full-blown sick. i will stop fightng this. headache, earache, SORE THROAT (my boyfriend said he can see my glands are swollen just looking at me).

Oh no!! Sending healing vibes your way

Oh MK, I'm so sorry you're sick ...

Here are my thoughts right now for you: First, rest and take care of yourself. Fluids, rest, good fueling and see a doc if you need to. 72 hours can make a huge difference in how you feel, your marathon is NOT blown. Relax, rest, and take it one day at a time right now.

Second ...yes, you are experiencing "taper madness". It's very normal. Runners tend to be competitive by nature, and even though we tell ourselves that we are running "just to finish", there is this little voice in the back of our heads that starts interjecting time goals. There's the pace we THINK we can probably do, and then there's the "stretch" goal, the one that we REALLY hope that we can achieve if the stars align and everything goes just right. That voice ultimately adds stress and pressure, because now we start to think that we won't be happy at the end of the day, unless we achieve some arbitrary time goal.

My sister also runs marathons, and she has a motto: "It's Always Something". Something is always a little off on the day: clothing, fueling, terrain, weather. We are affected by how we've trained, how we've fueled, how we've slept, and the phase of the moon (if you know what I mean). The weather could be glorious or crappy. Those new shoes that we thought we'd broken in aren't feeling right. That nagging knee pain is feeling worse. I should have had the bagel this morning and not that banana. I hate the gatorade flavor supplied by the race director but I need to drink it anyway. It's Always Something.

We put our best effort into the training, but on the day -- you have to just let go and see how it flows. Let go of time expectations. It doesn't matter what other people think. Just go out there and experience the moment. The bands! The crowds! The beautiful scenery. It is the best of times, and the worst of times. There will be a point when you are REALLY tired, but you will find the strength to dig down and keep going until the end. When all is said and done, the ONLY thing that is important is for you to go out and do your best, on that day, considering everything. This is a huge accomplishment and, frankly, your time doesn't matter one bit. You will have that big beautiful medal, and the pride and thrill of achievement. That is all that really matters.

For now, try to rest and chill.

MBN... wow. That was incredible! You're SO right about the little voice in the back of our heads that creep in and say "but wouldn't it be great if you finished in X time?" (Even though probably unrealistic?) I definitely struggle with that. Thank you so much for your inspiring words!

mk - hang in there! we are all rooting for you to feel better and make it through you race!

Hello ladies! Sorry for being MIA, just been a bit overwhelmed lately. Still running, but still on the treadmill so I'm difinitely not loving it.

Sharon~ sorry your 10K wasn't all that great, but I'm super crazy proud of you for toughing it out!! I can't wait to read your blog!

TakingCharge~ you're beautiful hun! Congrats on your race as well, how I missed that you were having one I don't know!

SkinnyPants~ you're doing awesome! Way to tackle that trail hun!

MK~ Nothing but big giant *~*~*~*~Heathly Vibes~*~*~*~* coming your way!!! Congrats on a FULL MONTH of not smoking! That's fanfreakin'tastic!!! Take care of yourself hun, lots of fluids, take it easy, get this thing under control and don't count yourself out--you've got plenty of time to whip it and be healthy for your race!!

Okay girls, I know I missed a lot of you--but I need to get going. As I said, I've been beyond overwhelmed with stuff lately and my house has suffered big time! So I must get myself off of this computer and get crackin'!!! Have a great day everyone!!!

Did two miles: 8:30/9:30. Ugh, sleep deprivation from school work has been catching up to me along with calorie counting. I just don't have the energy with so little sleep. Hopefully tonight.. a good run! Going with my friend!

1LB TO GO BY FRIDAY! Then, I've met my mini goal for October! And I've lost then 10lbs aka 30% of goal!

The guy I'm dating picked me up (and kissed me) and I secretly said to myself, next time this happens...I'll be lighter!

thank you all so much!! When i said above "its over" what i really meant was that i was accepting the fact that i was sick, and i wanst going to deny it anymore!! Im running this marathon even if i have the SWINE FLU!! (which i dont). My throat feels better (thanks to Ibuprofen?) but my head hurts still
Once again i have to wonder if im just being psycho-symptomatic (read: taper madness?)
On the PLUS Side, with nothing better to do here at home i figured out how im gonna do my hair for the marathon!! YAY!! I know, doesnt sound important, but it was actually giving me ALOT of stress. not that i care about looking cute (lets face it, im running 26 miles and will be DISGUSTING 5 miles in!) its just that i cut my hair this summer, and its TOO short to put in a pony, but too long to just leave down (gets in my face...its a very dramatic A-LINE with a big stack in the back--ITS SO AWESOME, best haircut ever). In any case, if i just wore a hat i was afraid it would piss me off for 26 miles, and if i just left it down, i would prob end up borrowing a spectators pocket knife and sawing it off by mile 10. The Fix--- two cute TINY little sad pig tails in the back with one of those rubber-bandy thin headbands that fit all the way around your head, to keep the front out of my face. Who cares, really, but at this point im grasping at little staws of positive...... gonna go take a nap now
ps did you guys know that the EMERGEN-C supplemnt stuff, they dont make a Sugar-FREE variety?? I dont eat sugar...bas**rds...

