The Goal is in sight

NYPL, Mott Haven, Bronx: Nov 4, 2001. NYC Marathon, mile 20.

It feels like I have been training for the Reykjavik Marathon for a year. On Wednesday I fly to Iceland, where I'll be running my first marathon on Saturday 20 August. Over the course of my training I've completed my longest ever run to date of 20 miles, and I've run in various cities and places around the world.

In December 2015 I wrote about my experiences with running going back to my high school cross country and track days over 25 years ago. Since focusing on the Reykjavik Marathon, I've run with Blacklist LA around Los Angeles, in Marrakech, Morocco, Mexico, completed my 2nd half marathon in Charlottesville, run in Amsterdam, Moscow and Minsk, many miles along the GW Parkway Trail next to the Potomac, run in Helsinki and Reykjavik, Montevideo, and various loops around Alexandria and DC. I am ready and not ready at the same time for this trip.

Watching the Olympics over the past two weeks has been inspiring too. I take with me some inspiring words from Michael Phelps during yesterday's interviews. He said "my success is nothing out of the ordinary. It's goal setting, believing in myself and not giving up until I get there." I am sure in his case it is a lot more than that, but for my purposes those are good enough words to follow. I set a goal to run a marathon in 2016. It is a fantastic opportunity in a wonderful place. I am looking forward to what this week will bring.