Honor. Courage. Commitment.

You may have given up on reading this blog by now, as it's been almost two weeks since my last post. I can explain. There were two forces keeping me from blogging twice each week. One was my very inspiration in this whole quest: my dearest Emelyn. We have been transitioning her into a "big girl bed" and it's going a little different than I expected. The bedtime ritual takes longer than usual, which cuts into my evening blogging. By the time I put her to bed, I've got to go to bed myself because it's usually nearly 10pm by the time I leave her room.

But I can't blame Emelyn entirely. I was also stricken with a fever and cold virus last Wednesday and it put me out of commission for several days. I was shocked, really. Who gets a fever in late May/Early June anyway? Apparently I do. I RAN on the day of the fever - at 5am. I even told Greg that I didn't feel well and my body was achy. I just assumed it was due to the time of the run: 5am. I honestly thought my congestion was because of allergies. I had switched medication and the Dr. informed me that it would take a couple of days to begin working. Boy was I wrong. High fever, aches, congestion, coughing, etc.

So - enough lamenting and whining. I have been running - though I did take a week off for illness. I am pleased to report - the runs I have done in the past couple of weeks have all been encouraging.

What's more - I received a very fun item in the mail a couple of weeks ago. When I registered for the Marine Corps Marathon, I of course had to order the training T shirt. It says "Marine Corps Marathon" on top, the USMC emblem in the middle, and then "In Training" on the bottom. It's a pretty nice shirt. Moisture wicking fabric, etc. I wore it for three out of four runs in a 4 day period, all of which happened over Memorial Day weekend.

The shirt had a few effects on my running. The first one was the sheer motivation I felt just wearing the thing. I was sort of taken by the sense of honor I assumed when I put it on and headed out the door for the first time. I instantly felt "tougher" (for a lack of a more descriptive term) and more capable. I really felt like the shirt itself was a sort of tangible relic that embodied my last 5 months of effort. In addition, I was down right PROUD to be wearing the USMC Emblem - the Eagle, Globe and Anchor. I was proud of the Marines I know and of their families for the sacrifices they make. I was proud for Greg's service in the Marine Corps. I felt a stern sense of purpose for running this marathon - more so than ever before.

The Marine Corps mantra is "Honor, Courage, Commitment". I thought about this as I left my house wearing it for the first time. My decision to run the marathon took some courage. A non-runner entering a runner's sport is no easy feat, let alone going to the "Big Show" of a marathon (I love "Bull Durham"). There is no doubt it's taken Commitment. Not only is this effort spread out over ten months, but the runs themselves take time - especially the longer runs. I've made a large commitment to the time it takes to train. Greg has made a commitment to cover Emelyn duties during my runs at any time. I feel honored to live in a place where training is easy. I feel honored that my family is so supportive and has the faith in me to do this. I am truly honored that you all read my blog and follow my progress. Honor. Courage. Commitment.

As I ran in the shirt, I noticed that even when I felt tired and like slowing down, the shirt would keep me going - especially if someone was coming towards me. I couldn't let strangers see me in my Marine Corps Training T-shirt showing any sign of weakness. Sort of a silly "Hawthorne" effect. And then there was the sense of pride I'd feel when people recognized the Marine Corps Emblem. They'd almost always do a double-take to see if their eyes deceived them. They were usually Men over the age of 50. Any sort of Marine Corps signage (or any military for that matter) is sort of a rarity here. There is a small reserve center, but you almost never see anything to do with the Military in Eugene. Not that people are negative towards the military at all - it's just that it's almost non-existent.

Funny how a T shirt can be so motivating.

My running is continuing to improve. I had virtually no pain during runs and my pace is picking up. Beginning a run is actually enjoyable now, and I have no anxiety just prior to running. Even my friend Tia can see an improvement! We ran together yesterday for the first time since the week before the half marathon (she ran the full) a month ago. When we left my house, we chose to do a loop that allowed us flexibility. We could do either three, or five miles if we felt like it. We felt so great, we decided on 5. It was great. We really scooted. No stopping for me to massage legs, and I didn't even beg her to let me bring my iPod. It was really fun! We may be doing a half marathon in Coburg together on July 13. It's not too far away, so I will need to step up my running program a little, but it shouldn't be a problem. I think I've got some endurance stored from the original training I did for the Eugene Half Marathon.

I'm excited for the weekend. I ran quite a bit over the past two weeks, but none at all for one of those weeks. Yesterday, I did 5, today I did 2. Tomorrow I don't think I can run at all, but will do 4 on Saturday and 6 on Sunday. Can't Wait!!!