Never say never.

Once more I find myself on the eve of another 26.2 mile race.  Tomorrow morning I will set out to conquer the elusive distance again, my 5th time doing the Pocatello Marathon, after pushing through the past year of less than stellar training.  To say I don't feel totally prepared is a bit of an understatement, so I will be relying on my body's memory from races and training seasons past to get me through.

My last race was a half-marathon last November, which I PR-ed, but since then I have experienced a lot of changes in my life and running has taken a back seat to everything else going on.  I have never completely stopped running, but I definitely haven't done as many miles or long runs as I have in preparation for my previous races.

I lean heavily on the inspiration I have found through reading the books of ultra marathoner Dean Karnazes - once you have done it, you have it in you.  So despite some of these "life" things I have gone through the past year - taking on more responsibility and hours at work, changing jobs, surgery, putting our house on the market and trying to get moved, dealing with a back injury - tomorrow I plan to follow this advice...

And thankfully I will have the added support of running with my good pal Lisa, who has experienced training setbacks of her own this year.  Together we will cross the finish line having once more conquered something so physically demanding that most people will never even attempt it in their lifetime.  Sometimes having your best race time isn't at all about the finish "time".