1 day

I'm here. 20 hours from now, if all goes well I should be crossing the finish line. That's right, I'm projecting 3:30, but I'll be happy just to finish.....and under 4 hours. I feel excited and nervous. I barely slept last night think about 26.2 miles. I've been perusing stories of inspiration and motivation in running magazines and thinking about my own story; how my life has changed and what a role running has played in it. Jesus. I'm starting to tear up.

Okay...get a grip.

But this IS truly emotional for me. It's been almost a year since I quit smoking, drinking, and started to run. When I put "run a marathon" on the list, I really didn't believe that it would come this soon. In this year, I've become a better person. I feel that running lead the way in that process. It has given me a new lease on life in everything and taught me how to overcome adversity. Life has presented some pretty strange and difficult challenges to me and I realize that I could've taken a very dark path but running in many ways saved my life.

It has also become one of my best friends and shown me the true beauty of my surroundings. The beautiful old houses of Ontario St, silent snowy mornings on the Red Mile in Calgary where I touched the Saddledome for good luck while my bandmates/Canucks fans slept, rediscovering all those great Ontario bands while running through the trails of Thunder Bay, feeling in the presence of God himself along the Seawall, the beautiful and challenging hills and fjords of Norway, feeling like Terry Fox on the highway from Cumberland to Courtenay, building my leg back to full strength in Las Vegas, exploring Copenhagen and Stockholm from a runner's point of view, running along side my brother in my first race (however briefly.....Go Frey!), and solving the problems of the world, well mine anyways, by putting one leg in front of the other.

I truly give thanks on this thanksgiving weekend for the ability to run and for all the wonderful support from my friends and family.