The problem with marathon training (now tapering) is it consumes you. You invest a lot of time and energy in the +16 weeks before a race so it is not surprising you want to talk about  it all.the.time.

Like being pregnant or having a new baby – It is all you think about, talk about, and think everyone else wants to talk about but really, they don’t. Not that they don’t love you and your baby, it’s just not always on their mind. So please bare with me because I have two weeks to go and Chicago will be my fourth baby marathon (knock on wood). In anticipation, I have four things to talk about today:

1. The plan: I am ready to get going. Mike, David and my parents will be in the crowd and I am truly excited to take it all in. That being said, I am not setting a goal. I’ve run big races before (Philadelphia and San Francisco) so I am okay with large crowds and corrals at the start but I think Chicago is a league of their own. I would love to finish under four hours, and it’s possible, but I also want to have fun and experience the atmosphere. I think my only expectation is to try and pace myself at the beginning so I can enjoy the end. In PEI I went out way too fast in the first half and found the last 8 km to be dreadful. I know Chicago is flat and fast so I have to pay attention to my pace and attempt to run (for the first time ever) a negative split. Okay, forget what I said before. That’s my goal. (Read my PEI marathon recap here)

2. Long runs: Not gonna lie… I found this summer’s long runs hard. Maybe it was the humidity, but I am feeling a lot slower then last year. I also wish I did another half marathon this summer for practice and speed but despite the heat, I got out and did all the miles. It is was it is. I started listening to audiobooks (The Girl on the Train and All the Light We Cannot See) as an alternative to music (see below) but I am wondering if the slow narration is an anti-motivator. I’ll listen to music and the crowd it Chicago. Sorry Audible.com… you are not as energetic as Taylor.

3. Rum Runners: So this happened. It’s one of the local events that has been on my radar. A few years ago I was invited on a team but I couldn’t make it but this year, my former Cabot Trail Relay Captain Extraordinaire, Robyn, formed a team and invited me. Yah! The timing worked well because I wanted to do five races this summer and this would be the finale – plus, with two weeks until Chicago, it was a great practice race.

The best part about a relay is running with a team. When you run, you have a crew of cheerleaders lining the road and when it’s not your turn, you get to be a cheerleader… which is a workout too. I ran leg 1 (13.4 km) at 6:30 am. It wasn’t the most scenic leg but that didn’t matter because it was dark. I was relieved to run in the early morning despite the chilly temperatures and finished in 1:04. Our rookie team did great and we cheered our hearts out. It’s a beautiful course from Halifax to Lunenburg and there were bean burritos and homemade salad at the end. Yes.

4. Music: I need some new music. I have been running with the same mix for almost two years. Although it keeps growing I need to edit out a lot of the songs that are starting to annoy me (Blurred Lines, Happy, etc.). I am open to great suggestions and as you can see, I will listen to just about anything. My most recent download is Ryan Adam’s 1989 but I am not sure he’s much of a pick-me-up. The plan is to listen to music all the way to kilometre 41. I already have Kayne West’s Gold Digger on my list. Help.

That’s it. I will take a bunch of pics in Chicago and recap but then that will be it about running for a long time. I need to get back to bathroom re-dos, calendars and holiday cards.

If you too are running a fall race, good luck!

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