One week to go
It’s one week to race day. I have had the date April 19 on my office whiteboard since October. At the time, it seemed like a very long way away. Now it’s almost here. No more training, no more fitness to add, no more speed workouts will help. I am what I am going to be at the start of the race. I’m nervous, anxious, excited, and mostly eager for next Monday to get here. There is nothing I can do at this point to help myself except rest, eat well and stay hydrated. I will have 2 or 3 short runs just to keep my legs loose, but other than that, pretty slow week. It will probably not be my most productive week at work. Fortunately, I am not travelling and can relax/nap at home as it fits my schedule. Hopefully, the next time I post here, I will have successfully completed the 26.2 miles and will be a Boston Marathon finisher!
Jim,
You have done the proper training & the advance weather forecast looks very favorable so I’m confident you’ll do well. Remember this: the most important night of sleep is 2 nights before a race and not the night before. On the night before you’ll probably not sleep great but that’s okay if you sleep well the prior night. This next advice may surprise you but I would suggest you get a pedicure 3-4 days before the race so that you get your nails trimmed short and the footbath & massage will feel invigorating. They will also use an emery board to remove dead skin from any calluses you have formed during the past few months of training. If you don’t do this, make sure you trim your nails yourself a few days beforehand. At lastly, nipple guards are a very strong recommendation. You can buy them at most running stores or you can use bandaids. That’s my best advice from experience. Good luck, have fun, and kiss a good looking Wellsley girl as you pass by that section of the race. You won’t miss them!
Your brother-in-law, Chris
Hi Jim,
I’ve enjoyed following your training for Boston. Mike and I wanted to wish you the best of luck on Monday. As you’ve said you’ve train hard and now the fun part awaits! I’ll leave you with one of my favorite running quotes, which always helps motivate me…
“Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired… You’ve always got to make the mind take over and keep going.”
-Gen. Patton
Oh, and please tell Jenn we said “hello.”
Have a great time Jim and kick ass on Monday!