Just a few hours to go

I am done for the day. Yes, all the long runs, fartleks, bike rides, strides, and intervals are now behind me. The only thing left is to see how all that hard work has prepared my body for running yet another marathon.

Only a short time ago, my ribs were cracked and thoughts of running Twin Cities seemed to be going up in smoke.

Now, setting here in the hotel, there isn't anything else to do but let the seconds slowly tick off until race time.

This morning Caitlin, Mike, and I did the last 4 miles of the marathon course. Many thanks need to be given to Caitlin's parents for providing the chauffeur services for our run.

There has been a lot talk about the hills during the last 5 miles of the course. My take is there is only a short couple of stretches where tackling the hills will be tough. The other sections are long gradual climbs. My preference is for the long gradual climbs. They drag on the quads but the effort is nowhere near the effort needed on for a steep uphill when the legs are really tired.

After a little Tabata run near the finishline, we parted ways.

Later in the day, I saw Caitlin and her parents at the USAT&F meeting. All USAT&F athletes with the potential to place were required to attend this meeting. Much of the meeting was spent reviewing the course – such things are water stops, medical assistance, etc. Also they went over the rules and regulations including the potential for drug testing. They say the selection process is random. Most likely, by the time that I finish, they will have packed up the drug testing and headed off.

There is one final pasta dinner from 5 to 7 tonight. I might slide down and see what they have. I probably will not each much because I have pretty much topped of my tank.

 

Oh, signing off for a while to take a nap.

 

Thoughts from the Cool Down Runner