Hello again, hearts!



I'm in the home stretch. I've started to taper and decrease my mileage and marathon weekend is right around the corner. I can't believe it's almost here... It's surreal, actually. To think that the race that I've spent four months training for will be run and done so soon is almost bittersweet. But I know that I've poured my heart and soul into training and I know that I'm ready.



At least that's what I have to keep telling myself.



So much of running distance is mental: your body is primed and ready and capable, but you have to trust your training. You have to will yourself to that place of mental clarity, to push farther, to keep going. It's hard. It's really hard. But, I've come to realize that it's more than possible and when it’s done, you’ve won.

"Winning has nothing to do with racing. Most days don't have races anyway. Winning is about struggle and effort and optimism, and never, ever, ever giving up."
- Amby Burfoot


I've been mentally prepping as much as I've been training: I raced alongside wounded warriors in the Army 10 Miler here in D.C. and I spectated friends running in both the Marine Corps and New York City Marathons. It was incredible to see so many absolute rock stars take on 26.2 miles. As I stood and cheered for runners at both races, I was so inspired. Whether it was those elite racers that flew past as though the miles were nothing, the runners who passed me with smiles on their faces knowing they were nearing the finish or even those who were clearly in pain and gritting it out to the end, I couldn't help but feel more and more excited and ready for my race.



I've always been a competitive person—I perform best when the stakes are high. I don't typically get anxious about races or games, I get excited. The adrenaline pumps. I feed off of the energy of the other runners. It's a positive, nervous energy that is palpable at any starting line. The starting line is where the elites and the professionals share the same energy as the rest of us. It's a pretty special feeling, because at the moment the starting gun fires all of that tension is released and we go. I think about how we've all come together to tackle the miles put before us.

In talking with survivors, I’ve come to realize that the starting line of a race is much the same as the beginning of healing and embracing life after trauma. Survivors share those same feelings and can band together and travel in community through the emotions and doubts. Advocates join, too, and we are united against even the most daunting challenges.

The running family is the best reminder that the seemingly impossible can be accomplished - the challenges set before us, physical or mental, are not insurmountable.

Community is a powerful thing.

"The reason we race isn't so much to beat each other,... but to be with each other."
- Christopher McDougall

I see it not only on the course but also in the wave of donations this fundraiser has received in the last month and a half. Every time I see the numbers tick up, my heart fills a little bit more. It’s quantitative representation of the support that my community has for me in this race, as well as the survivors that I’m running to help. I am so grateful for that community and thankful for the support I’ve received along this journey. It’s a great, energizing boost to know that this relatively small thing that I’m doing has been able to draw attention to and open a conversation up about issues that are too often neglected and kept in the dark.

We're always stronger together. This is something I've always known, and have really come to appreciate in the process of preparing for this race. Whether it's on the race course where I'm lifted up and pushed forward by the drive of my competitors or the spectators' cheers, or in adding my voice to the chorus raised against the darkness and injustice that so many survivors face, I am reminded that when we come together, as a community and as a family, we can and we will accomplish what we set out to do. We build each other up, we give support when we need to, we put out a hand to pull someone up or along and we finish together.



So, I'm ready. I'm ready to join my fellow runners at the start of that marathon and take down the miles one by one. It won't be easy, but it can be done. I'm excited and knowing that I have the support of not only other runners, but friends and family, too, is so empowering. I feel like I can take on anything and I'm beyond ready to lace up my shoes and put on those numbers and get going. I’ll see you at the finish line!

Kyle Jennings is an editor who enjoys running around Washington, D.C. in her spare time. In addition to exercising and advocating around the issues of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse, she tweets about television and film too much, is sometimes funny, and blogs about her adventures at www.anaccidentaloptimist.blogspot.com. You can follow her marathon training journey there, or on Twitter (@kylepjennings). And you can donate to her marathon in support of Joyful Heart here.

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