MBN--thank you for deciding to jump into our little forum right when i think we (read "I") needed you most!! Tell me more about your marathon experiences??

i luv all of you guys

Still hibernating in my running funk but just wanted to pop up and say...MK! Keep your eyes on the prize! Don't worry about right now! Just do what your body needs you to do until you're standing on the starting line and then - GO! You've trained hard for this, physically and in your runner's spirit, and all that training won't let you down. I'm so sorry your body is being uncooperative right now, but just remember - your mind has the greater power! Stay focused on your goals and only listen to your body enough to make peace negotiations - but you keep the upper hand! We're all rooting for you...HUGS!!!!

MK I'm rooting for you too. Perhaps this illness is a way of your body forcing you to hold true to your taper. You can so do this. Relax, be good to yourself and you'll make it.

On a personal note, I made it through another 5kms today. I think I've found a pace I can work with.

You are welcome! I float in and out of posting, because life gets busy!

I can't quote the studies to back this up, but I believe that although regular exercise normally boosts the immune system, very intense training (like long 20+ mile runs) can stress the immune system because the training is so much more taxing to your system overall. Not a reason to stop training, but a possible reason why you are fighting something off now.

Oh gosh, what do you want to know about marathons? I like running halfs because I find that level of training is easier on me (I am considerably older than you!) and I still have time and energy to do all of the other activities that I like. My knees started bothering me when I got up to 18 plus mile runs, but if I stick to 16 or less, they are fine. I keep a long run base of 10-12 miles now, so essentially I can go out and do a half any time with no pressure. I just enjoy participating in the events. Sometimes I go faster, sometimes slower, but my time isn't the most important factor - participation is. I've had magical races where everything goes right, and I've had races that were bonk city. Note to self: DON'T kayak for 4 hours in the hot sun and then expect to break speed records in a half marathon the next day.

One of the things I did before my first marathon was to ask my family to email me their favorite motivational sayings. I printed them and put them in my fanny pack and carried it with me during the race. At mile 20, I pulled them out and read them and remembered everyone's good wishes and love. Those sayings became my mantra to pull me through those last difficult miles. Distance running definitely requires as much mental stamina as physical.

Feel better Mk!!! It seems like you're taking care of yourself and doing all the right things so you'll be totally fine by race day. Just please make sure to eat well and not worry too much about calories and all that business this week because your body is clearly craving fuel and energy! And keep up your great attitude because that'll get you through this even faster!

Loquacious - Nice speedy 2 miles! I totally know what you mean about school work and sleep deprivation..uh...I find that running is one of the few things that keeps me sane through it all though, so even if you can get in a quick 2 miles or a slow and steady few miles, it'll do great things for your mental (and physical!) health. Good luck with school!

Sylvied - Nice job on the 5k!

Sharon - I'm glad you're listening to your body and taking it easy with the running. Hoping you get out of your funk soon so you can regail us with more stories of your progress!

No running for me today. I ran yesterday (and Tue) and then yesterday went to my first boot camp class, which totally kicked my butt! The only problem is that there's a fair amount of running (warm up laps, sprints up a hill) and I'm afraid that more running on top of my 4 days a week will stress my shins. They're totally killing me today but I'm hoping that's just because I ran and had the boot camp yesterday, so if I don't do both on the same day (which is the plan), then I should be fine. I guess we'll see!

Hullo ladies! Still very inspiring reading your posts- MK- get better! We're nursing a 12yo with strep in our house and it's been miserable.

I got the results back a few weeks ago on my ankle, and there is no major damage. So I've been steadily working it, keeping it limber, stretching, doing weight bearing exercises, etc. Today, I bought myself an ankle stabilizer that has a little flex in it so I can start with a slow jog starting next week. I have my friend here at work who is also doing the C25K and she has been doing awesome. She has been totally an inspiration, and we've been pushing each other as far as running, working out, eating right, etc. It's good having that support so close.

Since I'll be running again, I guess I can come back and start being more of a participant instead of the jealous-occassional-lurker I'm digging reading all the posts