7 Bridges, Here I Come!

I just registered for my first marathon!  YAY!  I guess it's kind of silly since I've done most of the training already, and it is a matter of weeks now till race day.  That's how I always do it...wait until I'm sure I really want to.  It's not the best method since I never get the early bird discount.  But, I'm excited and freaking nervous about October 21.  I couldn't ask for a better place to run.  Chattanooga is gorgeous!  What do you think?

and...

and...

and there are three more bridges that I get to run across on my way to finishing my first 26.2 miles!

It's going to be awesome!  Recently, with the weather cooling down, my runs have been getting better. I haven't been as wasted at the end, the speed has been picking up, and my shoes haven't been a soaking mess at the end of the run.  I can only imagine what the cool temperatures of late October will be like.

This weekend is Jenn's brother's wedding, and it's up in Chattanooga.  I'm planning on driving the course to get an idea of what I will be running.  What's nice is that I've run the last seven miles of it that are on a riverwalk next to the river so many times that it is familiar territory.  I'm sure I'll need the familiarity for those last miles.

So, with an 18 miler and a 20 miler left for my major long runs, I'm feeling like I can do the whole thing.  The mental battle is what is going to be the hardest for me.  This last Sunday, I was scheduled for a 12 miler and went out pretty fast with the idea that I would fade, but my time wouldn't fade as bad if I started out slower.  It worked out well, and I was pleased with my time at the end.  I'm thinking about doing this for the 18er on Sunday to see how it works.  I don't think there's any hope of a negative split.  What do you think?

I will say that without the awesome support of my wife, I wouldn't be able to reach this huge accomplishment!  She is such an awesome cheerleader, coach, sherpa, support crew, and I'm so thankful for her!

Thanks for reading.