Thinking Out Loud : Race Week

It's finally race week and I have a lot of thoughts about it!  Since it's Thinking Out Loud Thursday, I figured it was a perfect time to share all (or at least most) of them.

I've really enjoyed training.  This is a big deal to me, because I've always been someone that trains just so that I can race.  This time around, I've just been enjoying the training aspect!  I've found mileage that works really well for me and the majority of my runs have been amazing.  Even when I have a tough workout, I've always felt like I was getting stronger or becoming a better runner.

This has been my best training cycle ever.  I ran more miles than ever, didn't skip out on any important workouts, and really pushed myself.  I think this has to do with feeling settled in my life- this was my first training cycle since moving into my first house, getting a job that I absolutely love, and getting married.  My life is good right now and I have a great routine, which I think transferred into my training!  The only downfall was taking a week off when I had a shoulder issues, but I think I bounced back from that really well.

I'm not sure what my goal is, and I don't even feel like I need one.  Usually I always have an A, B and C goal for every race.  This is only my third full marathon and the first one that I feel like I've fully trained for, and I honestly don't know what to expect.  My plan is to start out at a 9:15 pace for the first 10 miles, and adjust from there.  I have no idea if I'm going to feel great on race day and end up meeting my original goal of breaking 4 hours, or if I just won't have enough in the tank.

I'm obsessively checking the weather.  I think every runner does this during race week, and I can't help it.  The forecast has been looking pretty good (currently saying 55 and rainy on Sunday) but you never know what will actually happen.  I haven't run in rain that much during this training cycle, but rain is usually my favorite weather to run in.  I do have to say that I trained in extreme weather this entire training cycle, and I made it through!

I can't decide what to wear for race day!  I had an outfit picked out, but now that it might be rainy I have no idea what to wear.  Should I wear a jacket?  Just a hat and hope for the best?  Should I switch to pants?  What about my phone?  So many questions...

My fuel is all ready to go.  I'm going to be taking shot blocks every 5 miles, and I'll have a Honey Stinger gel with me. These both sit well in my stomach so I'm hoping for the best!  For race morning, I'm going to be eating the Sweet Potato Breakfast Cookies from the Run Fast, Eat Slow cookbook, as well as an apple sauce packet.  I usually can't eat on race mornings so I hope I can get something down.

No matter what happens, I'm excited for the future!  For the first time in a long time, I'm excited to keep training after the race is over.  Right now I only have one race on my schedule for the rest of the year, and I have no clue what I'm going to do for the rest of the year.  I'm excited to keep training and build on this amazing momentum that I have going.  I can't wait to get back to my schedule, add in more yoga, and start trying new classes at the gym.  Plus, I have a lot of fun plans for the spring and summer outside of running, like hiking, camping, kayaking, and more!

LET'S DO THIS!!!