Friday, October 26, 2007

Pre-Marathon Jitters?

Maybe it’s the bad weather we’ve been getting lately. Maybe it’s the frustratingly short and infrequent miles I’ve been logging this past week. I’m not sure why, but I haven’t been feeling as strong and focused as I thought I would be heading into the final weekend before the marathon. It’s weird. In my head, I know I’ve trained well and have no major injury concerns yet my heart isn’t so set on running 26.2. It wants to train for a couple more months before we head out there for the real thing. [Are you crazy?! Umm, heart…you better run that by the lower body parts before you utter aloud such ridiculousness!]

When it comes down to it, my body is tense because it’s never been asked to perform with a finishing time goal before. During the past two marathons, I’ve started the race with only the goal of running well and finishing. Now, all I can think about is 3:10. If I make it, I’ll receive a hero’s welcome. If I don’t, I’ll waste another year of training, and all those half-marathon PRs and training records I’ve set this year will be for naught. Okay, it’s not that bad, but I can’t help feeling this way, and it’s a lot of pressure. I just hope my two running buddies are enjoying their pre-race taper and having butterflies in their stomachs because they’re nervous for their first NYCM, not because they’re sick.

Hopefully, I’ll feel better after my 8 mile run in the park tomorrow. I hear they’ve put up the bleachers by the finish at Tavern on the Green already. It’s always a thrill to run by that side of the park in the days leading up to race day. I always try to imagine what I’ll feel in the moments right before and right after crossing the finish line. This year it’s especially exciting since the Olympic trials will finish there the day before the NYC marathon. If I see any of these elite runners on my run tomorrow, I’m going to stop them to ask for advice on dealing with the pressures and expectations from a world-class athlete. They obviously are the only people who know what I’m going through right now.

[Okay, you can stop laughing so hard, you might break something!]

2 comments:

Jamie said...

It's just the taper talking - you'll do great next weekend!

nwgdc said...

taper madness...i hate it! you're fine and with the environment you'll be running in, only out of your control factors can stop you, and those aren't worth worrying about!

 
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