My over-dramatization of the impending Marine Corps Marathon is on the downswing. It’s been almost 24 hours now since the last (hopefully final, but no guarantee) crying jag.
- I went to one final spin class yesterday and our previously demeaning instructor seems to have gotten the memo and was much more encouraging–she went so far as to say we looked great. Damn right we did.
- Crab-ass hip is silent. I haven’t run since Saturday so don’t get too excited about this.
- Ornery calf is almost painfree. See the no running part above.
The marathon outfit is set. I swear the colors are more vibrant irl.
Calf sleeves have become a permanent fixture. Between these, my Tommy Coppers, and all the other voodoo, my calves have been well-attended to all week. I think they were jealous of all the attention crab-ass hip was getting.
I’ve also got coping strategies in my bag of tricks. You know, for when the going gets tough:
- Pretend my training was adequate. Channel memories of marathons past when it was.
- Think beyond the race. We’ve got a whole lotta fun stuff planned: Tours, meetups. expo shopping junkets, Georgetown cupcakes, the list goes on.
- Visualize: Running (or walking) strong, yummy Marines, beating that pesky bridge, yummy Marines, finishing in an upright fashion, not giving up, did I mention Marines?
- I’ve got NO races planned after this. The pressure is OFF! I can heal and regroup and make small talk with Marines to my heart’s content.
- Replace negative self talk with positive affirmations–even if I don’t believe it. Ex.: “I think my spleen may have burst, but of course I can do this! No doubt!”
Do you have any coping strategies for me?
I like the pretending you had adequate training. Never underestimate the power of tricking your brain into believing something.
I hope you have a great weekend! I’ll be thinking of you!
Start in the back, less people will pass you and you will feel good when you pass others
at the very very least, at least you will look FAB on race day-I love that race outfit!
but I know you are gonna do AWESOME!
I think your strategies are all great! Definitely focus not just on the race, but everything else.
And I agree about starting farther back. Less pressure to start out too fast should help
Realize you have done what you can at this point, take the pressure off yourself and just have fun with the race 🙂
Love the purple calf sleeves! I love that you have no races planned after this one. Just get through this, try to have fun and savor the moment and then you can relax for a while. I know easier said than done:)
I think you have the right thoughts in your mind.Please be careful and take it easy out there. You are a winner just by being out there. You inspire me!
Awesome! Awesome! Awesome, Marcia! Love the post, love the thoughts! I will try to use some of these myself this weekend. Too bad there won’t be any Marines where I’m going 🙁
you will be great!! don’t worry and have fun!
Marines!! Wishing you all the best – know that we are all sending you all the positive juju we’ve got!
(and I’m with Kelsey – you’re gonna look amazing!)
All good strategies – especially focusing on those Marines 😉
Love your race outfit!!
You are going to LOVE this race!!! I’m so happy you get to run it! Wait till you hit that wall of people when you’re over by the Lincoln Memorial. It’s UNREAL! It made me tear up to see so many signs and people cheering! Go have a great race and enjoy your day…and those sexy Marines!
Marcia,
You’re going to do great, and surely the most fashionable runner those marines will get to see. I’m running Philly on less than stellar training b/c of injury and when I was on my last run I was getting bummed out about it since I was trying to BQ and have made that my A++++++++ goal now(aka total long shot). I kept thinking of that saying “Trust in your training” and since I can’t do that I plan to “trust in my heart”. We know you have alot of heart, so you’ve got this.
Jill
Your race day outfit looks awesome! Your strategies sound good!
I think the biggest thing is stay positive and do what you can for this race…then rest up and let that running drive come back in a good way over time after your finish. Best wishes with this weekend! Can’t wait to hear how it all goes. 🙂
I think you should pull a Jill and a Kathy and just enjoy it for whatever it ends up being (which may be better than you expect!). Good-looking Marines……not a bad thing to focus on….:^) You are being good to your body and I think that’s the most important thing other than the enjoyment.
I’m so glad the spin instructor got the message. That class last week was bad.
I think I might be in the same boat as you this weekend. I think I’m pretending that my body is in better shape than it is. I’m spending more time on my foam roller and with ice this week than I should be if I was healthy. I’ve just got 13.1 to cover and I will make it… just possibly not at the pace I’d hope. I also have no races on the horizon after this and am really looking forward to the time off.
Valium and a therapist. Well, that’s what I used and it worked out okay. Your coping strategies seem much better and probably are a lot cheaper than a therapist.
How can you run poorly with that skirt?? Um, you can’t!!! I think this race is going to go very, very well. Everything is going to line up and behave far better than you expect and I am just so stinking excited for you I can barely stand it!! You better text me all the details after the race. I’m going to be cheering for you every mile!!
Um…there’s another Jill on your list of admirers :(.
Embrace the experience. I ran an undertrained marathon that had no spectators. It was pretty lonely and depressing. With the celebration that is MCM, you should just have FUN. High five little kids, sing along with music and thank every volunteer. You focus on all that and the running will be secondary.
Good luck! You might just surprise yourself!
Just remember its all about the journey! Enjoy!
have the breakfast of champions: Advil!
I’ll be thinking of you!! I love your survival tips. 🙂 Pretend your training was adequate is a good one! And it’s awesome there is nothing after this- you can cross train to your hearts content and get back to 100%!
just think, you might get to run through a hurricane! 🙂
seriously, be safe and good luck out there! you will be super cute in your outfit and just have fun with it.
Good Luck Marcia! I’ll be thinking of you this weekend on my run. Can’t wait to hear all about it… I wanna run that one some day!
One thing is for sure, you are going to look dazzling!! And I bet your training has you better prepared than you think.
Best wishes to you!!
From the queen of inadequate marathon training to you … darling, if I can do it then you can SLAM it!!! Best of luck tomorrow!!
Happy running! Your skirt is so cute. I like to try and have fun no matter how crappy I feel.
I hope you had an awesome race and are out enjoying the sights today! Love, love, love the skirt!!!!
Hey Scar, Do you play interadsteladlar marines anyadmore? How is that game? From the video I have seen, it looks like a deenct game..VN:F [1.9.7_1111]please wait…VN:F [1.9.7_1111](from 0 votes)
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