It's almost time! I can't believe I've trained for and will be completing a half-marathon. If you had asked me what my running future looked like after that Presidio 10k.... it would be bleak. I was super excited to finish but the recovery from that race was agony. Coming to this point has been a huge accomplishment regardless of the outcome of this weekend's race. I owe a huge thanks to Ed for being my biggest cheerleader and coach through this process. He helped me through injury and bad mood and hunger-rage to get to a point where I actually love getting out and running (well, at least when I'm staring down a 2-5 miler). Thank you to my family for sending me love and support this whole time. But my biggest thanks? You guys who like my Nike+ Run links on Facebook and send me cheers through your mere click or comment. It has made such a huge difference in my training (special thanks to Jeanne for introducing me to it!). Unfortunately, I won't be able to use my headphones during the race so I won't be able to post and get your cheers on race day.
Sappy stuff aside... I am nervous! I know there's nothing I can do now except self-soothe and make sure the dialogue in my head is as positive as possible. My knee has been enjoying these short runs so I'm thinking it'll stay happy for Sunday. Unfortunately, I did have a bit of a health problem yesterday that warranted a visit to the doctor. There's a small chance it could cause some insurmountable problems in regards to finishing the race (or running at all - worst case scenario). I'm hoping a positive attitude and this medicine and all of your happy thoughts will keep me functioning in peak condition. Another thing that is nagging at me is the no-headphones thing. I totally understand why it has to be that way, I'm just worried about psyching myself out without music to distract me. Guess I should give Ed some talking points in the event I start freaking out a little!
Today we're going to blast off and take our time driving around the coast and Eureka and the redwoods, just exploring. Tomorrow will be more of the same. Sunday, I believe our race start time is 730? 745? I should check on that... :) It should be 'cold' (57-60 degrees) which for me is perfection.
This race feels a bit like a transformative stage for me. After this I will retire these sneakers (the same ones I wore in those 10k pictures) and even those same pants. They are pretty saggy now that I've lost weight and worse, I've worn holes in them from all the use. It's kind of silly but I'll be sad to part with them. They represent such a huge shift in my life - moving across country, accomplishing things I've always wanted to do, losing weight - just generally being more proactive about life. I'm not exactly a go-getter but I've really pushed myself. What's that saying? Don't let perfection be the enemy of good? Something like that. I've learned that doing my best, even if it's not perfect, is more than enough to get me where I want to go.
I'll update again on Monday to let you know I'm still alive and to post pictures of the weekend and the race. I'll take deep breaths, wiggle my toes and we can all think happy thoughts together!
