Some time last year, it was probably May 15 after I ran the 15K, I decided I was going to run the Sugarloaf Marathon in 2017 (that’s this year, in case you forgot). I held off making the final decision to run the race because I wanted to see how things went during training for and racing the Maine Marathon. Last summer was full of challenges, but everything came together OK, I ran a decent race, and almost as soon as I crossed the finish line, I decided I would run Sugarloaf in May.
I made it official on Oct. 21, dropping down the entry fee to run 26.2 on May 21.
Eight months is a lot of time to think about a race. And five months is a long time to train for a race. Those eight/five months are just about up, though, and in 3 1/2 days I’m going to try to run that marathon.
Yeah, Eight months is a long time to think about a race. I took break after the Maine Marathon, then slowly sprinkled in some shorter races to give myself something to do. When the calendar turned to 2017 and my training plan started, I was grateful to have a few goal races to break things up. Focusing on getting to the Jimmy the Greek’s Frozen 4-miler, the Mid-Winter Classic, the Irish Road Rover 5K and the Great Bay Half Marathon in decent shape helped me from going bonkers thinking about a race that was still months and months away.
But now that it is here, I can’t lie, I’m getting nervous. I would be nervous regardless, considering it just my nature to get anxious about big events and it’s only natural to get a little nervous about something you’ve been planning for and training for for so long. I am, however, even more nervous than usual because I just don’t know how my body is going to respond. My bum right leg seems to be in pretty good shape. I’ve been babying it and getting treatment, trying to do all the right things, but it is not totally back to normal. Add to that the fact that I missed a bunch of training (cross training only does so much) and I’m concerned about just how fit I am.
Whooooooaaaaaaaa, slow down Scoot, stop freaking out.
Thanks, I needed that.
Yeah, I’m nervous, but EVERYTHING WILL BE ALL RIGHT IN THE END. I keep reminding myself this is fun — really, it is — and I choose to do this. I should be grateful I have this opportunity, not losing my shit because I’m worried about falling flat on my face. I care how it goes, of course I do, but no matter what happens, it’s another life experience, another thing to cross off the bucket list, another story to tell (I think that’s my new goal in life, to have more stories to tell).
Being nervous and freaking out, while perfectly natural, is going to make this a whole lot less fun. So I’m trying to focus on all the things that went right in training, enjoying the ride that is a 26.2 mile run, and reminding myself that I’m going to get to hang out with a bunch of friends before, during and after the race. I’m going to try really hard on Sunday. I’m hoping my body and, more importantly, my mind, holds up to the challenge. I am not, however, going to let five months of training and eight months of planning be ruined by what happens on one day.
That being said, I’m still freaking out.
Run With Scootah 