Marathon Week

At the end of this week, I'll be running the Richmond Marathon. I can hardly believe it! A year ago, I was an over-eager, starry-eyed runner who had just finished my first race ever. It's hard to believe I've come this far in a year.

You'd think I'd be excited, and I am! But honestly, I'm scared too. Because even though I've done 20-mile runs three times, 26.2 still seems like an incredible distance. Even though I've been training for over five months, I still wonder if I've run enough. And even though there are times when I feel like I can do this, there are definitely times when I feel like I can't.

One thing is for sure, it's going to a mental battle on race day. Sometimes the doubts and fears seem to engulf me and I wonder how I ever thought I could do this. I'm also terrified that something will go wrong; that I'll get injured or get horrible leg cramps or get dehydrated during the race and not be able to finish. My number one goal is simply to finish this race!

As far as goals leading up to the race, I've got two (easy) ones. I've basically done all my running preparation in the months and weeks prior to this, so there's nothing I can do running-wise to prepare more. (In fact, this week I'll be tapering and recovering, so I'll hardly be running at all). This week, my two main goals are:

1. Get enough sleep
2. Drink water / Stay hydrated

Shouldn't be too hard right?