With just four days left until the National 1/2 Marathon, the pre-race paranoia has officially set in.
I’m worried my headphones will break before the race. (This happened to me during the second mile of the New York City half last year.) I plan to buy two extra pairs tomorrow, just to be safe.
I’m worried I’ll get injured at some point in the next few days. I woke up this morning and felt a little quiver in my right leg. It was definitely nothing, but naturally I convinced myself I had managed to tear my ACL in my sleep.
I’m worried I won’t feel great on race day. My biggest concern is always making sure I wake up with enough time to make as many trips to the bathroom as necessary. Hope my race day roommate is cool with that.
I’m worried the weather will suck. Right now the Saturday forecast for D.C. is rain. Ideal? No. Potentially really fun? Sure.
I’m worried the bus will break down on the way to D.C. on Friday and we’ll miss getting to the Expo on time. Not much I can do about this one, but let’s all just hope for a super smooth trip, shall we?
I think it’s totally normal to feel paranoid about every little thing before a big race. I’ve been training for this one for what feels like forever, and I desperately want everything to go right on the big day.
I’m continuing to take care of myself in order to ensure a strong finish on Saturday. This morning I woke up plenty early so I had time to stretch, foam roll, do some abs and get in a 4-mile run. The weather was nice and the views were dark but pretty.
I’ve got a really busy week leading up to the D.C. trip on Friday. Today I need to sneak out of the office at some point to get to Whole Foods so I can stock up on Larabars and trail mix supplies, then tonight I have a work event to attend that’s sure to turn into a late night.
In the meantime, I’m wearing hot pink, so you know it’s going to be a good day.
Have a great day!
DISCUSS: Do you suffer from pre-race jitters, anxiety or paranoia? What types of things do you worry about?
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This week I have turned into a pre-race monster. One minute I am beyond excited, the next minute I have a meltdown and wonder, “what was I thinking?!” Last night, I hung out with my best running friend, ate pasta, and watched The Spirit of the Marathon. It’s the only way to do it 🙂
Hopefully I will see you at the Expo!
You look super sasssy in your photo!! I think it is normal to have jitters.. I normally don’t get much sleep. Before my first half marathon in Disney I was freaking I thought they would loose my shoes / I would come in dead last / trip and fall in a fountain (yeah I am wacky) or fall into a character..
I ended up doing great as I know you will too 🙂
just recently ran a st patty’s day 5k..and 5 minutes in..my ear buds blew..I could only hear the backup voices and the beat..so I sang the whole time..luckily it was only for 3 miles..lol
I totally suffer from pre-race jitters. My biggest fear is always that I won’t wake up on time or something will go wrong with getting to the race and I won’t make it early enough to go to the bathroom/check my stuff and get to the start line. But you’ll be FINE. Just trust in your training. You’ve done the work, you’ve put in the miles and you’re ready to ROCK national!
Hot pink definitely = good day!! I always get paranoid about, er, going #2 before a race. It’s just so uncomfortable to run with that feeling, but I feel like it’s easy to psych yourself out with that. TMI haha?
I don’t get pre-race jitters like yours, but in the morning of the race my body goes into fight or flight mode, and I pee about 20 times even though I drink the same amount os before a training run. TMI — but — it isn’t even real pee. It’s like clear water. My body just won’t let me NOT pee. It makes for an interesting time directly before the race, and possibly once the race has started as well. Not fun times!
You will be awesome this weekend. You are so prepared! Good luck!!!