Less Than a Week

Where does the time go? When I signed up for the Portland Marathon, it seemed so far away. But now that I look at the calendar its this Sunday. I have done the physical training, a few long runs, lots of short runs. Some fast runs, some slow run. I have a good plan down for staying hydrated during the race. I know when to take the Luna Moon's for energy. My play list is up-dated and my watch is fully charged. Now I have the agonizing time of waiting for the day to come. I have to taper my runs which I understand but its hard to try and cut back. Then the mental aspect. Its 26.2 miles of running, my longest run was 22 miles and that was a good run but I was a little sore the next day. What is another 4.2 miles going to do to my legs? Not to mention what is a flight home from Portland going to do to the legs. My main goal for this is to finish, to be able to walk/run across the finish line under my own power...I have seen many people have to be carried across and rushed to the EMT tent for help. I don't want to be one of those people. My other hurdle is trying to slow myself down at the start of the race. If I start out to fast I will be in trouble when the end comes. Racing is as much a mental game as a physical game for me. I will let you know how it goes.