Our 10 mile run marked our first "long run" together. That week we had done runs of 4, 3 and 4 miles, separately since Jose had to be gone for business that week. Lucky for me he still decided to come pick me up at the airport (I had stayed visiting my parents while he was in the Gulf) when I flew in. Apparently 10 miles doesn't scare him.

Sunday, January 13th: Today was one that was meant for staying inside, curling up in a blanket, sipping coffee and reading a book. Not for running 10 miles in rainy, cold weather.

But as my husband was beginning to find out, when it comes to marathon training you just have to do what you got to do. This time around it meant bracing the weather.

Trying to be confident we slowly laced up our shoes. It has been 2 years since my last marathon and as Bill Rogers would say, I was still trying to forget it. Jose luckily had nothing to remember except the fact that he had promised to do this with me and I wasn't going to let him back out of it.

Excited and a little apprehensive we started off. Slowly, very slowly. I have a huge phobia of starting out too fast on long runs and spending all my energy on those beginning miles. I want to conserve as much as possible, even if that means going slower than necessary. It's all about making it through those miles, especially the last, long few.

I remember going numb somewhere along the muddy, dodging-puddles way. First my body pretended not to exist and then my brain. Even though it was a run of 10 miles, I had lost all previous endurance from my lack of running longer distances these past 2 years. I knew I could do this physically. I had done it so many times before. I just needed an extra push. I just needed to be on that last mile home with the knowledge that we had made it through.

Something was different though about this long training run than any of the others that I had ever done. Jose was with me! I looked over at him. He was pumped up about this run, excited to be committed to running a marathon together. And that is what got me through that first long run. His excitement and enthusiasm carried over and brought home.

We could do this! We just proved that. We are officially in it for the long run (pun not really intended).