Pre-Race Jitters abound

I am going through a maelstrom of emotions as race day approaches. Running a race of this length will test both my physical endurance and my mental toughness to a degree I have not been tested in my entire life. I have to be extremely careful to be aware of how my body is responding to the miles as they pass by and take the appropriate action. This event is intended to represent the pinnacle of my running this year. Getting carted off in an ambulance and incurring thousands of dollars in medical bills would place a major damper on the day and for months to come.

I intend to wear an mp3 player for the race. I have always been a big fan of listening to music. Listening to music while I run helps divert some of my mental focus normally centered on the pain I am incurring to somewhere else. A mental game I am going to engage in during the run is to pretend I am an explorer of sorts running through the town of Harrisburg for the first time and take in the scenery and enjoy myself as much as humanly possible. My normal running style is to lock my eyes down the road 50 yards and run. If I am to be running for four and a half hours I will need to look around to stay alert.

I looked back at the 20K (12.4 mile) run I completed in September and I was running at a 9:15 per mile pace at the end of the race. (I averaged 8:54 per mile for the entire race. ) That's a respectable pace for me after 12 miles. If I can finish the last mile of this marathon at around a 10:15 per mile pace I will most likely have recorded a great run.

One concern I have which emanated from my last five mile race is how to handle the temperature swing from the beginning of the race until the end. It may be in the mid 40's in the morning in Harrisburg and climb to the 60's by the afternoon. I am contemplating wearing an old T-shirt for the beginning of the race and then discarding it once I become warmed up.

In a nutshell, if I do not suffer from severe shin splints, a tight calf muscle, groin pull, etc. I am confident I will have both a fun and good run.