Final countdown...

Well, I feel different this time. I'm not pondering law school, for one thing. I'm not sure if there is anything else, any other large and unreasonable life change that I'm using as a way to deflect focus from this marathon I'm supposed to run. Well, there is one thing, but I'm not going to mention it. I'll wait until after to see if it is still around on Tuesday... It's not the sense of ending that came last time. It's there, but I can hardly believe myself when I say that I'm going to retire after this. I mean, first of all, I don't know that I'm good enough to actually call it "retiring" and of course, I won't not run. I'll just not train as hard, which will become an excuse for not racing as well. Or maybe I will run a 1500 this summer for real. Or play hockey. Who knows? I'm trying to keep my eyes on the prize here, but sometimes I get distracted.

Hard to tell if I feel ready. My back is hit and miss. I feel like it is getting better. The last couple of weeks have been boring, running-wise. I think that is a good thing. It hit me tonight that I really would like to get out and go for a good long hard run. I guess I can hold off until Monday. I think that is a good thing, too. I'm finally starting to feel a little restless. It's just that when I do run, I don't feel all that great. Good thing I'll have a little while to warm up.

The weather may be an issue. Apparently there will be wind and rain. My thinking is: better wind and rain than wind and snow. I've been training in the worst possible weather all winter, so I am not at all worried about what it's going to be like. My main concern is what to wear. I mean, what if my new Puma top doesn't match my favourite shorts? ...Ok, no. That's not what I mean. I mean, ideally, I would wear shorts and singlet in 10 degree weather, but if it is raining, do I go with pants because it is cold? Or will they stick to me and annoy me? 2h30 is a long time! (Especially if it's 2h37 or something). Do I wear a long-sleeve under the singlet? To be honest, I think it is going to come down to singlet and shorts, as long as the temperature is above zero. I don't think another t-shirt will make a difference in the wind. I'll just have to bring all kinds of stuff I can get rid of. You would think after 111 years, they would make it easier at the start.

I'm also pissed off that the faster runners have to take the early bus. So I'll get out there at 8am or some shit, and the people who are going to run it in 4 hours anyway get to arrive at 9:30. Hopefully I can score a ride with Payton's club.

Anyway, I certainly have more long runs under my belt this time. I have a run of 2h50, which is hopefully more than I'll even run the thing in, so I am confident about getting it done. The question is how fast. Almost all of the quality I did was relative, that is to say, it was done in horrible conditions so I was reving the engine really high, but not getting much turnover. I guess turnover is not all that important for a marathon. I feel like I have a lot of endurance, and not much speed. That's probably how it should be. And I'm starting to feel restless. I'm eating a lot and not noticing it. Ok.

Ok.

I think I'm ready.