it's been ten days since i ran a marathon.

there's something magical that happens when i know what to expect: the pounding on the pavement mile after mile, the hills i've run before, the trees of the presidio, the big orange bridge against the dark grey sky... all of it. it's the intensity of what my body can do when i push myself, when i get motivated, when i say a little prayer and remind myself that i will run and not grow weary.

i don't know why i started running these marathons (whoa! plural!). that's not true, i know exactly why: i prepared for both marathons when i wanted to put myself into Forward Motion; to move out of a rut and into something beautiful. to force myself to work against my odds.

i started training for the san francisco back at the end of february and didn't advertise it (unlike me)... it was the foreshadowing of my reality that i would soon be hurting; an active effort to take care of myself. when i ran twentyfour a month before the race, i decided it was time to officially sign up, as well as ask some important people what i needed: their support throughout the course.

to the nineteen of you who showed up- abbey, mark, lauren, nathan, julie, adam, mom, frank, diane, kim, bonnie, kate, bill, kimberly, leanne, laurel, kristy, alex, jess and kyle, i absolutely could not have run the race if i didn't have your face to look forward to. the cheering and signs and team em shirts and running along side me; it's the only way i was able to finish. i took a risk and asked for what i needed and you showed up. thank you.

people tell me they're super impressed and they could "never do it." i generally don't think any of that's true. i think they just don't want to do it. the race itself is not [as] hard [as one would think], it's the five months of dedication and focus that's difficult. and honestly, i think anything is possible if you're not doing it alone.

i'm pleased with the length of time it took me to finish the race, the way my body has mostly recovered (minus the xray and possible stress fracture) and the satisfaction i have with completing another, knowing it wasn't a fluke thing in december and that i can actually do it again and again if i want to. overall, this race was a hugely positive experience.

...pressing in, pressing on. preparing for toronto as a guide!