The marathon is two days away! We are headed down to Charlotte today to get settled in at our campground. I am filled with nervous excitement! The day I have been driving towards for over 4 months is almost here.
I have moments where I get really freaked out thinking about the distance I intend to run on Saturday morning. Did we forget that the first guy to do this (Pheidippides) dropped dead after running 26 miles? Who the heck decided it was a great distance for a race!?
Oh yea, because it’s an amazing athletic feat. One that I’ve wanted a part of for a long time. I’ve watched others, including my own husband, run marathons. I’ve dreamt of the day I could know those 26.2 miles for myself and cross that finish line and finally call myself a marathoner.
The training is done, which I’ve been told means the hard work is behind me. So many have said that race day is the reward for all of the work you put in. I plan to try and remember to enjoy every step on Saturday and remember things like my 20 miler and all those repeats at the track.
When the going gets tough, I need to push my doubts aside and remember my training. I have to remember that I am capable. I am tough enough.
I appreciate all of the support and advice everyone has given me over these past few months. I am so glad I started my blog earlier this year, because having the camaraderie as I’ve gone through this marathon training process has been amazing.
This will be the biggest test I have ever faced in running, and most likely one of the hardest things I have ever done. I am nervous. I am excited. I am anxious for race day to just get here already. I am pumped. I am a bit apprehensive. But most of all, I am ready to run.
Charlotte or bust!
P.S. I don’t know why the font is all wonky for this post. I typed it in the Blogger post editor like I normally do.
Turkey Runner 
Go get it, girl!!! It’s going to be great and I can’t wait to hear all about it!!!!
Thanks! I will do my best to remember it all so I can share 🙂
LOVE everything about this post! You are going to ROCK Charlotte! So excited for you. Safe travels, and I can’t wait to compare marathon notes next week!
Have fun at America’s Friendliest Marathon. The training is done and you will do well.D.
And you are going to ROCK Richmond!! Have a great time and kick some butt!
GOO Meagan!! I hope the race goes so well and you know in the end you will call yourself a marathoner!! 4 months from now I feel like I’ll thinking the same things! Can’t wait to hear the recap!!
Thanks, Becky! I can’t wait to cross that finish line and be able to call myself a marathoner 🙂 AND I can’t wait until you can do the same!
It is going to be a blast. Look forward to seeing you at Miles 2, 5, 8, 11, 13, 16, 19, 22 and 25. I may even squeeze in a few more along the way. All depends on how the traffic flows. Crowd permitting, I will be there at the finish, or at least right behind you.Make me proud, you rotten kid.See you tomorrow for the expo!LUD.
There’s no party like a 26.2 mile party! Looking forward to seeing you out on the course. I’m sure you will be my saving grace, especially in the later miles.
YAY! Time to GO! I can’t wait to hear all about it. I hope your dad will take lots of pics!
He’s got his camera ready!
I have goose bumps reading your post and I’m so happy that your big day is almost here! I can’t wait to read your recap! Best wishes for a fabulous experience! If you do happen to meet Laura before or after her blind-folded run, give her a hug from me!
I’m so glad it’s finally here, too! It has been a long time coming. I will keep an eye out for Laura tomorrow morning. As chance would have it, I’m actually wearing a shirt that’s a shade of purple 🙂
So excited for you. I tried to post earlier but it was on my phone and it did not work 😦 Whatever you do HAVE FUN, Don’t worry about times, and bring some Pepto with you!
Thanks! I will do my best to enjoy every second of it!
Ahhhhh, so much good luck!!!! I’ve been horribly absent from the blogworld but have continued to devour your posts! You’re going to do great! I’d say opt for Imodium over Pepto Bismol – that stuff has at various points in my running career been a lifesaver. You’re going to kill it!
Thanks, Jeano!!
WHOOOOOOOOOOOOT! Heck, it’s gonna be a great day. Jeano even came out of hibernation to wish you the best so what could possibly go wrong? ;-)And because I can’t comment without giving advice (it’s a terrible habit), my biggest piece would be: Run your own race. Decide on your strategy, and don’t be thrown off…not by the weird things you see pre-race (I love ’em, but runners are a crazy bunch), not by the too-fast-starters (and there will be hundreds of them), not by the hills, not by unexpected weather conditions. Just focus on your race plan, and what you know works best for you. Run smart. And most of all…enjoy. There are other days to chase other goals – but for your first marathon, the main focus should be…FINISH, and ENJOY IT.See you on the other side! :)PS I’ll happily accompany you on any mile that gets particularly hard. I will tell you to suck it up, and glue yourself to my hip while I keep the pace. I will tell you stories about funny conversations I’ve had with taxi drivers in Singapore, and about the day I tried to order business cards from someone who spoke almost no English. I will tell you about the accountability toilet paper dispensers, and how I accidentally walked into the Men’s Room yesterday. I will tell you to keep running, not to think too hard, and to imagine yourself being pulled up the hills by a little tow line attached to your waist. I will probably say some other slightly stern coachy things, too – but only with love. And I’ll be cheering like crazy at the finish!!!!!
Thanks, Holly! And as always, thanks for the advice 🙂 I will have to let you know what mile(s) you end up running with me and what we chat about!
I wouldn’t have noticed the font if you hadn’t mentioned it, but since you did… I’ve had that problem before. I fixed it by highlighting all of the text on the page and then clicking on default font (found at the top of the page) or whatever font I wanted so that the font was the same on the entire page. Hope that helps!
Thanks for the tip, Tina! I did try to highlight and selected default font, but for whatever reason that didn’t fix it. It’s not too big a deal, though, and I don’t think it’s happened since.