Boston Bound!

What a morning!

I rolled out of bed at 2:30am, was out the door for my easy paced five-mile run at 3:20am, was back in the door at 4:01am, was in the shower at 4:26am and was loaded in the van and on the road at 5:37am. And in there, Noah woke up throwing up and with a leaking feeding pump, so there was some serious (unplanned) clean up to do.  (Noah is ok - he just catches every SINGLE germ in the universe, and since he can't swallow well, even a small cold and a little congestion gives him a very hard time and he does a lot of coughing/choking/gagging/throwing up).

Josh and Noah  drove me to the airport (and Noah did great the whole way. Yay!)  and the rest of the kids went to school as usual. We were cutting it close getting to the airport in time so I didn't get a very good "goodbye" with Josh. I miss him like crazy already and so wish he was coming with me this weekend. Here is a pic he snapped as I jumped out of the van this morning -

 Now I am settled in my seat on the flight to Boston.

Funny thing - I walked on to the plane and within 30 seconds a guy pointed me out and recognized me from the Runner's World article. I didn't expect that at all. Crazy!

Anyway - 

If you are running Boston or paying any attention to the news surrounding the Boston Marathon, you have heard that as of right now, they are predicting that it is going to be HOT on Monday. Temps in the 80's hot. 50 degrees warmer than anything I have run in for months and months and months hot.

Being honest, a warm day is the worst possible scenario for me. I have always been a "heat wimp", with running and just in general. Give me the cold. Give me the snow. Give me rain. I got my first sub 3:30 marathon in freezing rain and hail. I can handle cold and wet. But sun and heat? No thanks!

BUT, I am feeling calm about it. I am not getting over-stressed. I am not forfeiting my goals. I will control the things I can control, not freak out about the things I can't control, and will run the best race I can run under the conditions I have on Monday. I think the fact that I am staying calm and confident despite the current weather forecast says a lot about how far I have come with my mental game and my ability to believe in myself.

I have set my goal for this race to run a sub 3:15. I know some runners don't like to say what their goals are or put them "out there" because they worry about looking bad or feeling bad if everyone knows their goal and then they don't make it. I don't feel that way. I am happy to say what my goal is, and I like to aim high proudly, no matter the outcome. If I set a goal and make it, then great! (And I savor it for a short period of time and then quickly set a new goal).

If I set a goal and don't make it, then I just keep going after it until I achieve it. I don't think there is any shame in that, and I hope that I am setting a good example for my kids. I hope they always set big goals, keep going after them until they reach them, and aren't deterred if they don't reach them the first (or second, or third, etc.) try. I love this quote -

"You have not failed until you quit trying."- Gordon B. Hinckley

There are never any guarantees on race day, but I am in shape and very ready to run a 3:15 or better. I did not miss a single day of this training period to injury, illness, excuses, or anything else. I ran a ton of miles. I had several 85 mile weeks and loved them. I hit every SINGLE workout goal. I didn't miss a mile of a long run. I hit all of my paces on long runs, tempo runs, track workouts, etc. I ran a lot of hills. I put in all of the work. I did not cut any corners. Best of all, my body feels awesome right now. I'll be darned if I am going to let some freakishly warm weather throw that all out the window. :)

So my plan is to go out on Monday morning and get my sub 3:15.

If the heat is all that they are saying it might be and my body doesn't handle it well and I don't hit my goal, I will run the best race I can run under the conditions and be proud of doing that. I will let myself be disappointed for a bit, and then I will look ahead to achieving my goal in my next race (the Utah Valley Marathon on June 9).

That said, I have a really good feeling about this race, no matter what the weathermen are saying. Josh told me that "I have it in me" and that is the thought (and his voice) I am going to hold on to if the going gets rough. I am ready. :)

Now I just have to make it through a few more hours of this flight (I am SO not a fan of sitting still), and then I get to see my parents, see friends, and experience all that is the Boston Marathon weekend. Yay!

And of course, all of the above said, I will be sending up prayers for an unexpected cold front to move in to the Boston area for Monday. :)

If you want to track me during the marathon my number is -

11697

More soon from Boston!