Chicago Marathon

Well, it's 3 days until the Chicago Marathon, which will hopefully be my first FULL marathon - if I can complete it. From previous posts, you can already see that I have trained very little for this event and, quite honestly, haven't ran a lick since the USAF Half Marathon nearly 3 weeks ago.

Here are a couple of things that I feel will keep me going.

1: I am a DETERMINED person. My very first half-marathon, I hurt my foot somehow around mile 7 and, in terrible pain and with tears streaming down my face, I managed to finish the last 6.1 miles. This is not the story of someone who easily gives up.

2: I have a positive mindset. My third half-marathon took place during my second year of graduate school. With a full time job, internship, a house and dog to maintain, and a full case load at school, there was little time left over to train for a 13.1 miler. However, this did not stop me and I succeeded in completing the run with absolutely no prior training that season at all.

3: I have a "plan." Since adopting the run/walk method (6 minute run, one minute walk), I have completed two half marathons and had a course PR and overall PR on each race. I feel better throughout and after the run, and get less fatigued with this method. I also think more about the minutes I have left to run rather than the miles, so taking these "baby steps/goals" seems much more feasible than thinking "26 miles." I CAN DO THIS!

4: I've already told so many people that I'm running this marathon so if I don't complete it, I will look like a total wienie.

5: If for some reason I absolutely, positively, cannot go on and I end up a DNF, then THAT is the worst case scenario. I did not finish. I'm not gonna die, humanity will not end, the wolves won't come out and eat me - I just don't finish! But hey, at least I had the courage to start.