The plans for the next couple
of days are coming together quite nicely and I'm beginning to get super excited for Sunday! Bendy and The Texan (Bendy’s sweetie)
arrived in town last night and even though Sporty and I live in the city, our hood is on the opposite side from race
central so Sporty, Bendy, The Texan and I will be staying at a lovely hotel
located about a block away from the start/finish the night before as well as
the night of the marathon. Should there
be a need for reinforcements getting me back to the hotel after the race, The
Texan will come in quite handy as anyone who used to ride bulls should be able
to carry me a few blocks!
Tomorrow we’ll swing by the Expo to pick
up my bib and race shirt and peruse the booths but then it’s off to the hotel for some feet up lounging for the remainder of the day (the same exact thing that is planned for post-race because as you can tell from the photo, the terraces at the hotel are too lovely to pass on... add some wine, food and ice packs and I'll stay put until Monday!
Everything I need for race day is set... I’ve got my
not perfect but will have to do shoes, the right socks, running attire and
instant ice packs, flip flops and super cozy for afterwards lounging outfit. All of my
magical items are ready to go… a variety of anti-chaffing items (no bleeding
body parts for me!!), Aveda SPF lip stuff that stays on longer than seems
possible, iPod full of songs that Sporty had our friends and family send as
inspiration (I know, amazing again!), gummy energy thingies, cool GPS Nike watch, super
sporty sunscreen that has to be scrubbed off (not as festive as the coconut one
but does a better job protecting so it got bumped up in the rotation) and tape
for as many of my pieces and parts as it will stick to. Most importantly, I've got my Dynamic Duo who will be by my side just as they have been throughout this entire process... they have helped get me to where I am and will be cheering me on along the way on Sunday (and in killer "team" shirts that Sporty designed no less!) and for all of that and so much more, I am eternally grateful.
On race morning I’ll be up bright and early (if I ever even get to
sleep!) and will be out warming up (a.k.a. anxiously pacing while becoming one with my aforementioned
inner bad ass) well before my wave starts at 6:22AM. I’m planning on starting out with the pace
group in my wave which will be running close to the average of my long training
runs at 10:52/mile (my 20 mile run ended up averaging 10:55 and included
walking hydration breaks and a handful of shoe adjustment stops). I plan on walking through most of the water
stations (usually results in about 5 - 10 steps of walking) and hope to avoid
any equipment malfunctions by making sure I’ve re-situated my socks and retied
my shoes at least 5 times (hoping that will reduce or eliminate the need for on
the go adjustments!).
The rest of my strategy is to break it down into sections
and remind myself to run with my head when my body starts to get pissed, with my heart when my head starts to get in the way and with my body when the other parts have left the building. I will get up the hills with a slow and
steady pace and be light on my feet and land as gently as possible coming down
them, I will keep an eye on my form and check in on it when something starts to
hurt, I will watch for hazards but will also remember to look around at my
beloved city. Most importantly, I will
remind myself to enjoy the grand finale of this incredible journey.
The day after tomorrow I will run the San Francisco Marathon. I am ready.
Cheers,
SF runner in training
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