this is it...

this is it...

oh, this time I know it's the real thing...

It's so close, and so surreal. In less than 24 hours, I will be toeing the start line on Staten Island.

And can I just say, this was quite the memorable training cycle?

Let's see...torrential downpours during not one, but two half-marathons.

Record heat waves not once, but twice!! (and yet, between speedwork and recoveries, toughed it out and did not hit the dreadmill)

Led 2 Long Training Runs around Central Park...one with a very cool group, another with the most.disobedient.group.ever. (with the exception of one person ;-) )

Tackled killer hills in Lake Placid and the Palisades...

Fun runs with the Flyers...be it a nighttime jaunt through the boroughs or just a Saturday morning run with impromptu brunches, or exploring the last 10 miles of the marathon course...

An awesome 5-mile race where the entire time-but especially the last half-mile, I felt like a rockstar.

Hit the next age group with a bang...

A kick-ass 18 miler when I needed it the most...

The "naked shorts" making their debut in Staten Island...

Crowded nights in the park (and a certain teammate teasing me about said rants...)

I'm sure I can think of many more, but that's all I can think of off the top of my head :)

So that's it. The hard work is done. Now the fun really begins. And it is gonna be fun. How grateful am I that I will have the home field advantage for my first marathon? I can't wait to see the sights, and see my friends, family and teammates along the way.

And I've got a plan-just need to stick to it like glue. Keep those magic nines as long as possible...

And to all my fellow bloggers, readers, commenters-thanks so much for your support in this journey that in blog-land, was a year or so in the making...but in reality, 3 years in the making. The day before the '03 marathon was when I decided I was going to run it someday. I just can't believe that day is actually almost here.

For all of you who will be on the course cheering-look for the gal in the red Flyer singlet who looks like my picture :-) For those further away and interested in my progress-you know the bib number (and it's OK to post updates in the comments, but I have one favor to ask-if you're doing any copying/pasting, please no posting my name-thanks!)

Gonna be an early night for me, so that's all she wrote until I cross that finish line at Tavern on the Green. Once again-thanks for your support (and best of luck to all the other bloggers who will be running tomorrow!)