Week before Grandma’s

Week in review:
1 day off
Total of about 22ish miles (M-Fri)
1 “up tempo” workout Monday (4x1200m)
My typical carb-depletion/carb-loading routine (YUMMMM, oatmeal!)
10 (at least) times I felt myself wishing I was running 90+ miles.  I miss the way you feel when you’re doing that much volume!  I miss being able to eat anything!  I miss the structure of it all.  I miss the craziness of it all!  But most of all, I realized that this is one of the few things that I truly enjoy the process as much as the end result.
8 (or so) times that I also thought that it’s really nice not to have to run a double at night, do strength, etc
🙂  I could get used to this!!

Not much to this week, I guess.  I’m trusting in my taper, trusting in the work that I did in the previous weeks/months, and just waiting until race day.

Early in the week I was scrambling mentally.  What should my goal be?  Originally it was 2:40, but the forecast was looking pretty bad (especially for me, since I am very affected by heat and humidity).  Forecasts were for 62 degrees at the start, and 95-100% humidity.  Anywhere from 70-77 at 10:00 (I’ll hopefully be finishing around 10:30).  Yikes.  Without a time goal, what do I mentally prepare myself around?

Not sure what it was – perhaps continuing to listen and internalize Dr. Asp’s CD – perhaps a few great reminders from my miracle worker chiropractor Dr. Patterson – who knows – but I woke up Wednesday morning and was just in a good place.  I was calm, confident, and felt ready.  Weird. 

I realized that it didn’t matter what the temp/humidity was going to be; I don’t have an Olympic Trials standard to hit this year.  Instead, the goal is to RACE.  To see what I have against the other women running.  To give a “full effort” (Dr. Asp’s key phrase).  It doesn’t matter how many women will be there, what they are capable of – I just have to hang with those that are around me & try to move up throughout the race.

I have a general pacing idea if the weather cooperates for a 2:40, and will decide at the start line and during the race if that pacing plan is doable.  If it’s humid or hot, I back off at the start to try to ward off a big crash later on (I have had several bad experiences racing in the heat, and I can crash pretty big…).  Tuesday I was stressing about all of this uncertainty.  Now I’m totally relaxed about all of it.  I like it.

So, tomorrow will be a short shake out run, packet pickup, taking care of bottles (I don’t have them mixed, thought I’d wait to see how warm it was supposed to be before I decided what to put in them), massage — and then just hanging out waiting for Saturday morning.

I’ll try to update this, if nothing else just with a quick sentence or two, on Saturday sometime.  Until then, hope for as cool of a day as possible!!