Pre-race jitters

Happy Friday, everyone!

Sorry for falling off the planet this last week. It's that magical period known as quarter-end close. This translates to me trying to meet lots of tight deadlines in the office.

First off, GOOD LUCK to everyone running the Chicago Marathon on Sunday! You've all got this and you are all rockstars. I hope to do a little bit of marathon spectating in Greektown, which is around the halfway point. Look for me near the Mile 13.1-marker or within a block or two afterwards.

Isn't this sign the best? This woman GETS it.

Now while I am not running the Chicago Marathon this year (flashback to my recap from 2012), I am running the Prairie State Half Marathon tomorrow morning.

This will be my 24th half marathon. However, I am still nervous. (I actually still get nervous before ANY race, regardless of distance!)

I know halfs are nothing compared to fulls (edited:) in terms of distance. But my thought process during the past week was still nutso.

Originally, I entertained the thought of taking things easy this week to rest my legs. Then, I got antsy. I felt like I wasn't doing enough to keep the blood flowing. So for the most part, I stayed with my usual workout regimen, but took a few things down a notch. Now, in retrospect, I'm wondering if I still did too much. Sigh.

I believe yoga is a cumulative practice that grows over time. Sadly, my yoga practice has taken a big hit during the past few weeks. This is due to class cancellations in combination with schedule conflicts. I'm apprehensive that the reduced yoga will start showing its negative effects now.

Even when I am doing yoga regularly, nearly all of my entire lower body muscles are almost perpetually tight. I've been trying to stay on top of foam rolling. Unfortunately, my muscle tightness is like a springboard. I'll foam roll before bed, then wake up the next morning feeling tight again. Or, if I foam roll during the day, the tightness comes right back a few hours later. It truly never ends.

The ghost injuries are real. Yesterday, I took a Zumba class and at one point I thought I had twisted my ankle. The day before, I was lifting weights and thought I had tweaked my shoulder. Another day, I was on a Divvy bike running some errands, and thought one of my hamstrings felt weird.

Today I am debating whether to take a total rest day versus an easy 3-mile shake-out run. There are pluses and minuses to both, of course. Because of all the ghost injuries, I'm leaning towards resting. But even so. Thou shalt never underestimate my ability to still feel phantom pains simply by, say, pushing the buttons on the microwave too quickly.

Historically I haven't had recurring issues with pre-race fueling or hydration (knock on wood). But lest I add to the list of jitter sources, I'm very conscious today of what I am eating and drinking. My workplace is a beacon when it comes to free food. I'm trying to be prudent today. Chocolate-chip cookies, be darned.

I am already fearing the inevitable pain that ensues somewhere between about Mile 10 and Mile 12.5 where I swear I'm never going to run again.

In summary - all of these nerves for a HALF MARATHON that I'm doing for FUN!!!

Amidst all the madness, I am also already eagerly awaiting that post-race moment where I think, "When can I sign up for another race and do it again?" =)