counting down.

18 days stand between the finish line and me. I'll be pounding the pavement in the Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday, October 28th. I am so excited to tackle 26.2 for the second time. The only problem? I'm a big klutz and my left knee bore the brunt of my clumnisness. According to my doctor, I have a collateral ligament sprain--a not-so-glorious development in my marathon training regimen. 

In mid-September, I stepped very poorly onto a tree root eight miles into a thirteen mile run. Though I thought I might have rolled my ankle, I continued on and finished my miles. I ran another 5, 8, and then 20 miles on it that week before finally admitting something was really wrong. Rather than rolling my ankle, I over-extended my knee and caused some major discomfort.

Let's be honest: I had not planned such an early "taper" before the race. Unfortunately, this little hiccup managed to slow me down quite a bit. After regular visits to my chiropractor, I am now a firm believer in kinesiology tape. {I seriously feel like I have a robo-leg when I'm all taped up!} I am running every few days--albeit short runs--and supplementing the missing runs with elliptical workouts. The tape really does help hold my tired muscles in place, which is exactly what I need.

Having a 20-miler on the books makes me confident I can do the race in a few weeks, though it may not be as fast as I originally hoped. When I trained for the marathon I ran in college, I put in half the effort I'm putting in now, so I know I'm already a step above. I simply have to remember how mental a marathon is--and keep my head in the game until I cross that finish line.

I'm doing this marathon for me. I want to prove to myself that I still have "it." When my tibia stress fractures sidelined my previous attempts in 2011, I still couldn't give up on this dream. People think marathoners are crazy {and maybe we are?!}, but in all honesty, we're just focused on a pretty big goal: the finish line.

Don't worry: I will absolutely follow my doctor's final recommendations about the race. I still had to gear up in advance though. Say hello to my latest {and umpteenth} pair of Brooks Adrenaline, my new-fangled Brooks Utopia Arm Warmers, and my fancy schmancy Brooks Infiniti Headband. {Yes, I'm a Brooks loyalist, if you couldn't tell.} I may not match, but I'll be ready for whatever weather comes my way ;)

I can't thank you enough for all of your support over the last few months while I work toward this major goal. Any of your thoughts/prayers are welcome in the coming days. My problems are minor in the big scheme of life, but I would really love to crest the hill at the Iwo Jima Memorial again on October 28th. If you have any advice in the running/injury department, I'm all ears. Have a great Wednesday!