Is this mic on?? (EDITED)

Lo and behold, a new post.  What the heck is going on?  I felt so inclined for a couple of reasons.

First off, and most importantly, I just completed my most "productive" week and best feeling week of running in a long time.  Things with my schedule and time commitments have not allowed me to develop the consistency that I had hoped, but the last couple of weeks have been different, and this week felt awesome...especially late in the week.

I did a "long" run Saturday, amounting the longest run I've done in a long time, and followed that up with a great run today that felt really good on the legs, the lungs and most importantly, my heart and soul. 

Secondly, I'm starting to think to myself "What the heck did I get myself into?"  I'm preparing for a marathon that has the possibility of two things...(1) being my slowest ever, and (2) being the first marathon that I enter with the mindset of just finishing and having fun/enjoying the course.  Even when I ran Boston, I didn't necessarily go in with the mindset of "enjoying the race/course", but that happened all on its own.  Different aspects of that race are forever burned into my memory.  This time around, it will actually be a conscious effort.  But, at this point and for this run, I'm quite ok with that. 

It's funny finding that I've really transitioned into another phase in my life...a lot of things have changed over the last 18 months, not the least of which has been a change in the company I keep and where I put my time.  So, I'm not in the kinda shape I have ever been in while "training" for a marathon (I use that term loosely, so as not to offend those who's hearts and souls are buried in training and they are looking to run a legitimate time).  The best part about this, though, is that I'm learning again to savor all the intricacies of running that I think I'd lost.  The small victories, the little milestones.  I had experienced them at way faster speeds, and looked at the kind of running I'm doing now as a disappointment if I was ever there again.  Well, now I AM here, and it's a pretty awesome feeling, crossing over so many of those thresholds again that I had left behind, what seems like, so long ago.  It's exciting, and it's opened my eyes to a lot.  I'm even going to be helping a few friends train for their first half-marathon.  It's truly an exciting time.

And that leads me to my final reason for posting.  I heard a quote once...and I'm sure I've mentioned it here before.  "Each one gives what each one has."  The meaning behind that was this...whatever lives on the inside a person is all they have to offer.  ***I've decided to cut out the original text here.***