Two Weeks to Race Day

The time is getting close now, and we have begun to make our race-day plans:  where to stay, what to eat, what time to leave on race morning, what to wear.  I have printed out the course map, and I've been watching a course video on You Tube.  It's always a good idea to make these arrangements so far in advance that there are no mistakes on race morning - we want to arrive at the starting line in plenty of time and be prepared for whatever weather conditions might come our way that morning.  My throw-away flannel shirt will be donated to some lucky individual on race day, and hopefully the rain ponchos can stay in the race bag.

Today I ran a little over 12 miles, most of them with Martha at a nice easy pace, and then picked up the pace in the final two miles as I did two weeks ago.  It is always a surprise to discover on runs like this that there is still plenty of strength left in those last miles, and that in fact settling into that faster pace seems to make the little aches and pains, the "niggles" we all have, fade away.  Over the next two weeks the objective is to run easy, store up glycogen (and confidence), avoid injury, and arrive at the starting line ready to go.  "The readiness is all," as Hamlet says.  If we can get to the starting line, then most of the journey is over.  As the old marathon saying goes, "There is nothing you can do to improve your race at this point in training, but ample opportunity to screw it up."

And it was a gorgeous day today - a day made for running!  We hope this weather lasts all Fall.  Or at least through November 9.