Everything you need

I'm learning a lot these days. Sometimes, it is even overwhelming to realize how much I don't know that there is learn, but I'm trying to trust the process. I'm also learning that what you need is often a tool you have sitting around on some shelf you haven't looked at in a while. For an artist with the constant battle of a messy studio, this is both literal as well as figurative. 

Today I went on my last hour long run before my marathon one week from today. For the rest of the week I will run very little and rest a lot leading up to the big day. For me it is not so much a "race", since I am in no way going to really be a part of the competition. It is really more about the "run" and how I handle what happens along the way.

Yes, there is a reason running has so many life metaphors,  and especially the lessons learned from training for a marathon. Endurance, fortitude, perseverance, concentration, pushing through the pain, etc. All of these are valid and true and real lessons learned from the marathon training schedule. I am anticipating learning some more on the big day as well, as there will be many thousands of people all around me who have been training for and anticipating this big day. There is also something a little more that starts to happen; all of which I am not positive I can articulate at this moment, but the thoughts are forming with each step I take. 

Today, as I ran around one of my favorite most familiar trails, I was practicing my visualization techniques. In his book on Marathon training, Jeff Galloway talks about encouragement and visualization and positive words to help you keep going. Some of the images he suggests using are that of you crossing the finish line. 

Today, I was trying to decide what the most meaningful images were to me and those that would assist me most on that day. I decided that it was the image of every single person (friend, family, co-worker) that has uttered an encouraging word to me throughout this process. I imagined all these people standing along the side of the road every step I took (some of you will actually be there that day to greet me at the half-way point and at the finish line, thank you in advance!)  cheering and smiling and telling me to keep going. I thought on this image more and more as I was running. Suddenly, a man near me in a Bele Chere 5K t-shirt smiled at me and waved and said, "Keep going! You got this!" I was surprised by and thankful for his encouragement and waved back smiling and said, "Thanks!"

I realized then, that the preparation is over. There is only sleeping and eating and general care-taking to do till then, but the run work is done. The only thing left to do is show up and trust that I already have everything I need. Thanks for being a part of that everything.