3 days until my first marathon

I am interrupting my string of posts on 'Keep Christianity Weird' to share some random thoughts about how I'm feeling three days out before running my first marathon (yes, I said "first" and not "only").

For the past week or twenty I've been teetering between totally psyched to scared out of my mind. I know it's mostly simple apprehension at facing the unknown. Certainly people do this all the time.

I'm not really even all that worried about being able to run 26.2 miles. I have no reason not to trust my training routine and the countless articles I've read. My biggest fears are the million or so crazy little things that can't be foreseen: injury, accident, realizing I forgot my pants, and that sort of thing.

Some things I need to remember the morning of the race:

• Set my clothes out the night before (shirt, shoes, socks, headband/hat, watch)
• Make sure the watch is charged
• Have all my gels (5?), water bottle, drink mix (2) and whatnot packed and ready to go
• Don't forget to take an ibuprofen before I leave the house
• Super Glue on my right foot
• Anti-chaf both feet (under and on the right sock), nipples, belly button, groin
• My throw-away black hoodie for before the race
• Phone, wallet, and ID
• BIB AND PINS!!! (pin to the shirt the night before)

See, these are the things that make me nervous - forgetting something. So it really doesn't have as much to do with the running as with being prepared for 4 1/2 - 6 hours of supplies.

Speaking of time... I have decided against shooting for any specific finish time. Sure, I would like to beat Oprah's 4 1/2 hours, but I have no way of knowing right now if I can do that or not. Most of my long training runs were just over or under 10-minute-miles, so it's possible. However, having only done 20 miles as my farthest run (and that was on a treadmill!), it's hard to say what might happen during those last 6.2. I would like to hope I could be done in under 5 hours, but again... I don't want to be disappointed if I am not. So I'm simply going to try to enjoy the journey (yeah, I know, good luck with that!).

My last "long" run was only 8 miles, and I felt really good, so I'm hoping that didn't jinx anything. Last night I ran 3 miles at about a 9:15 pace. It felt alright, but I had some stiffness/soreness in my left hip and leg that I've not noticed before. I'm still debating how much more to run before the race. I don't normally run AT ALL the week leading up to a half marathon, but everything I read suggests a slow 2-mile jog the day before. I will likely do that. I should probably use the foam roller more too.

I did read this article last night with tips on facing your first marathon. It was helpful.

TRAINING TIPS:

1. Prepare mentally - occasional bad runs are normal.
2. Pat yourself on the back - I liked, "Feel free to be completely in awe of yourself..." :)
3. Find a strategy not a training plan - it's more than just miles. How does this fit into my life?
4. Consistency - habit, rhythm, discipline
5. Attitude - I don't "have to" run. I am a lucky person that "gets to" run!
6. Walking is permissible - this will be tough, but it's true. It doesn't mean failure.

RACE DAY TIPS:

1. Operation FUN! (enjoy the journey and forget about the time clock)
2. Get chatty! (this will be tough too, but it does pass the time quicker)
3. Gratitude! (...yes)
4. Get spiritual! (don't forget to pray: "I can do this with Your help.")
5. SMILE! (it actually does help)

So, here we go. I've been wanting to do a marathon for what seems like a long time. The reality is I only ran my first 5k in 2008 and my first half marathon in 2012. I remember at that time thinking there was no way I could do that!

In the end, I am definitely looking forward to Saturday. I'm also pretty anxious about it too. It's been 18 weeks of sweat and hard work. That's a lot of training to leave on the table and come up short. However, it's been more than that. It's been my life this summer (pretty much), and even if something should happen, I don't regret it one bit. I'm feeling pretty fortunate. :)