Ramblings and Rest

I've finished off my pre-race pasta and chicken dinner (it's what I've eaten before virtually every Distance Challenge race this year), and I've settled in with an alternating hydration diet of Gatorade and water. NASCAR is on the tube, and there's virtually nothing left to do for tomorrow. I do need to pack my post-race bag with dry clothing and such, and I need to pin my number on my singlet and lay out my race day outfit and shoes, but those are easy tasks. I'm trying not to obsess over the baggage issue, and pack and repack the bag several times. I have finished burning a CD of vocal music from Burundi, to get us in the Gazelles mood tomorrow morning. Life is good.

This is the time where things start getting quiet, and the mind races ahead, thinking about tomorrow, pondering strategy, checking the weather (again)... The marathon is such a strange and wonderful beast. It's a test of your perseverance in setting out 4, 5 or 6 months ago with a training regimen and plan for a one-shot event. All those early Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings devoted to long runs, hilly runs, fast runs... The mounds of pasta that I've eaten preparing for those long workouts and races... The beers and late night concerts that I've chosen to miss in order to be at my best for workouts and races... The semi-monkish existence that I've led since September, with all of those things aimed at a one-day, 26.2 mile athletic endeavor on February 13th.

It's just amazing what we're willing to do to pursue our running lifestyle. But, what we gain from it is overwhelmingly positive and powerful to each of us. We learn, although we have physical limits, that through hard work and training we can push those limits out beyond our current state. We learn how powerful our minds can be, driving us forward when every fiber of our physical being is screaming at us to stop. We learn the pleasure of a simple 7 mile run with a group of training partners and friends, sharing that joy of being able to do this amazing thing. We revel in a race well-run, each of us able to have a deep sense of satisfaction, even though we all have different abilities and different finishing times.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow morning. I have a calmness now that I've never had before any other marathon. It will be a grand experiment, in part, because I'll be running with a pacing partner for the first time. I hope that Jan and I can run together and help each other as far as the 20 mile mark. That would be great. I wonder what songs my internal radio station will play for me during the race? :)

The work is done. It's time to run. I'll let you know how it turns out.