Last night I tossed and turned all night. I had such trouble sleeping knowing I would be forcing myself to hit at least 16 – 18 miles (with a secret desire to hit 20). When it was finally time to wake up, I sprung up from my bed. The quicker I could get started, the sooner I would be done.

I met with my fellow teammates at Prospect Park in Brooklyn. It was cold, so I wore my long sleeved running shirt for the first time. Everyone had plans to run 18 – 20 miles. All of my teammates did 20-21 miles, but I only managed to do 18.

It’s okay though; I spent 4 hours and 14 minutes running on my feet. Who does that??? I do!

So big news! I did my largest mileage and stayed on my feet the longest I have all season… wait, not just all season – but all my life! If that’s not news enough, here’s more. I also beat my Staten Island Half Marathon time! I ran 13.1 of my miles today in 2 hours, 58 minutes and 18 seconds. I guess I have 2 personal records today! 🙂

The only downside for me is that I still need to do one more long run before I am allowed to taper. Basically, the rest of my teammates haven’t had any problem hitting their 20 miler today, so they can taper. Since I did not hit 20, I will be hitting the streets again next Saturday on a quest for my 20. I am glad for the practice though, I know it will make me stronger for marathon day!

With all the progress on running, I am at a stand-still on fundraising. I haven’t had a single donation since the end of September. I am really hoping that I can just edge a little closer to the $5,000 that I would like to raise for the American Cancer Society. If you are a reader who wouldn’t mind making a small contribution, please feel free to visit my fundraising page: http://bit.ly/xahndra.

Now that I got all of that off my chest, I have to admit – I am exhausted. It’s time for me to relax with my puppy, Athena. Since it’s so chilly outside and  I refuse to turn on my heat yet – I will be spending the afternoon snuggled up in my down blanket until it’s acceptable for me to go to bed. Athena (pictured) is demonstrating.