Irrational Fears?

5 days until the big day and I’m all kinds of nervous and excited at the same time. In the last few days day I have found thinking about things I’m afraid of happening before this mammoth event.

#1.  I will forget to pack my running shoes, shorts, bra and/or top. Any one of these items left behind would be disastrous on many levels. You can’t just slap on any old pair of sneakers and expect your feet to reward you with a blister free marathon. No my friend your feet want the shoes they know and love. Try a new pair on marathon day and you are likely to end up like this:



Same goes with the outfit. You need to test drive all garment choices pre-race. Failure to do so could result in chafing so badly you will be making deals with the devil himself to make the burning pain from the rivulets of sweat running over the raw, exposed skin go away.

#2.  I will get sick. Son #1’s girlfriend texted me this morning to tell me she had to be tested for strep throat this morning. What the heeeell?? Let the Lysol-ing begin, stat! I told her I love her but stay away from me. In addition two of my students are sick ( I only have 9). In first period one of the two students came in all snotty and sniffley after being absent yesterday. I handed him the hand santizer and asked him not to breathe or touch anything in the room until the bell rang at the end of class. Unreasonable you say? Well how about you try running for 26.2 miles with a clothes pin clipping your nose shut and a small hammer pounding away at your brain and see how you feel, mmmmkay? Running with a head cold is no joke and I’ve worked too hard this year to get to this place thank you very much.

#3.  Mother Nature will pull some crazy stunt and send Aunt Flow for an early visit. Sorry dudes I know you are cringing right now. But we’re all runners and body functions go with the territory, am I right? Anyway this isn’t the worst thing that can happen but it would be a game changer all the same.

#4.  What will I eat? We will be a couple hours from home in a city I am not familiar with. Should I bring my meals with me? Will there be a trusted chain restaurant where I can find a decent pre-race meal? The last thing I want is some dinner that wreaks havoc on my delicate gastrointestinal system. One of the golden rules of racing is do NOT try anything new during race week. Ever. Period. I have a friend that broke this rule the day before her first marathon and she tried an energy shot at the race expo. Guess what happened. That’s right she spent the night in her hotel bathroom hugging the porcelain. She also spent 6 ½ hours on the marathon course in agony. Lesson learned!

Also on my mind: Am I prepared enough? What if H gets sick of hearing my incessant talking? What if I fall down, again? What if I can’t sleep? What if my snoring keeps H awake?

Sheesh! Neurotic much?!