It's official!

I officially just registered for the Portland Marathon, October 4, 2009! Now I just have to keep praying I don't get injured before then. Maybe in a couple weeks it will feel more real.
I am halfway through with week 10 today and have decided to work a little harder taking care of my knees...they continue to remain tender and sore. I finally broke down and began taking some ibuprofen and going to take more time to apply ice and I think that should help quite a bit. For a while I kind of though I could get away without taking medication (even though my book said I wouldn't be able to, so I shouldn't try)...and it was right. Darn it.
I had a really good 16 mile run last Saturday and was so proud of myself for making it! I was pretty sore for the rest of the day but felt pretty good the day after. The next couple of weeks plateau briefly before jumping up for the final mileage increase and it feels sort of weird to have to do the same run twice, and then three times. My guidebook recommends I try doing some things to keep my emotions boosted so I don't start feeling less motivated. The fact that the mileage increases every week is designed to maintain high levels of motivation...the more you run, the easier it is to run more. A plateau for 3 weeks in a row can seem boring and frustrating, so I hope I can make it through. No stopping now!
Today's 8 mile training run was really hot and hilly; I explored some new territory which was pretty exciting, so I'm hoping that will help me be less bored. After I got warmed up I really enjoyed it. I don't think it would make the best route for a long run because of all the hills, but a really good training run.
It seems so weird to look at the calendar and only 5 1/2 more weeks of training left...that isn't very many! I hope this is working!