September 30 - And the time is here

September was  chaos. PURE CHAOS.  The month started with my family going back to school and promptly receiving the most disgusting, violent stomach virus I have ever seen.  Somehow/someway, I did not get this, however right about the time they settled back into some decent health, I became overwhelmed with runners burnout.  I didnt want to run.  At all.  Ever again.  For that one week, my times were the suck.  My feet hurt, ankles hurt and most of all, my desire hurt.  Then I was introduced to a new track...a track named Salem Lake.  I go out and absolutely KILL 16 miles (by my standards).  A sub 10 minute per mile time was nice, but the fact that I felt amazing at the end was even nicer.  This was the fire I needed for this month.  From there, it was on.  I was dropping sub 9 minute miles like I was on a scooter.  Hills were no problem.  NO PAIN!! The pain in my feet has almost completely disolved!!  September may have started out as the suck, but it ended with a renewed mindset that I so desperately needed.  The last run of the month just so happened to be my longest run of my life.  An 18 mile run through the Jonesville and Elkin streets at 5:00 in the morning.   That run included some of the most amazing lightening and thunder and rain and winds that I have ever seen during my training.  All I could do was pray to God that He would kinda just let me finish and not kill me with lightening.   I am thankful that He took care of me because I started to get some of those early September feelings about 8 miles in and was flat out ready to quit...because it would have been easy to quit in these conditions.  18 miles in the books!!  Its pretty much all downhill from here as we lead into November 4th in New York City.  I have an official 1/2 marathon in Greensboro on October 6, then on October 20 I hit my big 20 miler.  I'm crazy nervous about both.  From that point, its taper time.  Mileage goes south to allow the body time to heal from 8 months of strenuous training.    If I am not ready now, I WONT be ready.....I'M READY.  LETS RUN 26!!
Also of note, we are still a ways outside of our $5,000 goal for the Sloan Kettering Breast Cancer Foundation.  Not that short, but still short.  One fundraiser left to go...wii bowling tournament on October 20th!!  COME TO THAT!!!!!