pinterest is the perfect diversion from all things about running this week.
i found this today, and thought it was worth sharing for those of you that have kids.
i think this would be a great idea for a daily chore list as well!

marathon?

so, the marathon is less than a week away and i'm sitting here in pain again.
i had tmj a couple weeks ago, and then it went away. it decided to show up again this week. it's not just a little jaw pain that can be handled with some advil. it feels like a horrible toothache. the pain radiates to my ear, keeping me up most of the night.
all of that to say, i'm praying that i am able to run this week.
i know there will be other marathons. i know that many others have far greater problems than this.
this is really very trivial, and running marathons could be seen as selfish. in some ways it is.
this is something i enjoy, but this is not my treasure.

sidenote: (i like what john piper shared here recently about why he runs).

8

finished week 17 with an 8 miler today. the weather could not have been nicer. it was just perfect!
once i got my shoe laces figured out (i'm still getting use to the new shoes), i felt great. i'm so thankful that my last long run was a good one.

now on to the final taper. 3, 2, 2, marathon.

love this!

found here.

Taper time!!
week 17: 4, 3, 4, 8
so thankful for beautiful weather all week, and the ability to run.

Timothy 4:8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

5

5 miles in my new shoes. 56 degrees. long sleeve T with shorts.
it took me about a mile and a 1/2 to get my left shoe figured out. too loose. too tight. after that, i felt great. it was like i was running on pillows. my old shoes had gotten so bad!

HURRAY! this was my best run of 2011! 
it's all about the shoes, right M.J. (if that sentence makes sense to you, odds are you are old like me. Ha!)

we'll be celebrating two birthdays here next month. i'm looking forward to making this cake for my girl.
have you tried it?

photo from here.

20!

thanks for all the great ideas of how to enjoy running again! it's getting better. i added a few new songs to my ipod and ordered a new pair of shoes. i don't normally like to buy new shoes during training, but i was way overdue for new shoes. i stayed with the same brand (saucony) and model, so hopefully they will be ok.
not a big fan of purple, but i couldn't say no to a little girl that wanted me to get her favorite color. ☺

20.
today i was trying to follow the cardinal rule of "don't do something new on race day that you didn't do in training."
so, i used this as my experiment run before the marathon.
i wore what i will most likely run in (unless the weather changes drastically), ate the bagel i plan to eat, and used the vanilla gu and sports beans i will use. can't decide if i will run in a hat or wear my bondi band (have you heard of those? i really like them).
felt pretty good overall today. had to tell myself to just.keep.moving.
the weather has been amazing! 70 today. tomorrow 60. i love fall!
starting to taper now 5, 4, 5, 12 this week.

i seem to have lost the joy in running lately.
i haven't had a run in a long time where i just felt awesome.
let's hope that the joy returns sometime soon.
i want to enjoy this, and focus on being thankful that i am able to run.

only 25 more days!

is it taper time yet?! i was daydreaming about the taper during my 12 miles today.
plodding along, until this song came on. it helped to get me moving faster and get back on track.

she has such an amazing voice!!
this will definitely be on my marathon playlist.

here goes week 15 of 18!
5, 5, 5, 20 - the weather looks amazing for running this week!