The only running that took place this weekend in our house was from the couch to the bathroom. It was a not a good weekend in our household. Friday morning I woke up feeling weird. It felt like morning sickness. I couldn’t tell if I was starving or ready to throw up. Before I got Cole to the bus stop, I was throwing up in the bathroom. Cole was off to school, and it was just Chet and I. My stomach was not happy. I made at least four more trips to the bathroom that morning before 10 am. I finally felt like I had everything out of me and was recovery. Chet went down for his nap and round 2 hit. This time I sent my husband a text pleading with him to come home. My mother-in-law came to my rescue (my mom was home with the same issue). Christian got home early. He entertained the boys. Shortly after dinner, it hit him too. He spent his evening in the bathroom. My mother-in-law came back over. Thank goodness because I think Cole would have gone to bed starving if she hadn’t brought him dinner.
Saturday we took turns napping. We washed our hands like crazy. We kept our fingers crossed that the boys wouldn’t be affected.
Today, Sunday, I finally feel human. I’ve spent the day doing laundry, scrubbing surfaces, and finally enjoying some play time with Chet and Cole.
In the midst of all this sickness, I’ve been laying on the couch a lot. Knowing I was missing my last official long run (22+ miles before I head into my taper), I’ve been playing the what-if game about my marathon. Three weeks from today, I will have crossed the finish line.
What if….
…I have a dream run. Most of my long runs have been good. They’ve all felt comfortable. My legs have never screamed at me. My mental struggles have all been emotional. Besides my 17 mile I am broken run, I have loved them all (and I really loved that one too).
…I run faster than I’m expecting. All of my long runs have included trails so I have no idea what pace to expect on race day. For some reason I’ve had a number between 4:30 and 4:45 in my head since I started.
…I let myself really dream. I swore I wouldn’t set a time goal for myself since this is my first marathon. My only goal is to learn what it means to run 26.2 miles. BUT if I have that dream run, if I run faster than I’m expecting, I really think a sub 4:30 is in my reach.
…My 20-miler had an average moving pace of 10:19 with 4 miles of trails. My 18-miler was at 10:24 pace and more than half the miles were trails. My 17-miler was a 10:39 pace and most of the miles were trails. To go sub 4:30, I need to average a 10:18 min/mile.
Do I let myself dream big? Do I go in expecting a safe outcome? I know that no matter what I’m not going to be disappointed on race day. I’ve absolutely loved the process of training for this race. I’ve cried, laughed, grown, shattered, and healed on every single one of my runs.
I know race day will tell me the story I need to hear, but these next three weeks might drive the type-A portion of my personality crazy. How many pace calculators can I use between now and race day? Dream big? Dream safely? I think we all know I’m dreaming big on the inside….
In the meantime, I’m going to attempt that 20+ miler run tomorrow before taper mode officially takes over (and I’m running all my miles on the road to try to get an idea of my real road pace!)
Kristy Maute 
Kristy…so glad that you and your hubby are feeling better. Take your time and return with renewed vigor. Look back Kristy, and see how far you have come.
Glad you are feeling better and I think you should dream big! (of course;)
Oh Lady, I SO feel your pain! The good news is that this hit with plenty of time to recover and bounce back before Marathon day. Like I said before, your marathon is built. Go into taper and trust that notion. Let that body of yours heal and rest before you give it a run for it’s money on race day!
And you are right, no matter what time/pace race day brings, you will go home that day with THE BIGGEST smile on your face over all that you have accomplished….the training, the sacrifice, the dedication. That’s where the satisfaction lies. Not so much in the number on the clock, but instead in those miles leading up to it: the training runs – the season of your life that you dedicated to this goal. That’s what will be important once all is said and done.
With that said, dream big my friend! There is a fire in you and there will be no putting it out. Your training pace has you primed for a sub 4:30. Baby yourself during taper and go into race day like a caged animal. Watch your fuel intake and let the adrenaline of the race carry you – you’ve got this! …..and I am SO excited to read how it goes:-)
PS. That pic of Chet is adorable! Love, love, love.