Ready with a Full Heart

It has been quite awhile since I last blogged. As you read in my last blog, I was dealing with an injury (a bone stress response in my foot) which did not allow me to run for 3 weeks. After 3 weeks of resting, I started up training easily and progressing back to the gym. Easing into training, I wanted to plan out what is next for me. At first, I was reluctant to train for another marathon. The marathon is a huge time commitment and a mental investment that one must put 100% when you want to achieve a goal. Knowing that there will be tiresome days, disappointing days, and exciting days. I realized that marathon training is something that I want to keep pursuing and learn along the way on how to overcome the challenging distance of 26.2 miles. Training will be hard work but I am ready for the battle, the mental battle of grit and lots of joy running long miles and learning something new about myself. 

Next Marathon 
This season, I was eyeing for my first major marathon. I was pumped, ready, and also planned out my summer/fall racing. These past few weeks, I have been contemplating if I would be ready for Chicago, and if my build up will be enough time to hit my goal of racing an A standard time. Quiet mornings, praying, and meditating is where I really listened to answers and hoping God can give me a sign. On a solo run, I got rushed with a feeling that I haven't felt for a while, I started to day dream of racing fast at CIM. I wanted to race CIM and also be filled with peace and look at Gods beauty by running through trees, fresh air, and the Sacramento crowd pushing me to the end. I called my coach, and we both decided that CIM would be perfect and a better option since I'll have more time to build up for the race. This meant that my training build up will be a lot of focus, positive thinking, long mileage runs, and investing my whole heart into it. Coach told me that this season, training is going to be intense, different, and do specific workouts (gym & training) that I have not done before. I told him, I AM READY! 

My goal is to become more resilient, believe that I am capable of performing fast and when things knock me down, I'll choose to step forward with being positive and run/race with strength. My focus is to learn to embrace the pain and dig deep when I want to give up. Marathon training teaches me that when I feel weak that it will be subsided with strength especially when I run for something larger than myself. 
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Excited, ready, and blessed to have the support of my friends, family, Oiselle family, and my boyfriend/ coach. Marathon training are not complete with out the love that is close to my heart. ​