Wow, Week 16. I never thought I’d make it to Week 16, but here I am!

I feel like this past week has been the best representation of my entire training experience – I’ve had some highs and definitely had some lows but I’m stronger because of it and I now know that nothing can or will stop me from achieving this goal. 

Came off last Sunday’s long run on a high and was going into the week with a positive mindset. Some things in my personal life threw me off for the next couple days, but I got right back on track for Wednesday. In honor of 5 days until the marathon, I went for a 5-mile run and absolutely killed it (in my opinion :)). It was beautiful weather out – sunny, high 50s, and a perfect little breeze. Went for a loop around Back Bay, quick stretch on the Esplanade and then finished the last .2 miles on Boylston right at the finish line. That alone was a crazy moment for me so I can only imagine what it will feel like for real on Monday. AHH!

Thursday was a stretch and appointment day making my last visits to the chiropractor and Wellness in Motion. (Fun fact: My active release therapist, Dr. Ian Nurse has an elite bib this year and has hopes of placing in the Top 10!) Then on my way home I got to check out the #WhatLiftsYou mural over by the Lenox Hotel. My girl, Kelsey Montague really outdid herself on this one!

Friday was an extra special day because it was the last “official” day of training. To celebrate I went for a 2-mile shakeout run with the MyStryde crew around the North End and the Zakim Bridge (didn’t even know there was a route over there) and then went back to the studio for a Q&A session with some marathon coaches. The weather was beautiful, yet again, and it was the perfect ending to my 16 weeks of training. As I was on my way home from the run, my parents were just getting into town! They brought me some flowers and my mom basked some special marathon cookies to kickoff the weekend.

On Saturday we were up bright and early to get ready for the EXPO! I was so excited, it was literally like going to a Runner’s Disney World. So many vendors, so many marathoners, and so many photo ops! Went a little snap-happy but this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so why the hell not.

On the way back from the expo we went over to Copley to get up close and personal with the finish line. We got to take some pretty cool shots with all the backdrops and street decals they had – as you can see from this post, I pretty much filled up my camera roll!

My sister, brother, brother-in-law and two little nieces also made it to Boston last night so now the whole fam is here! We grabbed some dinner and then hung out at my place to make some posters for Marathon Monday. If you’re wondering, only I know what the signs say 😉

And that brings us to Sunday, THE DAY BEFORE THE MARATHON! I know I’ve said this a million times, but I still cannot believe this is happening. On the agenda for today: another visit to the finish line to take some family pics, the Team Challenge ALS Pasta Dinner, some sightseeing, a trip to the Children’s Museum, and maybeeee a trip to the Expo again 🙂 Then some icing, stretching, and sleep before the big day tomorrow.

I can’t accept that this is real life! Against all odds (and all my injuries), I’m running in the Boston Marathon tomorrow. I have so many thoughts and so many people to thank but I don’t think I can truly put everything into words until I finish what I started. For now I’ll just say: I love you all & thank you for coming on this journey with me ❤ Send some good vibes my way for tomorrow and keep those fingers crossed for NO RAIN!

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Check out my Crowdrise page to donate to my campaign & support the ALS Association: http://bit.ly/BostonBeginnings262