This is it! It all comes down to Sunday morning. The 7,750 minutes or training and 866 miles run in the last 9 months and comes down to the last 26.2 miles on Sunday. I am nervous and excited all at once. I have learned so much about myself and others in this whole journey and what it takes to be a marathoner. The time and determination it takes is unreal and call me crazy, I might do it all again.

Through all of the training, my health has stayed in check with my Crohn’s and have only had to make a pit stop just a few times over the 866 miles of training. I have also stayed injury free for the last 9 months! I have lost about 30 pounds since I started this journey back at the end of December when I started my conditioning and have never felt better. I think back to my first run back on December 28 where I could barely run 2 miles nonstop at a 10+ minute/mile. Now I am staring down 26.2 miles with a goal to beat 4 hours (9:09/mile pace). I know that this is possible after my 20 mile run at 9:06/mile and still had a lot left in the tank to do this (average finisher is 4:21:49 and only 43% of male runners will finish under 4 hours.)

Here’s to the 26 Crohnnie’s I will be running for and their individual miles:

This run is for all of you guys! Follow me on Instagram (@jimbell1974) as I may be doing some live check-ins throughout the race. While this disease is limiting, it will NOT define me!

It’s still not too late to donate to find a cure for Crohn’s and Colitis! You can donate here.

See you at the finish line!