Obsession #4 - The Course

When it comes to telling someone you are running the NYC marathon, its been my experience there are only 2 responses

1. oooooooooooohhhh...how EXCITING!!!
2. oooooooooooohhhh...wow....hmm...gonna be tough

Mike Lucas said..."wow. I hear you're running NYC? Thats...um...gonna be a challenge..." It was the look on his face and the tone of his voice...

Well I know its a combination of those two...but lets face it. Even though I have been training at a 4:30ish pace, its highly unlikely that that will actually come to fruition for me in NYC.

I acknowledge and accept this.

This however consumes my mind at all times...I have studied the elevation chart. I have read and read and read. I have talked to some that have done it. Its hard. I know this. Its 'hilly' which means to folks like me, you might as well be climbing mountains. Especially at mile 15 over the Queensboro which is #2 on the list of toughest marathon hills. And then you know...there are those last 5-6 miles that will go on forever through the hilly part of Central Park.

Theres not much I can do about it, but it still has taken over the majority of my thoughts.

I have my goals, a set of them, as its always been my way to make several so that if I miss one, then I have another one to shoot for...and another one...and another one. This way I dont feel defeated and have the attitude of "I didnt make my goal, why even go on at this point?"...Thats not the way I roll. And its not the way I am wired.

Bottom line is even if I miss all my time goals, the one goal above all is to finish. In one piece. I might be crying from pain, and I might be barely moving...anything can go wrong you know...but I will FINISH.

I have done the training, through ALL the trials and tribulations and there have been many...through a hurricane...through it all...one mile at a time...thinking back I cant remember a time that I didnt do exactly as I was supposed to...I never let ANYTHING get in my way...and I intend to take exactly that with me to the starting line in just a few more days...I have 3 miles this morning, 2 on Thursday, and 1 on Friday...

I will go back to something I wrote back in 2007 right before my first marathon, that at the time really the one thing I remember most about writing it was an email from someone I didnt even know at the time...but would come to later...very well...but I remember how much they loved what I wrote and took the time to write me and tell me how much they were impressed by the words...

So I leave you with this:

May my preparation meet my opportunity on race day one more time, and I unleash my potential to the best of my ability.