The Final Countdown

Tomorrow I will run the furthest distance I have ever traversed on foot in my entire life (trumping the 20-mile Walk for Hunger that follows much of the Marathon route). These 21 miles begin at the Boston Marathon starting line in Hopkinton, and conclude at the top of Heartbreak Hill. This blog has focused on the importance of starting lines in my life, and it feels a little surreal that tomorrow I will step foot on THE starting line for the first time. I will finally have a shot at those first downhill miles, and finally know how it feels to climb the dreaded Newton hills with 17 miles already behind me. I feel insane saying that I'm excited.

Believe it or not, I think the next three weeks before Marathon Monday may be even harder than the past three weeks, which included a grueling, uncomfortable 19-miler in several inches of slush. Our coach, Rick, struck a chord with me when he said that being forced to taper will feel like being 3 weeks away from finals and having your professor tell you not to open your books or consult your notes before the exam, because you already know everything you could possibly know. Anyone who knew me in college can vouch that this would not fly with me; incessant flashcard quizzing and note re-writing often continued until seconds before my exams began. 

Knowing that I will have to rely on the training I have done already and use these next few weeks just to maintain my fitness level and rest my muscles is terrifying. The doubt creeps in--what if I haven't done enough? What if I'm not ready? How can I possibly slack off for three weeks and then wake up and run a marathon?

I can identify now with the stress my students have been expressing since January. Many of them submitted their college applications in November or even October, and are still waiting until April 1st to hear back from their top choice colleges. They look back at their essays and worry that they came off sounding trite. They wonder if their teacher recommendations were as glowing as they had hoped. All they can do now is maintain their grades and pray that they did enough to get in.

Thankfully, just like our students have their Bottom Line counselors to rely on, I have coaches like Rick and experienced teammates to convince me that I have put in the work and that I will survive. I can focus on other aspects of my preparation, like nutrition and race planning. Whether these next three weeks drag on or fly by, Marathon Monday is coming. And one way or another, I'll be ready.