Tomorrow will be my 4th marathon and I still get jittery the night before. I have all my gear packed and ready to go, I’ve checked it twice. Safety pins are in my bib, chip is attached to my shoe, sunglasses, Vaseline and MP3 player are by the front door with an array of various nutrition options for the race. I’ll have my standard breakfast of a toasted raisin bagel with butter and a diet coke, only this time I’ll be eating at 4:00 am instead of the usual 7. My ride is picking me up at 4:30 and I have checked my alarm three times. I think all of my bases are covered. So why the nerves? I know I can complete this race, I am hoping for my best time, so that might be adding a little tension. The forecast is for 86 degrees which is a bummer. We had snow earlier this week, and we were hoping for low seventies. I have endured heat before, last summer I completed a ½ ironman in 97 degree weather, barely, but did. One thing I do like to do the night before any race is look back on previous races and what I have accomplished. I know the night before my first marathon I didn’t sleep much at all. My husband gave me a bunch of letters from friends wishing me luck, and I totally started crying. I was so proud of myself for having come that far and I couldn’t imagine what it was going to feel like to cross the finish line. It was sweet, and every race since then has been just as sweet. They’ve all had different meanings for me; some were with Team In Training, which added a whole different element of accomplishment. Yes, I have come far in my quest for health and fitness, and I am so grateful to my family for supporting me and allowing me long hours away from them. The last thing I will do tonight before I fall asleep is say thank you to my body for bringing me here, for the strength of getting through another day, and the energy to wake up and do it again. Life is good, and I am grateful for even being registered to complete a marathon tomorrow, that is worth a lot!
No comments:
Post a Comment