What a difference a year makes

Last year was pretty grim when David came up to the frozen tundra of Boston for treatment 11 and I barely had enough energy to walk around the block. This year I went to visit him in Miami and we ran the Miami half marathon! I never thought I could run 13.1 miles because my knees often hurt when I run. Several events happened that changed my attitude. First, David suggested that we sign up for the Miami half marathon back in October and sent me to Hal Higdon's training site. This site provided structure and good stretches, and I needed to focus on a new goal. Next, I mentioned that my knees hurt to my physical therapist and she told me to stretch my hamstrings and quads more (duh!). Seems obvious, but I soon realized how helpful consistent stretching really is - my knee pain is really non-existent now! Then, I happened on to PBS's Nova Marathon Challenge where they took 15 very novice runners and trained them for the Boston marathon. The physiological changes they underwent during training were very impressive and inspiring - and all but one finished! Finally, a series of fortunate trips to DC and California during Boston's snowy December enabled me to enjoy long runs outside including a very scenic 8-miler over the Golden Gate bridge. I focused on completing my goal every day, not being scared of the big mileage numbers ahead. I just increased little by little and before I knew it I'd run 10 miles - me who'd never run farther than 5 miles! The race was really a lot of fun. The course was really beautiful, leaving downtown Miami before dawn and running along South Beach as the sun was rising. I felt ready. I had done all the training and was adequately hydrated and carbo loaded. The fantastic energy of thousands of other runners propelled me 13.1 miles towards the finish line to beat my goal of 2:30 by 3 minutes!