PRE-RACE THOUGHTS

There is no real rhyme or reason to what has happened to me over the past several months that I have led up to me running 13.1 miles at the Grand Rapids Marathon Sunday morning. It's really quite insane to think that only five months ago I was content with doing three mile runs per run.

Well there might be some rhyme or reason to it actually, I think I hit the proverbial runners high. Not sure when that actual event happened but it did. So in the course of less than 148 days I will have run a 5K, 10K, 15K and a half-marathon (not to mention a "sprint" triathlon) all for the first time .

I am so pumped up for this thing yet cautiously nervous. My emotions got jolt of frustration on Tuesday when I tweaked my right knee during a morning run. Slight sprain? Maybe but nothing too terrible yet just enough dis-comfort to be annoying. Over the past few days I've gotten a good rhythm of ice and ace wrap going. The really frustrating thing is that I've gone on numerous runs prior to this and nothing goes wrong but on "race week" a bump in the road occurs.

This event, especially since it's my first attempts at 13.1, has some level of athletic rapture-type experience for me. In someway it has taken on a life of its own, so to speak. The goal is to finish this thing in less than 1:40:00. I'm not racing against anyone, just the clock.

The fun, excitement, nervousness and insanity is about the conclude. Hopefully it will have a good ending ...