I bet you didn’t sleep for shit last night, did you? It’s okay, you don’t need to be fully conscious yet, just get moving.
Get your pre-race routine in motion so you don’t fall behind schedule and have a panic attack. Breathe.
Remember –
Don’t eat or drink anything new before the race. Stop drinking everything an hour before the race and get in line to pee.
Double tie your laces but don’t get all crazy and over tighten your laces.
Everyone in Boston today will help you. Don’t worry about getting lost or asking for directions. Any Race Official in a BAA jacket is your best friend and will do just about anything for you. Be sure to thank them, often and profusely.
You are in a good spot. Do not doubt your training. The city embraces you. You are a runner!
Now shut off your laptop, smart phone or what ever else you are using to read this blog and get moving! You’ve got a race to run today.
I’ve been having conversations with some fellow bloggers from the UK over the past few days. Some are running London on April 21st and others want to run next year. Those who are running are having the same anxiety attacks as many Boston runners are having this morning.
Even the elite runners get butter flies before a race. Here is a tweet from Kara: “Kara Goucher @karagoucher10 Apr Why do I feel like a kid a few days out from Christmas? Oh that’s right, because I get to race in the BOSTON MARATHON on Monday!!!!”
Ryan Hall near half way point of 2009 Boston Marathon where he placed third. People in front of Wellesley College entrance in background. Robert Cheruiyot who won the marathon the previous 3 years can be seen to the left. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
run a marathon it’s in the news and the race is an event like Boston, London, Chicago or The Olympic Trials. The whole city gets pulled into the vortex and there is nothing low profile about these races for those runners.
For the rest of us, the race may be high-profile but we are not. We are part of that mass of runners who come by well after the elites pass by.
As the race distance grows, so does the gap between the elite field and the rest of us.
I don’t think any of us have a problem with that. None of us expect to keep up with Kara Goucher or Meb Keflezighi. Hell, I don’t even expect to see them let alone start with them at a race. It is an honor to run the same course on the same day as they did.
Under the same conditions we all can see how we stack up against the top athletes in the world. In what other athletic event would you be able to play on the same field as the best in the world? I could never hit like David Ortiz and would never want to stare down a 100mph fast ball like he does. I would look like a fool.
As a runner I do not feel beaten by the 20,000 who usually finish in front of me at Boston. The last time I rolled into Boston on a pair of Brooks the timing clock said 4:30. I was full of joy to have finished. I was tired, thirsty and things hurt. But I was not beaten by anyone. I was thrilled to have finished on a day in which many did not finish and many did not even start. I was thrilled to have run my own Boston PR.
I had MY goals and I achieved them. That is all I can ask for. Most of us do not have the talent or the time, or the drive for that matter, to become an elite runner. We run because we love it. We run because we are seekers; seeking to constantly improve ourselves and possibly get that next PR.
I feel great joy when I see the top runners cross the finish line and I always feel a bit of the disappointment the others feel in them selves when they do not. I am happy for their accomplishments and what they have achieved, even if it is 10th place, or a place closer to my own finish time!
Running is a beautiful thing. It changes lives. Embrace the joy of the run every time you run. Embrace your race and drink in the experience. It is a moment in time, it is a moment in your life that you want to experience fully.
Unfortunately Hump means Hump, and not Shag. No such luck! It’s Wednesday, I got paid yesterday and all is good in the World.
Now that The Olympics are over, it’s time to shift back to talking more about running and my own journey. As bloggers we get to be totally self-centered and talk mainly about ourselves if we want to.
Training and Recovery
For my Club’s Sunday Long Run we were supposed to do 12.5 miles. This was equal to the total miles I had run the week before, so I felt no obligation to do all of those miles in one run. I ran the first mile with my friends Gail and Stacey and then kicked it in for the next mile or so.I just had to stretch the legs out a bit.
When we got to our first water stop I was debating whether I should do the 12.5 or cut out the hills in Breakheart Reservation and head back for an 10 mile run. Gail convinced me to keep going and walk the hills with her. This was a good idea and we both made it through the woods.
On the way back I got all fired up talking politics and of course my pace picked up also. After a while Gail told me to go ahead and that she was going to walk in most of the remaining distance. I hate to leave anyone, but I could not walk the next two miles or so. I did walk some, and more than usual. But I’m still coming back from my injury and it was hot and humid – a classic summer day in New England. I finished with 11.6 miles on the watch.
I grabbed a bag of bagels at Bruegger’s and headed home to feed the gang. My oldest daughter was a councilor at a Girl Scout Camp over the summer and came home Saturday. She brought a colleague with her who was from New Zealand.
Apparently they don’t have good bagels in New Zealand. So, I had to bring home the best we have to offer in the Boston area. They thoroughly enjoyed them as they watched the Olympic Opening Ceremony. They had been at camp all summer without TV.
Tuesday night I did the Club Run. I was hoping to do 7.5 miles but I started out too fast. I managed to keep up with our fastest runners through mile 2, but then my dinner started to speak to me and I had to slow down. I had to cut it short and did 4.22 miles. I was okay with that.
This brings my weekly total to 15.82. This is more than 10% greater than last weeks total and I still have a few days to add a 5K or 10K at lunch.
Have a great Hump Day, and thanks for stopping by.
Last night I surfed through hours of sports on my DVR. We’re not into water polo or volley ball so there was a lot to skip. We have made a point of spending some time watching sports we never get to see.
Last night I watched Woman’s Shot Put.I don’t know how much that ball weighs but those ladies could really throw that thing. Now the track girls looked pretty sweet for the most part. But the shot put ladies were rugged and powerful.
I also watched the Men’s Hammer Throw and Discus. The little circle of cement that they launch from is surrounded on 3 sides by netting like they use on construction sites. I’m sure it’s very strong and would probably stop a car. As I watched one guy wind up with the hammer, I noticed a camera man standing just a few feet away from the netting. I couldn’t help but think what would happen if the athlete let go at the wrong time? It must happen sometimes. Would the net stop a hammer with that much velocity? It does go something like 70 feet when they do launch it.
In all fairness to the ladies, those guys looked like cavemen also. Just big hulking guys.
I’m looking forward to watching the BMX Cycling and the Women’s Gymnastics
American John Flanagan in the hammer throw competition at the Summer Olympics 1908 in London (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The American girls seemed to be doing great. I’ve managed to avoid seeing results, so I’m usually on the edge of my seat while watching these events.
Have a great day, enjoy the rest of The Olympics, and thanks for reading my blog. I do appreciate it.
