Well you see what had happened was...

There was this war in Greece a very, very, very long time ago. As a part of this war, a battle was fought in this handy little place called Marathon and, since the Spartan ninjas were fighting, Greece won. And, since the Greeks were impatient little bitches who couldn't wait for word to spread like normal people, they insisted that some unlucky guy named Pheidippides run his happy ass all the way from Marathon to Athens, only to say "hey, we won!!" and then die. A while later, somebody decided to retrace his steps and design a footrace after his path. While most normal people would acknowledge that- given the choice of a 22 mile or a 26 mile route- Pheidippides would have chosen the shorter route, apparently some serious, hardcore running person decided that a 22 mile route was ENTIRELY too short, and a 26 mile route still didn't seem worth his time. Alas, the 26.2 mile long marathon was born.

Fast forward about 2500 years, and here Sara Ann and I are, chugging along with bodies protesting and our sanity questioned as we take the next eleven months to prepare for one of the most strenuous activities that we'll ever endure. We went running last night at about 5:30 PM, while it was dark and while it was cold, not because we had to, but because we wanted to. Because our legs were tense and uncomfortable after a day of (what most people would consider) average use. Our bodies are adapting to the increasing amounts of stress and pressure we're exposing them to, and it's one of the most amazing things I've ever done. With every run and every meal and every nonrunning workout our bodies are becoming more and more like those of marathoners and we in turn are becoming more responsive to their needs. My arms, for one, are getting to be freaking beastly. I, Savanna, have guns. My tummy is getting smaller by the day, which means my abs are closer to being defined. There is soreness coming from places that I didn't even realize could be sore, but it's absolutely the best kind of sore you can possibly imagine. And there's the hunger. I'm happy to report that (after a visit with Hendrix's dietician), Sara Ann and I are hungry because- despite our efforts to eat all the damn time and still make healthy choices- we're not eating enough. By about 1000 calories. That's a LOT of food!! We're gradually trying to add in more healthy options, but there are sometimes that I say to hell with healthy and eat what sounds good. What's absolutely crazy though, is that when I ate a piece of my friend Ethan's peppermint bark, it made me sick to my stomach... Yuck. I am more than ecstatic to report, however, that the french toast I had for dinner was delicious and the sugar-free syrup agreed with my new ninja-dom. Any time that I can eat french toast and ranch dressing and french fries and a multitude of deliciousities and still lose weight is a time that I will be happy with. It's that diet plan that's gonna get me through tomorrow when I have yoga, a run, and then teach Zumba in a consecutive three hour period. Clif Bars (and the thought of indulgences), please don't fail me now!!

PS: An extra fabulous shoutout to my high school friends Haley and Emily, who most definitely made my night!! Thank you guys so much for your support! You have no idea how much it means and how the thought of reactions like that make it a little easier to keep running even when you're pretty sure the muscles in your calves are gonna stage a violent protest 3/4 of the way through a run!