Tomorrow I will run 13.1 miles through Fairfield, CT.
The way I see it, this race could go one of two ways:
- I wake up, feel amazing, say F-you Crohn’s and totally dominate the course. (I love this option.)
- I wake up, don’t feel so hot, and get through the race knowing I’m doing my best considering my recent flare-up. If I have to stop along the course to use the bathroom, that’s not the end of the world. I’ll stop, then I’ll keep going. Eventually I will cross the finish line.
There are a few things that are not an option regarding tomorrow’s race:
- I will not get frustrated. My stomach is going to function however it decides. I’m sticking with my usual pre-race plan and hoping my body chooses to cooperate. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.
- I will not cry. Unless they are tears of pride and happiness, I will not let myself get upset.
- I will not beat myself up if I don’t PR. Coach Cane’s plan isn’t for me to PR tomorrow anyway. He just wants me to run a smart race with negative splits. So if by some miracle I do PR, that’s cool. But it’s absolutely acceptable if I don’t. No hard feelings on myself.
- I will not look down when I cross the finish line. My recent finish line photos have me glancing dishearteningly at my watch, clearly annoyed by my time. Tomorrow, I will smile when I hit the 13.1 mile mark.
So that’s that.
I spent last night and all day today eating smartly, resting my legs and trying not to be stressed out, because I know that worrying about the race will not help my cause.
I’m proud to say that my To Do list is in amazing shape. When things get completed, they get highlighted.
Here’s how it looked yesterday:
And here’s today as of 6:30 pm:
I got all of the Save the Dates for my best friend’s wedding addressed, stuffed into envelopes and sealed, which I’m feeling great about. That’s one big task off my list!
I also put together my official Fairfield Half Marathon playlist for tomorrow. I think it’s a pretty solid one.
Yes, you do see Celine Dion on that list. Do you even know me? No racing playlist is complete without some French Canadian melodies with a side of Legally Blonde: The Musical and a decent amount of Britney.
Playlist recipe for success.
Since I’m racing tomorrow, I was also able to sleep in this morning. No long run required! When was the last time I wasn’t up with the sun on a Saturday?!
Of course, “sleeping in” meant I woke up at 7:15 am, but it felt dang good. I was rested and happy to be able to lay in bed and lounge around for a little while before starting my day.
Eventually I set out for a 2-mile run, per Coach Cane’s orders. He said to run short miles just to get my legs moving. He requested a slow pace with a few striders mixed in to kick it up a bit. It was so hot out and I was a gross beautiful mess after just 18 minutes of running.
After my run, I headed for Central Park for Adventures NYC.
This was such a great event! There were tons of vendors in the park, and I was (naturally) working at the JackRabbit booth.
We were there to promote the store and do some fun giveaways. We hosted a shoe lacing competition and the crowds got really into it.
I was undefeated. I’m way too competitive to “let people win.” I was excited that lots of friends stopped by, including Shannon, and I loved how much energy and enthusiasm there was in Central Park.
I got some 16 Handles on my way home (What? It’s race day fuel. Clearly.) and soon I’m going to eat some sort of pasta for dinner.
My watch is charged, my Shuffle is loaded and my outfit is picked out.
(Hairstyle is still up for debate. Suggestions?)
I’m hoping to get some solid sleep hours before my 4:30 am wakeup call tomorrow.
I’m driving up to the race with the JackRabbit crew before the 8:30 am start. It’s going to be an early morning and a long day, but I’m actually getting pretty excited. Running is fun!
My fingers are crossed for a smooth, speedy race. Whether or not tomorrow’s race is a redemption run, I know it’ll be a valuable experience for me. Game on!
Good luck to all the other runners tomorrow, in Fairfield and beyond!
0 Responses
If I were
a. getting married, and
b. great, closer friends with you, and
c. needed save the dates to be addressed …
I would totally choose you. Seriously? I want your handwriting. It’s amazing.
(PS – I totally write to-do lists on grid paper, too. It’s so soothing.)
Hmm. I really meant to type “close” friends and not “closer” friends. Now I’m the creep who thinks we’re BFF in real life when we’re not. Yikes.
Wow you really did tackle that list!
cheers
Good luck today! I’m sure you did fine though, regardless of your belly issues and everything that’s been going on, You’re a strong, bad ass mother runner!
Though I read your tweets and know you made it through today’s race…I love your outlook on it, going in. I can definitely take a page out of your book in that respect, in keeping calm and being positive about it ,no matter what the results end up being. Good for you!
I can’t wait to read about the race. It looks like you were well prepared and had a great attitude!
Great playlist! Hope it went awesome and you are feeling good post-race!
Hope you kicked majoooor butt!
Good luck! Playlist looks like it will be a promising race!
Good Luck tomorrow! Sending you good vibes and I hope it’s a fun, stress free awesome day! Btw, I manage a fro yo place and basically eat cups of toppings all day. I have boxes of the cookie dough, caramel cups, reese cups, sitting in my store. If you come to Montreal I will hook you up!! Unlimited fro yo! In the words of an eternal optimist, “positive outcome only”, kick ass tomorrow!
Good luck ALI!! Wishing you and your tummy tons of luck : )
I’m racing tomorrow too but I wish we were all racing together again!!
Good luck!! You are such an inspiration 🙂
Good luck tomorrow! Great goals and race day prep. I know you’ll do amaaazing. GO GET EM!
you’re going to do amazing!!!!!!
glad i got to see you today 🙂
Congrats on your to do list. It’s always a good feeling to check (or in your case, highlight) things off. Good luck on your race tomorrow, and I’ll look anxiously for your recap!
Good Luck tomorrow! I ran the Fairfield 5k today, its great weather for running. I love your list making skillz, I need to get graph paper stat!
Good luck! I really like your goal of smiling when you cross the finish line. I think I’m going to make that a goal for myself from now on. I think running a half marathon at all during a Crohn’s flare up is an accomplishment, so be proud of that!
Best of luck to you tomorrow, Ali! Be sure to hold your head up high with a HUGE grin on your face.. not only when you cross the finish line. but also as you run… everyone here is so proud of what you are doing for Crohns & Colitis!
Best of luck. With your enthusiasm toward running you will have a great day no matter what. Running+new friends from Jack Rabbit=great Sunday morning. You are an all-star, and rock it!
Good Luck!! I’m sure you will do great! And if your stomach messes with you..then just have FUN!
Good call on womanizer. That song rules.
And your to do list is inspirational. I love neat handwriting! Have a great run!
You are fantastic and I am so proud of you…but you know this already. Go out there tomorrow and have FUN. Some others that I am sure are also proud of you: Shirleen Robinson, Noosa, Girl with zipper shoes, Irish guy from Shooters, and Dr. Paul.
Awesome playlist – that’s certainly going to rock you to the finish!
And great goals/positive thinking. You’re walking into this mentally prepared which is a large part of it. Good luck!
I still can’t get over your handwriting, and also your organization with the highlighting. No wonder your friend wanted you to address her save the dates — I might ask you to do mine (someday)! Your hair looks really pretty in the photo with it hanging down.
Good luck tomorrow Ali! You are going to do amazing!!! 🙂 I’ll be thinking of you!