I have had 4 long runs in a row building up from 17. We all know this is a bad idea. It's especially bad when you are over 40, let me tell you. It is also a bad idea to run two 22/23 mile runs on consecutive Saturdays. But I needed today's run to be the closest to 26 I could muster. I'm not gonna lie, it was hard--as was the 13 miler on Wedensday. I'm out of gas--just in time to start to take it down a notch. Yay! We met a guy on the trail this morning who ran with us for a bit who was visiting from Providence RI. Since I spent a week there this summer I had a fun time asking him how he likes living there, what he was doing back here, etc. He works for Coopers & Lybrand and is back at BYU recruiting fresh blood from the MAC program. He also said he was training for the Breakers Marathon in Newport RI, one I've been dreaming of trying for 3 years. From what I know of Newport, it looks to be a beautiful course, by the beach, by the mansions. Lucky guy, I wish I was a successful fresh MAC grad looking for a job on the East Coast.... My greatest motivation to qualify for Boston is just to have a good excuse to BE there for a week next Spring. I told him about the blog and said I'd look for him to blog there to see how the Beakers went.....I will be utterly useless the rest of today. Days like today are when running feels most selfish --when it interferes in the hours of a Saturday that I should be running around with my Kids. But I guess it's also good to give them a good example of how to perserver and keep goals. I guess we'll know by way of admission, in some family group therapy session scheduled, oh, about 10 years from today :) | 