I'm running the Mad Half this weekend- a half marathon in the mad River Valley. It's a killer course, basically uphill the first nine miles. In case you haven't noticed, I'm not quite as excited about this half as I was about the Vermont City Marathon. My running endurance is high, but I've been slacking in the cross training department. I run hills, but none with the intensity of these.
Thankfully, I will have someone to share the pain with. Melissa is running, too. We can cry together out of fear on the hour-long car ride there, and cry tears of happiness on the way home. Like she said, we don't have to tell anyone our times.. Don't worry, I'll tell you :) I have a feeling we'll be wearing our medals from this race for a looong time.
My goals for this race are to FINISH and HAVE FUN. I'm not going to set any time goals, but I want to run smart and strong. Pace myself well, especially over the first nine miles so I can truly enjoy the last four miles that are all downhill.
I've heard of runners dedicating miles to people- family and loved ones. I thought about this, but then I'd probably end up crying, and we all know I can't cry and run.I am going to try to remember how lucky I am to have this luxury of being able to RUN.
HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE: the H2O I drink all week long is just as important as the water I drink race day. Stretch, run easy (ran six easy miles on Sunday, and four easy miles yesterday) and foam roll. I'm taking today off from running, but will run easy again on Thursday and Friday.
How do you mentally prepare for a race that you know will be TOUGH and push you out of your comfort levels?
You goals and my goals are the same. To just finish. I think just finishing for this race is good enough for me and you better believe we will be rocking those medals the whole way home! I think I might even carry my camera with me on this run - something I have never done - but it might be fun to capture our sheer fear and torture throughout the race!
ReplyDeleteOkay gals, which half are you running? We should plan to meet to say, "Congrats!" after the race. I'm running mile 9-18. Did you plan your outfits yet? I really need to mentally prep for this race, since I haven't run close to 9 miles since before the Burlington Half Mary. I've been running 6 miles and doing Jazzercise. AAHHH!! I'm psyched to be part of the FIRST Mad Marathon though! It's a gorgeous course so you should totally bring your camera!!!
ReplyDeleteI talk to myself a lot when I know I will be running a challenging race. Call me crazy, but it works for me! I reflect on my strengths and my journey. Thinking about how far you've come and how hard you've worked makes the race seem like a piece of cake! Not really, but you know what I mean. It's the end of a journey, and most likely the beginning of another!
ReplyDeleteYou will do awesome :)
Prudence - we are running the half course. I think it starts and ends at the same place as the full but its a different course in the middle maybe? Not sure! Definitely be on the lookout for us. We will be the ones with sheer terror in our eyes!
ReplyDeleteOH- I was wondering how that worked! Can't wait to meet you in person!
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