Countdown to the Marathon…. 1 Week!

In exactly 1 week, or 7 days if that is how you like to think about it, I will be over halfway done with the Utah Valley Marathon, my 9th marathon. I am SO excited!  I don’t think I have ever been this excited to torture my body for 26.2 miles?!?

I am the most prepared for this marathon than I have ever been before.  And I TRUST my training over the past several months.  Pending any crazy weather (which it could be HOT), I should be able to beat my previous PR. 

I don’t want to be overconfident, but I also want to go in to the race next week knowing that I CAN DO THIS!  (And all of this goes for Jeff too, as he has been with me every mile… he is going to SMASH his previous PR!)

1) I have consistently ran 40 mile weeks for the past 5 weeks.  This is the most mileage I have ever accomplished.  Prior to the other 8 marathons, the most I had ran was 37 miles in a week and all other weeks were in the 20-30 range.

2) My average pace over those 40 mile weeks is consistently faster than before the other marathons.

3) I have had absolutely NO PAIN or any nagging injuries.  Before the last few races (when I was playing soccer 2-3 times a week) I had knee pain, muscle strains, muscles soreness, and was just plain tired all the time.

4) I actually got in all my long runs and I felt good in all of them.  It seemed in the past I would struggle to get in the long runs and could never quite get in the miles that I set out to do. 

5) I PR’d in a half marathon that I did not set out to PR in, and felt comfortable at a 7:00 pace per mile. 

6) I have consistently been doing core work and lifting 2-3 times a week.  I definitely notice my arms and core have muscles and I FEEL STRONGER!

This past week I was on my feet a lot for work and to work an expo, so I backed off the mileage and took 2 days off from running.  But it worked out because it was taper time anyway!  I want to get in one last tempo run today and then a 10-12 mile easy trail run tomorrow and then easy miles all next week.  I am PUMPED!!!

(By the way, I really love jump photos and feel they capture my enthusiasm of this post and for next week’s marathon.  Yes, very nerdy and sort of strange…. but I am a strange nerd so it works out.  In fact, I want to go jump around outside and make Jeff take more jump photos of me.  Weird.)