One Week!

No, not the Barenaked Ladies song of the same title, although it does keep running through my head every time I think "one week".

I'm talking about The Corvallis Half Marathon, which takes place exactly one week from today. Yikes, one week. Seven days. One hundred sixty-eight hours (give or take). I'm ready. Well, I plan on telling myself that for the next week in the hopes that by the time it gets here I will actually believe it. Today I picked out my outfit. By picked out I mean I purchased it. I broke all the rules, and got a whole new outfit for the race. I have never done that before and I hope that it doesn't backfire on me and give some sort of bad juju for not having been part of the process all along.

Come to think of it, the one time I bought new socks for an event I had the worst blisters of my life. Well, that settles it, I'll wear old socks!

My chosen outfit is black stablix 3/4 length tights with periwinkle trim and a nice blue shirt. I selected blue because that is my favorite peep color and because it is the color of Dory from finding Nemo. Since my mantra (thanks Sean for helping me with it) is "Just keep Running. Hopefully it will bring me all the luck I need.

Hopefully I won't need any luck other than the luck necessary to keep my IT/knee in check. Because I really have worked my butt off for this event. I've faithfully attended track nights and long runs for the past 12 weeks. I've cut back on junk food and alcohol consumption and upped my use of arnica, frozen corn, foam rollers and the marathon stick. I tape my knee, I wear two IT band stabilizers and I look forward to my new compression tights. Yes, pain is my friend. But I feel strong. I've downed countless pouches of Hammer Gel, Gu, Energy by Power Bar, no caffeine, extra caffeine, in the quest for just the right balance to keep the body happy for 13.1 miles.

I had my last long run yesterday and it felt good. I worked out with Olivia after and I still felt pretty good. I got up this morning and I feel good. So I'm hopeful that this will go well and that I can be proud in exactly one week.

I'm so excited about actually crossing that finish line and having that medal placed around my neck. I have dreamed about it, I can see it in my mind's eye. It is beautiful, I am strong and I am proud.

Now if I can "just keep running....."