First step out the door…ugh.  This sucks.  Seriously!?  Its 10 degrees.  Why am I torturing myself like this?  Even my subzero tights and windblocker don’t feel like enough clothing.  This is brutal.  I could be sitting on the couch under a blanket with a warm cup of coffee. I should have bought that balaclava. Alright, alright, time to quit the whining…

Shoes tied, Garmin satellites located, ipod on…annnnnnd go.

I’m tired. I shouldn’t have stayed up so late watching the Bachelor.  That Tierra girl is Ka-raaaazy! How far do I have to go today?  Only 4 miles, but that seems so far right now.  1, 2, 3, 4.  And I’m at…where?  .17, I haven’t even gone a quarter of a mile yet.  Why do I feel so sluggish?  Who put lead in my shoes?  I am going so sloooow.  What is wrong with me?  I wish Farrell could have run today.

Why in the world is this song on my ipod?!   Let’s skip to the next one.  Nope, not this one either. Skip. Skip. I really need to update my playlist.  Maybe I should go home and do that now, and try again with the run later…Oh, wait, here’s a good one.  Who doesn’t love a little Destiny’s Child?  I’m a survivor, I’m not gon give up, I’m a survivor, keep on surviving…That’s right, sing it Beyonce. I AM a survivor.  I can totally do this.  If I can survive all the junk in my life, surely I can survive 4 little miles.  It doesn’t even really feel that cold anymore. I still can’t really feel my face, but hey, I’m already a half mile gone.

I love these gloves, but today the Ulti-mitt doesn’t seem so ultimate.  Ulti-mitt my…Oh look, Deer!  Sweet.  That never gets old.

OMG, did I really just sign up for another full marathon?  What was I thinking?  I have way too much going on right now to train for another 26.2, maybe I should sell that bib on Ebay and just sign up for a half…or maybe a 5k.  But, I do kind of like the bragging rights when I finish a 20 mile training run.  And I for sure like the Bling.  And there is absolutely nothing better than the feeling of crossing the finish line, knowing that I went the distance and I laid it all on the line.  Ok, yeah, I’ll keep my bib.  But I’m just gonna do this marathon for fun, run with Steve just cause it’s his birthday.  No pressure on myself this time to PR or BQ, just go out and enjoy a nice, lovely day on the west coast of Canada, sees some sights, and…Oh, who am I kidding?!  I don’t know how to take it easy on race day!  It’s Go Hard or Go Home.  Balls to the wall!  Ooooh, was that my Garmin beeping?  I guess I’m already at the turn around point…but, well this isn’t so bad, I guess I’ll go another half mile, that’ll top me out at 5 for the day and then I can dive into that pint of Ben & Jerry’s in the freezer.  Woo-hoo!

I need to hit the grocery store later.  I think I’ll make that healthy choice chicken chili for dinner, so I’ll need to get an onion and I think I still have some garlic, but how long have I had that?  Does Garlic go bad? What else?  I’ll check the recipe when I get back.  Who gave me that recipe?  Oh, right, it was Steph.  Whoa, I haven’t seen that girl in ages! I need to call her, I wonder what she’s up to these days…Oh, crap, I went another full mile!  I gotta turn around or I’m gonna be totally late to pick up the kids from school.  I really hope they don’t have tons of homework tonight, I don’t think I have it in me to force E to sit still.

Oh man, I’m back to this hill.  Did I really just run down that?  I don’t remember having a nice downward slope, but Geez-o-Pete it’s steep goin back up.  Ok, here we go, I can do this.  Just keep putting one foot in front of the other.  Steady, steady, steady.  This is hard, really hard, maybe I should walk a few steps. C’mon, Linds, you don’t walk. Get up this thing!  Almost there, but I want this be overwith and it’s just not happening fast enough.  I’ve always said the hardest part about running hills is that you can only see how far you still have to go and not how far you’ve come. Maybe I should post that as my Facebook status later. Man, I’ve come a long way.  I’ve been through a lot, but I’m a beast.  I’m a conqueror.  I’ve got this!  Yes!  I did it! I powered up that crazy monster of a hill.  I can do anything!  That’s right, R. Kelly, I am the World’s Greatest!  I think I want to try skydiving…

Oh yeah, I’m cruisin’ now.  Only a mile left to go.  Funny how I started out shooting for 4, but I’m going to end up at 6.  Oh look, there’s the old guy in the 80’s wind suit, I’m gonna pass him.  Yeah, that’s right, look at me, I’m sooo fast.  Ok, so he is about 90 years old, but whatever, I passed someone.

I still need to book my hotel in Vancouver. I’ll have to get that info from Steve later.  I wonder if there are any really tough hills out there, I still need to look at the course map. And at some point I need to start thinking strategy.  I know I need to do more speedwork.  Yuck.  I hate Speedwork.  It hurts, but it’s so effective. Speaking of hurts, my IT band is in rough shape.  I’ll definitely need to get out the foam roller later.  But right now, it hurts goooood.

Oooh, I love this song! Look…if you only had one shot…one opportunity…to seize everything you ever wanted in one moment…would you capture it?  Or just let it slip?  Yo.  Oh, I’d capture it Eminen, you can bet on it!

Hang in there, Linds, you’re getting close now.  Everything you’ve got! Leave it all on the pavement.  Only a tenth of a mile to go. Push it to the end.  Just a little further, little mooooore…annnnd…done.  Stop timer.  Heavy breathing…

Wow, I’m sweaty.  And no wonder that felt so hard, I was going even faster than I thought.

I’m awesome.

I love this sport.