I can do this! Bring it Mississauga!

“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid soles who knew neither victory nor defeat.”
Theodore Roosevelt, “Citizenship in Republic”, Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910

This coming Sunday I am getting in my own ring. My face may become dusted with dust & sweat--hopefully not blood! I will strive and give all the effort I can muster. I already know the feeling of great enthusiasm and great devotion and yes, in the end I will triumph of high achievement and if I fail, I will indeed fail greatly because I know the feeling of victory and yes of defeat but for me the triumph will in fact be running 42.2KM injury free and crossing that finish line. I want Boston 2010 more then words can even describe. The thought sends shivery chills down my spine all the way to the back of my legs. I want 3:30 more then you can imagine. I need 3:40 to qualify. Do I believe I can make it happen? Yes. Yes I do.
The war within me is beginning to grow. The butterflies are fluttering, my mind is focusing and my body is resting. Bring it!

V.