so today I did my final relatively fast run. a couple of kms warming up, 6.5km at a 5:50-6:10 pace, then a short walk and stretch to cool down.
it’s starting to sink in. I have one more run on Australian soil before I fly. in fact I have no more training runs as such, just activities to keep myself moving, get limbered up, shake out the travel from my bones, muscles, sinews and ligaments…
focus now is on nutrition, hydration, keeping out of harm’s way, thinking about my itinerary over there – and packing.
I’ve decided, my race day kit is coming on the plane with me, in the cabin luggage. shoes, singlet, shorts, compression shorts, socks. the gels can go in the other case. I can buy gels over there if the luggage goes astray; I cannot buy a running kit that has been road-tested and given time to be properly worn in.
not paranoid, just planning ahead…
and not just planning ahead, thinking ahead. starting to dream, starting to day dream. the final 2km of my run this morning I was actually visualising where I would be on the day. Embankment, turning past Big Ben, birdcage walk, Buckingham Palace up ahead, the Mall….
All being well on Sunday, I’m putting in one of my trademark strong finishes. charging the finish line. it’s going to be in front of tv cameras for crying out loud – how can I let my audience down? hehehe
am I nervous?
no. I am excited. I am absolutely bloody excited. it’s like christmas, only the christmas where you get to meet santa, the elves, the reindeer at midnight. the christmas where you find that not only is the magic real, it is beyond what you ever imagined.
i’m keeping it in though. yes I have a certain amount of bounce in my stride at the moment. smiling a little more than usual perhaps. but I’m really keeping it all in; nerves, excitement, anticipation… I’m managing it all carefully, avoiding emotional burnout. I’m saving it all as fuel for Sunday.
Sunday, oh yes Sunday; every fibre of my being, every tiny drop of emotion in my soul, every breath, every stride – all being channeled and funneled into the experience of a lifetime. the london marathon. dream come true. un-be-lievable.
I cannot wait…