Conditions seemed pretty ideal up there, but for some reason, it seemed as if everyone I know who ran it had a wretched day out there. Two fellow bloggers dropped out just past the halfway point and a bunch of others ran 10 - 20 minutes slower than they'd been planning on. It makes me wonder what I'd do at this point in my running "career" if I hit the half and know it's just not my day. This particular course that I'm running goes right by the finish around that time, so I can see it being terribly tempting to just say fuck it and call the whole trip a vacation focused around mint juleps and horse racing instead of this torturous hobby that we like to call fun.
Lest you think I'm throwing in the towel quite yet, I'm in full blown carbo-loading, hydration mode right now, noshing on gluten-free pasta (seemed to work well in Columbus) and sipping a strawberry-banana chocolate soy milk smoothie. I'll head off to bed early tonight and catch my plane to Kentucky early tomorrow morning. I can't figure out how the runner tracking works on the race website (it insists that I'm not registered) so you'll just have to wait until I find an internet connection afterwards to see what happened.
The weather looks to be about the same as it was for Boston, only damper, which is much better than the 82 degree high they're getting tomorrow. I've been getting all sweaty running in a jacket this week, so I hope that counts as acclimatization.
| Saturday April 26 |  AM showers | 68° 51° | 30% chance precipitation |
I guess that's all there is to say for now. I think I'm just about as nervous as I ever am before these things, but there's not really anything else I can do to prepare. At this point it's just a matter of picking whether to watch G.I. Jane before the race or my old standard, Bloodsport. Decisions, decisions...
Comments (9)
Heh. I JUST watched GI Jane yesterday, then went and thrashed myself (in a good way) in a tough hill workout. Worked for me!
Chelle, good luck!
Posted by Meghan | April 24, 2008 7:42 PM
Posted on April 24, 2008 19:42
good luck!! looking forward to hearing how it went :)
Posted by nyflygirl | April 24, 2008 8:35 PM
Posted on April 24, 2008 20:35
Good luck!
Posted by Alejandro | April 24, 2008 11:33 PM
Posted on April 24, 2008 23:33
Columbus goes by the start at the half-way point too and we all know how that race worked for you ;) Maybe it's a good luck thing.
I don't think you need a whole lot of luck. You're in great shape and you know how to do these things right, so my money's on a great race for you.
Have a great time and drink some bourbon for me (preferable after the race, though)!
Posted by Salty | April 25, 2008 8:30 AM
Posted on April 25, 2008 08:30
Good luck! You're a pro at this.
PS GI Jane is too butch.
Posted by Adeel | April 25, 2008 10:39 AM
Posted on April 25, 2008 10:39
Fingers crossed for you my friend.
Posted by tuscaloosarunner | April 26, 2008 2:09 AM
Posted on April 26, 2008 02:09
Good luck! Actually, you don't need luck. Just run at the best of your ability, and you'll do great.
Posted by Thomas | April 26, 2008 6:00 AM
Posted on April 26, 2008 06:00
Michelle headed to the rainy starting line about as bubbly as one can be wearing a hefty bag and with a marathon looming. The rain has stopped, the temp is good, wind might be an issue..... I am sure there will be some more info here on her race in a handful of hours or so.
Posted by Jack | April 26, 2008 7:27 AM
Posted on April 26, 2008 07:27
I know of a couple people who had great races in Boston this year. Others went in with lower expectations than their previous marathons because they just wanted to finish.
Posted by Jennifer | April 26, 2008 5:14 PM
Posted on April 26, 2008 17:14