Monday of race week, and I'm already feeling a bit schizophrenic. Had several moments of complete and utter panic last night as I was going to sleep, but have felt oddly calm all day today.
I expect the rest of the week will be more of the same. Luckily I've been through this before, and although it was several years ago, now that I'm experiencing it again, the memories are becoming crystal clear.
Overall, I'm still feeling mostly positive, and trying to keep the momentum going with that. And I think some of the 'panic' feelings I'm having are a mix of both nerves AND excitement. Sometimes it's hard to distinguish the two.
Physically, I know I'm ready. I ran 10 miles at race pace this past Saturday, and I felt amazing. My legs felt so rested, and I felt so happy to be running. And for most of the run, I kept having to force myself to slow down. I take that as a VERY good sign!!!!
The same was true for this morning's track workout - 6 x 400 @ 1:36. The goal was 1:39, but the 1:36 felt good - challenging, but good. So funny to think that, a few months ago, that would have seemed like a really tough workout, but today, it felt almost easy.
I can do this. I've done the training, I've put in the miles, I've followed the plan. Now I just need it all to come together on race day.
One thing that does seem to be working in my favor is the weather forecast. As of right now, it's calling for a low of 42 and a high of 66. That would be perfect. Heavenly.
As much as taper has helped me feel rested and refreshed for these past few runs, I know that running in cooler, drier weather has gone a long way toward making things feel a tad bit easier, too, so having those conditions for race day would be so, so helpful.
That being said, this is New England, and our weather (and weather forecasts) are notoriously fickle, so I'll be checking for updates rather obsessively throughout the week. But as long as it's even close to those conditions, I should be in pretty good shape.
I'm still in disbelief that this week is finally here. I've got a big list of things to pack, and I'm going to start working on that tomorrow, so as to make sure that I actually have everything, and to eliminate any last-minute trips to the store - I want everything packed by Thursday, so that I can double-check it on Friday morning.
The final countdown. Final preparations. Five days and counting...... !!!!!!!!!!
Your body is ready. Sounds like your mind is catching up. Carry on :-)
Posted by: Wes | October 12, 2011 at 04:11 PM