THANKS. AGAIN.

As most of you know, a marathon training cycle is typically about 4 months long.  Four very long, often physically brutal, and for this particular cycle, painfully cold, months.  Wait, why do I do this again?  Kidding.  (sort of).  When I get to this point, just a few days before the race itself, I tend to look back and reflect a bit.  Because for all of the workouts that were so hard, where I found myself frustrated and wanting to throw in the towel, there were an equal number of runs that made me feel like I was a superhero.  A feeling that is not only amazing, but is likely one of the main reasons that I continue to run these crazy ass races over and over again.  I also like to take a moment at this stage to recognize how unbelievably lucky I am to have such an incredible support system, without which I would never make it to the start line (knock on wood).  So, here's to you.  All of you.

~ To my husband, who is my biggest supporter.  

~ To my kids for their patience and understanding when mom was too tired to deal and their readiness to step up when this was the case.

~ To my extended family & friends who consistently checked in to see how it was going.
~ To my coach, Lowell Ladd (of 2L Coaching) for his guidance and support.

~ To Kirsten, my good friend and running partner, for dutifully joining me for most of my long runs.  Bless her.

~ To my Oiselle teammates for their amazing bird love.

~ To Oiselle (the company itself) for keeping me both stylish and comfortable, 24/7.  Not an easy task.

~ To NUUN for keeping me hydrated.
~ To RUNNERBOX for all the goodies and new products that I've gotten to try. 

~ To Yurbuds for always keeping the beat, and NEVER. FALLING. OUT.

~ To Spotify for being my music oasis.

~ To Saucony for the 3 pairs of Rides that carried me along.  Literally.

~ To the Loopsters for being so damn cool.
~ To my LHS runners who keep me inspired day in and day out.

~ To the great city of Boston.  Just because.

~ And finally, to you, dear readers, for allowing me to document this crazy nut-job experience and your willingness to be along for the ride.

So, again, THANK YOU.  On April 21st, I'll be running Boston with all of you in mind.  And I am forever grateful.

Listen to this:
Keep On Running - Andy Bull  

* Congrats to Tom S., winner of the RUNNERBOX Race Day Survival Kit.  May you always be ready.