Casa's (Marathon) Comments

I think the hardest part of any marathon is the last few days leading up to it. All kinds of thoughts enter your head. “Am I ready?”, “Did I train enough?”, “How am I going to feel late in the race? And this doesn’t even take in to account the hypersensitivity to every little thing you worry about: “Is that sneeze the start of a cold?”, “Is my calf cramping?” This anxiety is perfectly normal. As a matter of fact, it you didn’t feel these anxious moments, it would be very unusual. How you handle this anxiety is important.
Channel your nervous energy into productive thoughts. Be confident in your training. You’ve done the mileage. Your race is going to feel like your good days (because adrenaline will help you through this). Realize that even though it may be a while before you get another chance to run a marathon, it’s not the end of your running career if your race does not go as planned (races rarely do). Create a tier of acceptable goals (ie: run a BQ time, if not, run a P.R., if not, run under 4:00 or 4:30,etc.) Allow yourself to have success no matter what happens (Just finish or learn what you might do differently next time.) Most importantly, keep things in prospective.
Find ways to motivate yourself (see previous Casa’s comments “Be positive”). Internal or external (or both). I’m going to write the names of the other gO! runners who are running CIM and LV on my arm (big enough that I can read without my glasses) to refer to when I approach a ‘funk’. Some of us are going to work through those tough times and persevere. If they can do it, I can do it. Be creative. Know that you really only need to focus on part of the marathon. The first part, especially, should be enjoyable. And I know, too, that when I’m done, I’m going to get a looong rest before I do this again (and I’m going to want to brag about it, not have to explain why I did poorly).
Ultimately, I know that this race is only a very small part of my journey. It’s like one step in a series of stairs in a high rise building. (Another step is that Park Avenue hill! or a triathlon or a 5K race where I’m trying to P.R.) So keep things in check. Use your nervous energy to your advantage and remember, we gO! for FUN.