You were right

Elizabeth Templin McCamic

After my terrible eight-mile long run, I wasn't sure how I would be able to add five more miles to reach my half marathon goal.

But you all talked me into keep going. In e-mails and comments, you shared stories of bad runs and how you got through them. You gave me advice on how to keep my energy up during long runs and encouraged me to keep going. Thank you, I needed that.

My runs last week were great (just like you said they'd be). A six-mile run on Tuesday felt like no big deal. My nine-mile long run on Saturday was still long but not so bad. I started to feel tired after about 6 1/2 miles and by 7 1/2 miles my legs were feeling tired, but not so tired that I couldn't keep going. I knew I would be able to finish; there was no question about it this week.

I think there were a couple of things that made a big difference. The weather was cooler and the sky was overcast, perfect running conditions (I'm already hoping for similar conditions on race day). I did a better job stretching throughout the week and kept my legs loose, which definitely paid off during my long run. I also knew you had my back and thought about your words of encouragement while I was out there. Knowing your stories helped put mine in perspective. Everyone has good runs and terrible runs. That's how it goes when you are training.

I'm expecting to have more hard runs as I increase miles. But now I'm within four miles of my goal, and I'm beginning to feel more confident that I can make it.