I have officially decided that this will be my last blog before the marathon. It’s not that I don’t have plenty to say about many important topics – I could talk all day about the cultural significance of Weird Al’s latest album – it’s just that I won’t be running until the marathon and won’t have anything to report. If you get see a blog pop up between non and Sunday, I am either really bored or injured. You’ve been warned.
Now while these warm temperatures have made walking to work a joy the last two mornings, they have done nothing but sabotage my last minute running plans. The test run for my cold weather outfit was ruined because it was around 10 degrees out all day, or 6-14 degrees warmer than it’s going to be on Sunday. My comfy new pants quickly became an oven, and I dripping with sweat ten minutes into the run. Well, at least I know better to wear shorts if it’s warm.
The saving grace for the evening outing was my overall fitness. My ease pace felt pedestrian, and I had no problem picking up as needed. I was out with a few of my running room pals – it was Wednesday, after all – and suddenly nature knocked at the door. Instead of suffering with a full bladder for the rest of the run, I simply bolted ahead, took a quick pee break, and rejoined them like nothing happened. Better yet, it didn’t tire me out. Good stuff.
I was tempted to run 10 kilometers with the group, but instead I pulled out of formation with about 3 kilometers left. It was getting hard to see, and I started to worry about rolling an ankle on leaf covered, uneven sidewalks. Besides, an extra two kilometers a couple of days before the race will do nothing for my level of fitness. Better safe than sorry at this point.
To be honest, I am surprised I feel this confident going into the marathon. Six weeks ago this seemed like a daunting task, but now I am excited about what the day might bring. I still have a chance to get humbled, but I think if I run smart I will be pleased with the result, no matter what time shows up on the clock. Wish me luck!
This article appears in Nov 2-8, 2006.
So I’ve been reading your Blog all along and been really impressed by it in general…I’ve been waiting for you to write in and tell us how you did…not having seen anything I got impatient and checked the results myself…you did awesome! 1st for your age category after 42 days of training…wow. Apparently the reason we haven’t seen anything from you is because you’re still recovering! Good work!