The Policy of Truth

Less than a week now til the Santa Rosa Marathon. All the training is done and I'm tapering.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. Of course, I am. How could I not be when I picked a goal that I'd have to stretch to reach...and one that I haven’t been quiet about it either. You set a goal for yourself and put it out there on a blog/twitter/facebook so everyone knows about it so you’ll be accountable to it. But then what if you blow up? Or you just don't have it in you that day? Or you miscalculated on where you’re at with running? Maybe you had stars in your eyes blinding you to what you are really capable of?

Um, yeah, just a teeny bit nervous. :)

But I guess it wouldn't be much of a goal if it was a sure thing so I'm okay that there is some doubt about whether or not I can go sub-4 for this marathon. It means I'm pushing my limits. Can I do it? I think I can. Jason thinks I can. Actually, I know I can given the right conditions.

So from now until Sunday, I need to just remind myself that I've worked my ass off to get here and it will all play out according to plan.

I'm doing some visualizing. (I can see the clock at the finish in my head right now).

I've reminded myself that it won’t be easy and it’s probably going to hurt on Sunday:

“Going into races with confidence in your ability to achieve your goals is a good thing, because true confidence is inherently realistic. But going into races expecting to feel any better than wretched in pursuit of maximum performance is a form of self-sabotage. Expect every race to hurt like hell and you will race better.”~Matt Fitzgerald

I’m making my lists, checking them twice (maybe three times because I’m a list nerd) and starting to pack.

Frankly, my biggest worry right now is…what am I going to wear? Just kidding! Of course I know what I’m going to wear. That was the easiest part. ;)

6 days and counting!

P.S. Hey if you're racing this weekend too,my coach @JasonFitz1 has a great post over on Strength Running today called “How to Bulletproof Your Next Race (Plus Behind the Scenes of My Personal Race Day Routine)” Check it out for some great tips!