Period of reflection #3

Regardless of jetlag, it's been difficult to sleep since my visit to Javits for registration. I am now ridiculously wound up - the sense of anticipation is overwhelming.

But am I nervous? Do I feel ready? These are the questions that people have asked me regularly over the last couple of weeks, and on marathon eve, I need to answer them.

I'm not nervous as such, but I am fairly wound up. It's more a pre-race excitement than nerves and I think it's probably important to be fairly pumped up at this stage but I just need to make sure I channel that energy in the right way.

As for feeling ready, I think there's two states of readiness to consider. Am I physically ready? Well, I've done the training and it's been fairly textbook, apart from having a cold a couple of weeks before my last half marathon. So I am confident that I am as ready as I can be, physically. I just hope my body agrees with me at mile 22.
There's been much discussion about finish times, and pace teams, and race tactics. I'm conscious I don't want to go off too fast, in a state of high emotion, and then end up being exhausted in the final third. But as long as I pace it right, it should pan out ok for a respectable finish time. I just need to remember not to compete with myself too much!

As for mentally, how do you tell? I'm excited, I'm looking forward to Sunday, I can't wait to get started, so in that sense, my head is ready.
But people tell you that it's mid race your head needs to be ready, when you hit a low spot. I need to remember my mantra, I need to remember I've done the hours, I've done the runs and I need to recall this current state of pre-race euphoria and remember why I'm doing it.

I'm doing it to do it - so I'm just going to do it.

See you at the finish line

LON