Am I Ready?

I guess I’ll have to be.

That’s my answer to the question, “Am I ready for the 22 miler in the morning?” I honestly haven’t been focusing too much on the run this week. Sure I think about it, but I’m trying not to dwell on it. It is the last long distance run before the marathon and I’m beginning to experience the down side to training. Everything I have been focused on for the past 4 months is now in the final stages. I’ll certainly miss the long runs, but I’ll also enjoy taking it easy for some time. I’ll miss sticking to a schedule, but I’ll enjoy being a bit more carefree with my running.

What a mix of emotions! I’ve always heard about the ups and downs of training for a marathon, but here I am, finally experiencing them. The more I think about it, the more “numb” I feel. It’s a very odd feeling.

The only thing I am not looking forward to about tomorrow’s run is the potential for rain. Kentucky has been swamped with rain this past week. the good news is, it’s coming to an end. The bad news is, the end is on Sunday. But, I must carry on, even in the rain. There are no guarantees that on Oct. 18th it’s going to be sunny and cool in Columbus. (Although those of you who want to pray for that, I won’t complain!) Rain is always a possibility and I guarantee that after all this training, I will be running that marathon - no matter the weather conditions! So, we’ll see how tomorrow goes. We start at 3:30 am and will most likely be going until around 7:30 am. Nothing like 4 hours of running to get your weekend started!

After this weekend, the taper officially begins. I’ve also read that “taper madness” can set in and to be aware of the symptoms. I’ve been building up my milage and focusing on my schedule and suddenly, everything drops off. Of course, the theory behind this is that the taper gives the body time to heal and be as close to 100% ready as possible for the 26.2 miles. It’s a great theory, but I just know it’s going to be hard to not run as much and truly give my body a chance to heal.

Certainly more to come on that!