ONE Month Until 26.2!

It's official, ONE month until the Chicago Marathon....see that ticker at the top of my blog...that little runner chick is almost to the end!

Well in Chicago time it's less than 30 days!

I thought I would break down my current fears and excitements in an attempt to talk myself out of my fears and get more pumped about my excitements :).
 
FEARS:

1. WEATHER - There is no reason this should be my number 1 fear because I can't control it at all but I've heard of past Chicago marathon's in the blazing heat and then some in the freezing cold.  I would like to put in an order for partly cloudy skies with temperatures from 55-65 degrees please...thanks! And don't even get me started on the wind and thunderstorms.

Source: weather.GOV <---the only trusted source for accurate weather

2. INJURY - I'm certain everyone has this fear going into a marathon and while I've been injury free during training so far (knock on wood) I'm still nervous that at mile 6 or something super early in the race I'll start getting hip/IT band/knee pain that will make it unbearable to run.  I know I just have to trust my training and my body that this won't happen but it doesn't mean I won't worry about it and analyze every little twinge of pain I feel on race day.

3. GETTING SICK - This has never been a race worry for me, since I'm a very healthy person and rarely get sick.  Well, that changed with the Kirkland half marathon that never was and you better believe I'm starting a Vitamin C regimen right now to boost my immune system anyway I can.

And now for the positive stuff:

EXCITEMENTS:

1. RUNNING 26.2 MILES - Never in a million years (okay 4 years) did I believe I would be running a full marathon when I began running in 2008.  I know the emotion of crossing that finish line will be overwhelming and I hope I can keep it together and not start bawling for the last .2 miles.  My friend Lindsey and the motivator behind us all running this marathon had the BIGGEST smile across her face as she ran the last stretch of her first marathon in 2010 and she said she immediately started bawling at the finish line and a lady ran up to her and started hugging her and said "I'm a crier too!".

2. I FEEL STRONG - As corny as that sounds I definitely feel as strong as I've ever been since I have run more than I ever have and been consistent about weight training.   I'm confident that my body will survive the marathon and am actually looking forward to doing it.

3. MY FRIENDS - I can't say enough about how excited I am to be sharing this experience with two of my best friends, Stace and Kath!  We have shared countless emails, phone calls, and runs with each other leading up to October 9 and I'm just as excited for them to cross the finish line as I am myself!

I have hot friends...don't be jealous!

Another one of my best gal pals, Lindsey, will be coming to cheer us on and support us along the entire course (stay tuned for a post on all of our fabulous support peeps). I can't wait to explore the city of Chicago with all these ladies, we have traveled together plenty before and there is never a dull moment!

See...we are fun! In case you're wondering I am being superwoman, Lindsey is being some strong person, and Kath is being a flamingo.

I'm running 20 miles tomorrow, wish me luck!  Stacey and I are headed out around 7AM to beat the blazing heat that has decided to finally show up in Seattle and by blazing I mean 80 degrees, all Seattleites are heat babies. 

QUESTION: What goes through your mind one month before a big race?