10 Days and Counting!

I took this screen shot from the BAA’s site on April 10th.

Is anyone else getting nervous? I’ve run Boston five times and eleven marathons all together, and I still get nervous thinking about Marathon Monday.

With 10 days to go, there isn’t much left to do. I have one more long run this Sunday and then I’m in taper mode. I’ve been washing my hands so often to avoid getting sick that my hands are dried out. Between washing and doing a brake job on my car, my hands are a mess.

My advice to new runners

Don’t try to make up miles now. The taper is coming; go with it. Nothing you do now will enhance your finish time. Now is the time to be careful and don’t do anything stupid. Drink some beers, watch some TV. Do not buy new shoes or do a new workout routine. You are in a new state of mind. When you look back on this you will understand how altered you were in the days before The Marathon. Just try to enjoy it and don’t do anything stupid. Okay?

Now, be honest. How many times have you packed? Have you started looking at the long-range weather forecast? If this is your first marathon or first Boston don’t feel like you are crazy. This is a big deal and you have every right to be pre-occupied for the next 10 days.

My advice to new runners

Pack and pack and repack. It may help with the nerves. It is amazing the things you forget when you go to a race. Get as much of your stuff together this weekend as possible. If you are travelling, double-check everything two days before you zip your suite case closed. The Expo has everything and anything you would need for a race. But make sure the shoes and clothes you will wear on Marathon Monday are in your bag. You don’t need to break in a Cliff bar, but new shoes could ruin your race.

I feel like I am laser focused right now. I’m being careful. Last Tuesday night was the last time I will run in the dark until after the marathon. I’m locked on target. I know what I need to do. Training is essentially over. My primary focus for the next 10 days is staying healthy.

On the Glide Path

I feel like I have a permanent runners high: A serenity. I’ve done this before. I know what I need to do. Everything outside of The Marathon is a peripheral issue. It’s not that I don’t care about anything else. It’s just that I don’t care about anything else. I have a goal. 1 goal.

I often compare marathons to the Normandy Invasion. They take a lot of planning and work and they are not easy. It’s a big freakin deal. If you are a first time marathoner or Boston Marathon runner, lock and load my friend. You are in for the event of your life. Soak it in. Savor every moment. Boston can change your life.

Don’t do anything stupid for the next 10 days. Okay?

Runners get like this sometimes. Obsessed. No one wants to talk to us because all we want to talk about is The Race. It’s not just running that we bore our co-workers with. It’s down to a single event. God bless them.

Run well my friends! See you in Boston!

Andy

© anagelin 2014