Out The Door....

Reminder for me:

Here's why I'll break 60 today. It's the list of the last 5 days of things that Jen has had me keep track of to remind myself WHY it HAS to happen today:

- "All of the things that Jen Harrison has done to you." That sounds dirty. Whatever. Maybe it's supposed to. But she's REALLY mixed up your normal routine, and she's REALLY had you pack the miles on (considering you only run a few days a week due to injury issues). Last September, you ran 73.2 miles before the 10 Mile in early Oct. This year, by the end of the month, you'll have more than 109 miles on your legs. [110.44 to be exact.] And you've been hitting her time goals for your runs ON THE HEAD. She has you ready for this. No doubt.

- "Last year, you ran the last 3 miles of the TC 10 Mile in 6:00, 6:00, and 5:40. This year, you're in WAY better shape." Sure, I ran the first 5 miles too easy last year, but still, having that speed at the end of the race is a positive sign going into this year's race.

- "You are a MUCH smarter racer than you were last year." Last year, when you ran it in 1:02:43, that was your FIRST 10 mile race. And you had only done 2 half marathons at that point as well. Since then, you've done 2 more 10 milers and 2 more half marathons. You're not the same person.

- "You've been really consumed with this race." It's been all you've thought about for a number of weeks. You've tried to visualize every part of it. The pieces have been worked-through in your head. Now just go execute.

- "The race can begin too fast or too slow, but you know how to get it back in control." In your last half marathon, you started with a 5:44 mile, and that didn't ruin anything. If you start with a 5:40 or a 6:20, all is not lost. Work it out - you know you can. Mile by mile.


Well, it's time to go.

I'm ready for the pain.

I can do this for 59 minutes.

Oh, like I noted in the last post, once we get home from the race later today, I'll post on the Fans of SIAS Wall with how I did!! So join the group and check back this afternoon to see if I was able to hit my goal. Here goes nothing.....