Sheesh, last week was hard. I am exhausted in every way imaginable. My hormones took me on an extremely unfun rollercoaster ride, historically hot temperatures cooked my patience, and I found out someone very close to me watched the Melania movie on purpose… Alas, I did not shun my workouts.

Among other things, our dryer needs to be repaired.

Marathon Monday is less than five weeks away which means I am IN IT banking heavier miles and smiles! For example, I cranked up the volume of my long run on Sunday from 16 to 18 miles, to which my legs, lungs, feet winked with a flirty attitude, so progress is progressing.

However, I did not achieve the pace I was after, I was planning on 8:30min. mi. average, and ran closer to 8:45, but I am believer that long runs need to be finished, not necessarily finished quickly; it is amazing how our minds and legs “show up” on race day with the helpful aid of adrenaline, so as long as my belief (in my head and heart) that the mileage foundation is solid on race day, how quickly they actually stack up is not my concern. They are either there or they are not. That said, my easier runs are clipping off quicker than they have been, which translates to a boost in fitness, woo-hoo!

Moreover, the absolute priority (today/everyday) is logging as much sleep as possible, because recovery is crucial for any sort of rejuvenation to materialize when I want it to, on key workout days, and when I need it to thrive and (more than) survive in 2026.

Midway through my 18 miles long run last Sunday at the end of the Ballona Creek path near Marina Del Rey.

I am looking forward to the scorching temperatures subsiding by the end of the week, I hope.

Onto my favorite segment of this series, Why My Big Brother Is Amazing. I was thinking today of if I have ever been satisfied with any of my races, (marathons, triathlons, etc., ) and I thought of a couple, and the San Francisco Marathon, my 3rd marathon, and the one that made me think I could possibly qualify for Boston, and The Cowtown Marathon, my 7th marathon, and the first race I did qualify for Boston, both of which Tim attended and cheered me on for. I am certain that his presence helped to push me toward my limits at each race, and gave me confidence during and after finishing them that I could keep going beyond what I thought was possible, and it worked, because I did, and maybe… will do.

CLICK HERE If you want to donate to Tim’s fundraising effort for the Dana Farber Boston Marathon Challenge.

The book I read last week was quite on the nose for what I needed, Brianna Wiest’ book, The Mountain Is You. I possess self-sabotaging tendencies, so reading this book during an annoying life week was very helpful, and insightful. Deep breathing was helpful, too.