Marathon #2

Only 65 days until I run my second marathon.  Yes, I am in fact a crazy person.  This year, my plan was to train appropriately, to run the entire thing and I had really hoped to be able to finish in under 5 hours.  That will not be the case this year.  It's just been too hard to get out and run as much as I need to be able to do that.  Baseball games, blazing hot weather, putting up siding and windows, and work all got in the way.  I'm still going for it, it just won't be the performance I had wanted.  I do think I'm in better shape this year.  I've been running some, and the last 2 weeks, I've been able to log some decent miles.  Last week I did a 10 miler and felt ok.  It would have been 14 miles, but a storm popped up and thankfully, Husband was watching the clouds.  I was watching them too...but I was enjoying the fact that the sun wasn't beating down on me after the clouds started rolling in.  I even took a couple pictures with my phone because the clouds were really cool.  It wasn't doing anything, but with about 4 miles to go, the sky turned yellow, and I got to the the top of a hill and the wind picked up out of nowhere and it started lightening.  I was done enjoying nature.  I ran back down the hill to where there was a house, stood behind a tree to be out of the wind (yes, I know under a tree is not the place to be) texted Husband and was 30 seconds from knocking on the door of that house to get out of the storm when Husband came over the hill and picked me up.  About 60seconds later, the rain came pouring down, well, more like blowing sideways.  Husband actually had to pull over because he couldn't see to drive.  We did get back to town and there were tree limbs all over and a huge tree, had fallen on a house just 1 block from our house.  It was a nasty little storm and it popped up out of no where.  No storm warnings were out for that evening, and nothing ever came over the tv or radio I guess.  But besides that little adventure on my runs, I've been getting out.  So far this week I did a 7.25 mile and 3 mile run.  Tonight I'll be attempting that 14 miler again, barring any adverse weather conditions, I think it will be successful.  Even with these long runs, I know I won't be "ready".  School and football/cheerleading starts soon, so the evenings won't be free like they are now and if I was following the training plan I had intended on, I should be doing my first 18 mile run.  Even with my lack of runs, I think I'll do at least the same if not a little better this year.  There is a later start to the marathon this year, which does concern me because it could mean my last hour could be very hot.  But it is an October marathon, so who knows what the weather will be like.  I've also entered that "what was I thinking" mode of training.  On my run the night of the storm, when it was still super hot and that sun was beating down on me, I ,kept thinking to myself "I'd rather be pregnant with a pregnancy as hard as Caleb's for 5 years than run another marathon".  But then it cooled and I was ok.  I'm trying to remind myself that the reward is worth it.  The feeling of crossing the finish line, knowing that I did it! is worth the effort and the sore muscles and feet. There is a commercial they are playing now that shows a guy running, and the announcer says something along the lines of "you may be no marathon man.." and Jacob proudly said to Clara "Mommy is a marathon woman".  That right there is all the motivation I need.