Marathon Monday

I am going to use Monday as my day to document my marathon training. I was feeling a little lull in my workout routine. I had the need to sign up for something to train for. I was debating whether or not to compete in another Tough Mudder or try to find something completely new to challenge me and push me to the next level. I felt that I could do a Tough Mudder tomorrow and not have to change anything in my workout routine so that wouldn't really be a challenge.  Something I have always wanted to do was a triathlon but I have the mentality that in order for me to do a triathlon, I have to do an Iron Man. I thought shooting for that would be like sprinting before walking. I knew I had to realistically scale it down a bit and take this goal of doing an Iron Man one step at a time. So one Sunday night, I decided to sign up for the lottery for the New York Marathon.  I have heard that through the lottery system, it could take years to actually get selected. This was even more motivation for me to sign up. I felt like by signing up, I was doing my part but I didn't actually have to commit to running it because I would never get selected.
Yes, I am sure you can imagine my surprise when I saw the $255 deduction from my bank account and realized that I was indeed running this marathon.
I have run long distance before and proved that I could complete the distance. I never really enjoyed running past 3 miles, 6 miles was pushing it. I have ran several half marathons but always thought 13.1 miles was my absolute limit and running more was insane. So here I am, coming to the realization that I am running the New York Marathon.
The race is just over 6 months away. I won't start my official marathon training until the end of this summer. Right now I am working on the mental part as well as the interval (both speed and incline) portion of training. I have been running consistently for the last 10 years. My daily runs are anywhere from 1 to 4 miles. Periodically, I incorporate a longer run or hills and most recently sprints. My running mentality is to commit to a distance or workout and then just finish it. This is what I am working on now. As I measure distances around town and dread what 26 miles really is, I am working on the mental. I will journal my training, progress, and mental  breaks throughout this process as well as how to fit the training in while still weightlifting, working full time, and being the best mom that I can be to my 3 kids.