I have just 1.1 more miles to go

Elizabeth Templin McCamic:

Over the weekend, I went for my last long run. Well, the last one until race day, which is less than two weeks away.

I've learned a lot during this process. During my 12-mile run Saturday, I realized how much tougher I am mentally. Back in February, a 12-mile run would have felt impossible. I would have internalized every minute, thinking "when will this be over?"

Now I still have thoughts like that sometimes, but I feel more confident that I can run whatever distance I need to for the week. If I have to go two miles farther than last week, then that's what I'm going to do.

This confidence makes the whole process more peaceful than it once was. Instead of thinking about the work I'm doing and how hard it is, I'm more likely to be listening to birds chirping or thinking about what I might do later in the day.

I also have noticed that my stride is better. It's more efficient and a bit longer than it used to be. My leg muscles are stronger than they were back in January, when I started this process, and I have more than one gear, so if I need to quicken my pace for a few minutes, I can.

These changes should help me get through race day. According to my training schedule, I'm tapering the distance of my runs this week and next week so I'm well-rested for the big day.

I've been studying the course and there are a couple hills I'm a little worried about, so I may be out there practicing on hills this week.

I hope all this hard work pays off.