The day approaches rapidly, race numbers have been assigned - 2021 here. What seemed like such a distant date is now just over a week away. Questions plague my consciousness. Am I sufficiently prepared? Will I be able to conquer another swim? Will heat be the solution? Will crossing that finish line be enough? I suppose all of the answers to those questions lie in the 11, 12, 17?!?! hour day next Sunday.
My brother will be on the ground to support me. I'm not sure he knows what he is getting himself into! It will be fantastic for me though - as post race there is still so much to do and you are so physically wasted. (Plus someone has to make sure I find a big ol' steak to replenish the 5000 calories I will have expended!) He gets a vacation in the warm, Arizona sun - complete with an entire campus of co-eds.
I spoke with a friend this evening. Someone I haven't conversed with in several months. The first question he asked was if I was ready for my race. I gave him the same reply I have made to everyone this week: yes and no.
Yes, I am ready to be done training, to be done rearranging my life to shoe horn in relaxation time and mostly done with thrashing my body. For some reason this particular training session has been really hard on me...and no it's not my age! ;) It will be wonderful to just go out with my friends and let loose. (AK - we are going to have to figure out a new DD system!)
No, I am not ready as I know now that my original time goal will be out of reach. Coming down with a cold/virus for 9 days 4 weeks out from the race was less than optimal. I now have to reconcile myself with finishing rather than competing. Even finishing is going to require more mental strength than normally would be the case.
Everything is different from what I imagined 1 year ago when I volunteered at the 2007 race in order to register. I am in a new state, a new house, a new job, a new life... I had 365 days to train for this goal and now only 11 of those remain. In between came cancer, a test of my mental tenacity and a chance to start over. I will draw heavily on what was learned from those experiences as I cover the 140.6 miles. You just never know who will come out the other side...
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5 comments:
Emily, go do what you trained to do and it will all workout the way it's supposed to. Know that I'll be cheering for you from Denver!
We've got your back on the home front--April and I will be watching your progress online with bated breath. And I'll be DD for once so you can celebrate properly when you get back!
Karen
Emily,
It is not a matter of if you can...I know you can do it. I have seen you train and maybe even helped you train a little bit : ) so I know you can do it. And I am sure we can find an Outback that will more than suffice replenishing those calories burnt!!!
although success is written all over you, no matter what happens, you have friends and family that are SO PROUD of you and everything you accomplish. THREE CHEERS FOR EMILY HATCH!
You go Em!! You can do this. You are a tenacious lady. And I have no doubt you will do well. By just standing at the starting line you are beating most. So go and conquer just a step, a lap, a mile at a time. Here's a loud YOU GO GIRL from Chicago.
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