I feel like a kid on the night before the first day of school. I'm excited. I'm nervous. I'm slightly nauseous. I've spent the last several hours laying out my clothes, packing my bag, loading up my iPod, drinking water - lots and lots of water. I know I should go to bed like, right now, but I'm too wound up. I'd drink a beer to calm down, but that might not be such a good idea.
My training for this has hit some bumps in the road. Snowstorms, sub-zero temperatures, a lazy trip to Punta Cana during which I ran once for about twenty minutes, a tricky left knee, a back strain a mere six days ago that threatened to sideline me for good. The farthest I've run in the past twelve weeks has been nine miles and that was two weeks ago. Can I do this?
I think I can. I've learned a lot in the past twelve weeks as I've been training for this race. I've learned that it's ok to talk to yourself when you're running, even if you look like a crazy person. I've learned that sometimes you have to spit or blow snot rockets or do other disgusting things to make yourself feel better when you're running. (Although I'm not sure how this would fly during a race - I can't say I've ever seen anyone do these things when surrounded by thousands of other runners). I've learned the joys of eating "GU" during a long run, especially the salted caramel flavor. I've learned that even when your legs feel like lead, you can somehow keep going. Again, the GU helps. Especially salted caramel. Did I say that already?
I was trying to decide what to wear tomorrow. I think it's bad luck to wear the actual race shirt since you haven't actually completed the race yet. It's also a bad idea to wear something new that you've never worn before, in case it gives you a rash, blisters, or causes chafing. (Ouch.) So I decided to wear the race shirt from the first road race I ever ran. I feel like it brings things full circle. I began this running journey almost five years ago when I ran the GW Parkway Classic 5K in Alexandria. I remember feeling like I would never make it running three miles. Now here I am running just over thirteen. It's a little mind boggling.
When you train for something like this, more experienced runners try to give you advice. Don't start out too fast, make sure you hydrate, don't wear anything new on race day, get a full night's sleep, don't eat too much the morning of the race. But the best advice I received today was from a photo posted on Facebook. A friend of mine who is running with me received a gift today, a bracelet with an inspirational message. Engraved into the bracelet are the words "When your legs get tired, run with your heart."
I think that's exactly what I'll do.
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