to finish faster than that. My friend Mindi and I discussed this article over the weekend, so I read the article again when we returned from our trip. The part of the article that stands out for me is the discussion of the areas of focus for the last five miles of the marathon. My longest run before the marathon will be 22 miles, so I am going to have to use my head and my heart to finish those final miles. Here is what I hope I will have the presence of mind to think of during those last five miles of the marathon:

Mile 21: Focus on the work I have done to be at this point in the marathon and how the work is paying off at that moment.

• I have run consistently for over one year.
• I (will) have completed three half marathons.
• I followed a training plan.
• I took care of my body through rest and good nutrition.

Mile 22: Focus on my personal support system - my husband, my parents, my sister, my friends - who helped me make it to that moment.

• For everyone who donated money to sponsor me in the marathon.
• My husband, who was there for me day in and day out, supporting me through good days and bad.
• My parents, who taught me from the beginning that I could do anything I put my mind to doing.
• My sister, who ran her first half-marathon last year and inspired me to start running.
• My friends (especially Mindi) who listen to all my running stories and feed my running obsession.

Mile 23: Focus on my personal hero, someone who has been through something much harder than a marathon, and think about the strength it took that person to get through their ordeal.

• A week ago, I might not have been able to name this person off of the top of my head, but a lot can change in a week.
• A family friend tragically lost her husband last week when he was murdered in their home.
• She is in her early twenties and has managed to get herself out of bed each day and is already planning several different memorials to to her husband.
• If she can find the personal strength to do this, I can finish this race.

Mile 24: Focus on a time in my life that I demonstrated great strength in some area of my life other than running. Tap into that strength and remember that only one tenth of one percent of the U.S. population finishes a marathon every year.

• I overcame the bowed tibia and fibia in my right leg. I was a competitive athlete in high school and now I am a marathoner.
• I am running this race to benefit Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, where there are many patients, current and former, who are unable to run a marathon.
• I passed the Texas Bar Exam. I would definitely rather be running 26.2 miles that taking that stupid test again!

Mile 25: The last mile! Every step I take gets me that much closer to the finish line!

• I can run a mile in my sleep!
• Get out the tissues -- here come the tears!