A day of rest.

This morning I woke up pretty sore from yesterday's run.  I'm not sure if it's because it's only been two weeks since the marathon and I pushed a little too hard, or if it has more to do with the fact that I had to run "weird" because of the ice and snow on the roads yesterday.  Either way, even though today is officially a rest day, I did 20 minutes of Pilates to help stretch and loosen my leg muscles.

Yesterday on my run, probably around the point that I had to walk for a bit due to the extreme wind, ice and cold, my legs were feeling the strain and I was starting to get tired and hungry, I found myself doing a little internal pep-talk.  What I heard myself say was, "I have legs.  Use them! I have arms.  Use them!  I can breathe.  Do it!"  For some reason I was thinking about all the amazing people out there who love running so much, that they overcome challenges like prosthetic limbs, or any host of chronic illnesses in order to accomplish their running goals.  My biggest challenge is in making my un-athletic body do something that doesn't come naturally or easily.  My mindset is right, now I have to train my body to behave!  I can go the distance, if I incorporate some walking, but I'd really like to do some faster and stronger running.  That's my main mission during this second round of marathon training, and I will do it even in the freezing temperatures and snowy roads.

If you really want to get some inspiration, I mean, serious inspiration, go to this link on RunnersWorld.com and watch the series of videos about Matt Long, a NYC firefighter who returned to running, and did a marathon nonetheless, after a horrific accident where he was hit by a bus while on a training run.  He is amazing.
http://www.runnersworld.com/video/1,8052,s6-21-0-7,00.html?bcpid=2888992001&bclid=9525747001