The Final Countdown!

It is difficult for me to fully grasp that I will be running the Portland Marathon in just 3 days and 17 hours from this very moment.   Wow!  Eek!  Yikes!  This ominous, futuristic, unknown beast is finally here.  I’ve spent the past several months building it up in my mind and envisioning what it might be like, and now I’ll get to experience it firsthand at last.  It’s time to meet the monster.

They say that you’re not supposed to set a goal time for your first marathon, as it’s impossible to know what your body will do on race day.  Your only goal should be to finish.  However, it has been very challenging for me to not play the number game.  I even have a running calculator saved to my desktop, and I often find myself crunching numbers and creating various scenarios: “What will my time be if I start out at 9-minute miles, and then slow to 10-minute miles at the half?  What if I run full-speed to 16 miles, then slow down to 11-minute miles?  What if I get completely burnt out and have to walk 3 miles near the end, then resume at a speed of 9-minute-30-second miles?”  It’s easy to make myself dizzy with so many numbers spinning in my head.  I am constantly reminding myself that the time on the clock when I cross the finish line is completely arbitrary and insignificant, but this seems to be a tough lesson for me to learn.

It’s also hard for me not to think of all of the horrible possible occurrences throughout the course.  I’ve read scary accounts of marathon runners with digestive problems (who aren’t able to make it to the portapotties-- yuck!), unforeseen injuries, bad chaffing, muscle cramps, dehydration, vomiting spells, etc.  I am coaching myself to push these negative thoughts aside and focus on all of the positive things of running these 26.2 miles.  This will be a goodtime! 

On that note, I’ve created non-numeric goal for myself: I’m going to find something “fun” on every mile of the course.  This could be an amusing sign, an enjoyable entertainment band on the side of the road, an interesting running outfit, a particularly enthusiastic supporter, an adorable child giving out high-fives, or a cute dog.  I will attempt to mentally take note of them all. The Portland Marathon is supposed to have one of the best crowds around, and this should greatly enhance my first marathon experience.  I’m going to try to appreciate every minute of it.

I also feel incredibly grateful that so many friends and family will be there to cheer me on throughout the way.  The support of my parents, aunts, friends, and co-workers (who are all traveling to the race) is very inspiring.   They will certainly make a difference for me.

I’m in the process of creating the final preparations for this event.  I have so many last-minute decisions that can stress me out (e.g.: Should I wear my water belt during the race or rely on the water stations?  What shirt should I wear?  Should I wear my heavier socks?  Should I wear rain gear?  What should I eat for breakfast before the race?  What should I eat to carbo load?), but I’m attempting to just take a deep breath and enjoy the rest of the journey.

Portland Marathon 2013, ready or not-- here I come!