These knees were made for running...

...actually, they weren't. But, it's not stopping me!

For the first time since I agreed to train for a full marathon I believe that I really can do it. I ran 10 miles yesterday and it was great and easier than I expected. For the record, 6.4 miles (10k) is the longest distance I have ever run at one time. I was nervous about it and believed that I might not make it. I ran with my friend Lindsey, who ran two half-marathons last year.

We ran from the dam to the Hunter Art Museum (7 miles) and then back 3 more miles to where my car was parked. At every mile marker I was genuinely excited and surprised by how quickly we were hitting them. "Look! Only 9 more miles to go!...Only 8 more miles!" and less energetically further along until mile 7, " We are FOR REAL almost finished. Now we just gotta run back to my car. EASY!"

Knowing how I was able to tackle that distance makes me feel even more confident about the real half-marathon in two weeks. At mile 9 I thought to myself, "One more mile today, 4.1 more miles in 2 weeks. Yeah, I can do that. And, like a million more miles in November. Yeah, I can do that too." I also thought that a pouch of "GU" would really do me good right about then.

I know that running a full marathon will take much more preparation and physical toll than what I am "training" for now. (I say it like that because I truly have not trained like I should have.) But, I believe that with support from my fellow H2O Runners, and setting the ultimate goal to raise money and awareness for Blood Water Missions, I think that God will prepare my heart (and lungs and legs) for the challenge that lies ahead.

April Grubbs