The Before...

It’s Thursday afternoon, the day before Jeff and I leave for Atlanta and I’m supposed to be at work. Sadly, my dermatitis is threatening to eat away at my left hand so I’m forced to sit this one out. It’s been a relatively quiet day. I ran a couple of errands to get some goodies for the plane and filled out a registration form for school. All I have to do now is pack.


Yesterday I got acupuncture in hopes to make my crazy skin calm down. My lady, Carrie, gave me some nasty tasting herbs to take and more to soak my hands in. It was lovely to lay there and be worked on. I desperately wanted the care she was offering. I wanted to relax beneath the feel of her hands and the needles moving the stagnant energy I seem to be storing. I am still rather emotional about these upcoming travel plans. I cry at the drop of a hat and laugh at the silliest things. I could barely be still on the table as Carrie pushed and pressed into my stomach and knees, trying to find the right spot for a needle. I hope this tension will release on the road once the race starts. I’d be a lot happier if I could release it now. I’m vacillating between running from whatever I’m feeling and trying hard to be still. This metaphorically looks like eating a cookie or 3 while stretching on a yoga mat. I tend to forget the fact that I’ve even pulled out the mat (every day for three weeks now!) is huge. I figure the cookies will take care of themselves if I don’t worry too much about them and quit trying to change how I’m feeling by using them.
I’ve received a lot of kind words, some warnings and some advice about running such a long race. The most common ones have been…
* Don’t start too quickly, you’ll run out of energy. (this is by far the most difficult one for me)
* You’re going to hit a wall probably around mile 15 or mile 20. Don’t stop running. Don’t give up.
* Remember your friends, family and pancakes will be waiting for you so you have to cross that finish line!
* Distract yourself by trying to remember the capitols of every state, all your teachers from grades K-12, or your high school schedules.
* Make sure no one is cheering for you between miles 20 and 26. You’re not going to want to see anyone, but you will when you cross the finish line.
* You’re going to ask yourself “why am I doing this?” Keep going.
*Don’t worry about a thing. You’ll be great!
And my personal favorite…
*Always smile when you cross the finish line! There will be cameras!
Many people have asked if I’m ready. What exactly does that mean? I don’t think anyone can truly be “ready” for this. Sure training is really important but it’s also a mental thing. Right now I have no idea what to expect. At this point, for me, being ready is a decision I have to make. Sure I’m nervous that my longest run during training was about 15 miles instead of 20 but I feel confident that I can achieve this. A friend told me a long time ago that “if you can do half of any race, you can do all of it.” I’m going to trust that.
I went to Lululemon on Monday in search of something new to wear on race day. My friend Christine calls this place “the devil store”. We both have found that we feel instantly gorgeous when slipping something on from this place. The colors are beautiful, and the fit is almost always flattering. The sinful part is forking over an exorbitant amount of money for said items. I try to keep my habit to a minimum.
After trying on all sorts of things I decided to stick with the tried and true tank top I bought for my first half marathon. I bought a gray one that matches the original purple one and hoped Atlanta would be warm enough to rock the shorts I already own.


A while back Jeff bought me some Cliff GU shots to try on my long runs. I didn’t notice a huge difference when I consumed them but every single runner I’ve talked to said they find them to be imperative. I bought two and decided to see how it goes at mile 20 when all energy stores are depleted. Earlier this week, Jeff bought these delicious pbandj bars for me after I became addicted to them a few months back. They taste like real food ( because they areJ) and not like paper, chalk or cardboard.



I also got a new pair of shoes after my shin splints made a brief appearance a few weeks ago freaking me out. Shin splints have kept me out of races before. With some acupuncture, some stretching and new shoes, I’m back to normal.
The only things left to do are pack, fly and pick up my race number once we’re in Atlanta. It’s all still so surreal to me. I can’t believe it’s actually happening! Eek!!!!