In my reading today, the author just completed her first marathon by herself (without her running partner/husband) in a small (31 participant) marathon in Australia. The description of her internal dialogue and struggle definitely struck a nerve within myself. I can totally identify with her emotions as I find myself looking at the past 7 years of doctoral study... Finishing this degree is equivalent to my first marathon. The way this woman writes just speaks to my soul... to the point that I found myself struggling to hold back tears when she triumphantly crossed the finished line! Time to go work on getting closer to my finish line...