Just A Few More Bumps and We're Haulin' the Mail...

As most people know, one of my favorite movies is Apollo 13. I'm a HUGE fan of the space program - it still amazes me that we accomplished what we did by sending Americans into space, landing on the moon, etc. It just goes to show you that if you set a goal, with dedication and hard work, you can accomplish anything.

With that said, before running the Nashville Country Music Half Marathon back in April, I was standing in the corral with Jason and Chandra. Here we were, looking out at a sea of 21,000+ runners in front of us, and we were slowly approaching the starting line. As we were walking, I thought of all of the training I had done since January to get to this point. I looked at them and said, "Just a few more bumps and we're haulin' the mail." Both of them looked at me with that "deer in the headlights" look. Chandra said, "What are you talking about?"

If you remember in the movie, all 3 astronauts are sitting there waiting to blast off. There are some sounds going on with the rocket, and that's when Tom Hanks utters that line. Do you know what that meant? Think of it this way: The 3 of them had trained extensively for this mission. They had practiced and practiced their various responsibilities before the mission. They knew each other's roles so perfectly, they could predict what the other person would do in any situation.

To be lying on their backs and hear that phrase meant it was over. There was no more training to be done. They were simply waiting for someone to push the button and send them out on their mission. In essence, they had completed their training.

Well, that's where I am right now. There's nothing else I can do to improve my marathon training. At this point, I'm basically done. I ran a 6-mile run tonight. Tomorrow I'm running 2. And Thursday night I'm running 4. So that's it... a meager six miles is all that separates me right now before I cross that START line. After that, I'm haulin' the mail!

What a journey. I'm sure a lot of people thought I was crazy when I said I was going to run a marathon this year. Heck, if I heard "me" say that I'd go, "Yeah right... keep talking fatty!" I remember after making that exclamation on New Year's Eve and then actually struggling to run 1.5 miles two days later, I thought, "Oh man... can I even do this?"

So here I am... on the cusp of running my 2nd marathon. Can I do this? Have I trained enough? Will my knees hold up? Will I disappoint my running partner? Will I see that Finish Line? These are the questions that are going through my mind this week.

And Sunday I'll have all the answers. But I do know this... just a few more "bumps" and it's time to blast off... and COMPLETE this mission! Oh, and one more thing: Thanks again to those who have supported/encouraged me this year.

You've been my Mission Control!