What could happen and what WILL happen--Lincoln Half-Marathon

Chicago Marathon 2012

I have made it very public that I've been working my tail off this spring.  Because of (or in spite of) this, two things are very possible Sunday morning at the Lincoln Marathon.  I can either earn a new PR or fall flat on my face.  I have been taking it pretty easy this week, and in the time that I have not spent running or working out, I keep re-playing different scenarios of the race in my mind.  It is arguably true that I have tended to not be as strong of a runner as the distances get greater.  According to McMillan's Running Calculator (which I have previously mentioned that I LOVE), my projected marathon time based on this year's 10k is 3:10.  My actual PR? 3:43.  A full 33 minutes off what I could supposedly run.  Now, hear me out.  I am NOT bashing 3:43.  Or 5:43 (which I ran at the Twin Cites Marathon in 2006).  Or any marathon finishing time.  I am simply pointing out that, for whatever reason, I am not hitting my potential as the distances get longer.  Honestly, a big part of this is that my training has never been wonderful when it comes to full marathons.  Hence, when it came time to sign up this past January, I thought about what my life was going to be like this spring and wondered if I could really put in the time and miles necessary to run a decent marathon.  When I answered this question with a "No", I decided that what I could do was train to run a kick butt half.

And that is exactly what I did. Speed work, long runs, cross-training.  I did all of that.  I have done 150 workouts since January 1.  That is a lot of early mornings, two-a-days, workouts when the boys are sleeping, late nights, etc.  Is this going to pay off? Maybe.  But maybe not.

So.  Here is what I think could happen and what will happen.

Saturday:  Quinn is running his first race! The Mayor's Run.  The race is a full mile and Quinn is not two, but that child is full of energy and LOVES being around other children.  I am so excited for my little boy!  Afterwards, we are going to hit up packet pickup at the Embassy Suites (right? I haven't really read those emails yet...), and then head home to pick up our home for ours guests.  My father, sister Emilie, almost BIL Josh, and friend Jessica are all spending the night.  (Jess and I are planning to consume lots of rice and possibly some chicken per a recommendation from our friend Alyssa.)  I will probably sleep like crap.

Early (early) Sunday morning:  Wake up call will be 4:30am and I'm guessing we'll be out the door around 5am.  I will eat a bagel with peanut butter and honey.  After drinking way too much coffee, I will most likely feel better from my 2-3 hours of sleep.  It looks like it's going to be a decent day for racing, so I'll probably wear my singlet, shorts, and compression gear, BUT I think I'll bring a crappy sweatshirt and pants so I can be warm beforehand.

7am-RACE BEGINS.  Ugh.  Here is where I have NO IDEA what will happen.  I want to believe that I will run a new PR and feel awesome doing so.  I don't want to believe the voice in my head that says I will not do this.  So, I think what I will work on believing is that I'll run a new PR (previous was set in 2009--1:36).  Now THAT should be do-able, right?!  This sub-1:30 talk?! Is that realistic? Maybe not.  But I am in good shape and do not want to sell myself short by convincing myself that I am not good enough or fast enough.  I am going to leave my watch at home and just run by feel.  When I run into that stadium after 13 miles, I will hopefully see an awesome time up on that screen.

Sunday- mid morning:  We are hoping to find everyone at the finish and celebrate new PR's.  While I might be questioning my own race, I have no doubt whatsoever that Emilie and Philip and going to run fabulous races.  As long as Quinn is holding up (he's going to cheer us on with his grandpa and uncle), I'd like to head over to the full marathon course (around mile 22?) to cheer on our teammates and friends.

Good luck to each and every one of you who will be lacing up your shoes for 13.1 or 26.2.  At the end of the day, what matters most is that we are out there doing things that are hard.  What are your goals for this weekend?