My goal marathon for this spring is only 4 days away and I am not running it. This would be my taper week of very low miles, carb loading and getting lots of sleep. Instead of living in marathon tapering bliss, I am still running low miles, but am spending time in the pool and on my bike, eating carbs just because they are so delicious and definitely not getting enough sleep (bring on the coffee).

The last few months have been tremendously hard for me mentally. I have beaten myself up over my injury, doubted my ability to ever run again and have secretly hated enved everyone who has PRed in recent races.

A few weeks back was the Fifth Third River Bank Run. Instead of running the race I was a spectator. It was so hard to watch so many runners run that race and I was only spectating. By the end of the race, I had realized that spectating that morning was one of the best things I had done in a long time.

Runners need to be encouraged and cheered at.

I look forward to being a spectator the Bayshore Marathon this weekend and to cheer all the runners on as they run the out and back course. I will have a supply of Gu to hand out to runners who need it and a cow bell that will be ringing till the race is over.

I have recently written about my experience of being injured and being a spectator here. Go check it out.