18 days and counting....

Marathon day is rapidly approaching... which became even more of a realization tonight as I got my bib number: 25211. I can't believe it is just 18 days away, and even sooner before I get on the flight to Seattle.

One of the cool (and difficult) things about marathons is that there is absolutely no way to cram in preparation at the last minute. Either you put in the solid, consistent effort day after day for the months leading up to the race, or you don't make it to the start line. Well, if you do it's almost certain that story won't end well.

I'm happy to report that while there have definitely been some struggles along the way, all in all this has been the smoothest marathon preparation I've had. Of course things could always be better- but this round I've managed to get in two 20+ mile runs in the training schedule. This is a first for me. Even with the recent temperature increases in Dallas, things have gone pretty well.

We've had a lot of people step up and make very generous donations in the last few weeks to help sponsor miles. There are only 9 more remaining. Back when I started this fundraiser I committed to only run each marathon if I was able to get all the miles sponsored. So yes, after all this work I've put in, theoretically it is possible I'll fly all the way to Seattle and end up not running. But for every previous marathon, things have always worked out in the end- so I'm trying not to focus on that thought.... though I admit it's starting to keep me awake at night. :)

Honestly, asking people to donate money, even for something I believe in as strongly as Susan's Foundation, has never been something I'm very good at or comfortable with. It is definitely making me step out of my comfort zone a little at times, as well as find more subtle ways to increase awareness. One way I've been doing that is wearing this cancer awareness bracelet I found online. Each color represents one of the types of cancer individuals are fighting against every day.

I've found that it has not only been a good way to spread awareness to others, but remind me to keep perspective in day to day life. It gets so easy to get caught up in the little frustrations of research, classes, home life, etc. Having this visual reminder of the fact that there are individuals fighting much bigger battles than my day to day issues has been good for me. Now I just need to find a more tennis friendly one.... because I get very frustrated there too at times. :)

I have more things to get caught up on.... so up until race day you can count on daily blog posts. Please keep checking back, and please do what you can to help spread the word about this fundraiser. We now just need 13 more 'Anna's Marathon 50' Facebook fans to reach our goal of 100. Thank you again to all of you who have supported me and this fundraiser for Susan's Foundation in so many different ways!!!