Of course I’m counting. Only 44 days until the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. I still have 650 miles to go in training. In my closet are three more Kayanos and two more Hyperspeeds waiting to wear thin. Numbers are everywhere these days. The past week had me jumping up in mileage and intensity which means I’ve been sleeping like a dog. 12 hours to be exact. I get into bed with a book at 8pm and can’t finish a paragraph without slipping into a deep sleep. Before I know it, the dog is waking me up for breakfast and a walk. After our hard training session, I sit in the creek for 10 minutes. I still shiver through lunch and get into bed for a nap before heading out for a second run and the gym. My husband Andrew told me today that I should not put emphasis on a single workout, but look at putting good weeks together. If that is the case, I had a great week. I have done one of my better long runs in a while, followed by a speed session and a tempo run later in the week. It is fun to look at the specifics as I not only break in my shoes, but today I started breaking in my water bottles. These little details get me focused on the task ahead. The task is tall as I attempt my second win in the Windy City. As my day unwinds I look forward to tomorrow. We will have an easy day around the lakes basin at 9000feet altitude. Our coach is also arriving after spending the summer in Europe with our teammates who ran the World Championships. His homecoming is a symbolic mark of the fall marathon season. I always look forward to the inspiration he brings to practice. We look forward to the next sign of marathon season, the crisp fall mornings.