Less than 3 weeks to go!

Today in 3 weeks it will all be over – ALREADY! As much as I’m looking forward to getting it over with, it’s also kind of sad. Time is just going by too fast. I first decided to do this half marathon in May and at that stage it seemed like this huge project and the date seemed ages away. And now it’s already almost here.

On Saturday I’m gonna do the last ‘long-run’ training session – 18km! After that I will be slowing down to make sure I’m fit on the day. It all just seems to be happening too fast. I’ve followed my training plan almost 100% and I think I’m able to do it but for some reason I don’t feel ready. And it’s not so much that I don’t feel ready for a 21.35km race, it’s more that I don’t feel ready to complete this challenge. I really like having this big challenge to work towards. It’s been very motivating and has always pushed me to go further when I felt like giving up. And yes, I have also changed a lot of other things over the last months. I’m eating much more healthy, I’m generally more active (going for walks and hiking on weekends, walking shorter distances instead of taking the car, etc) and the result (losing weight, looking better) have been very rewarding. But let’s face it, the reason why I manage to get up at 5.45am and go for a run or to the gym is because I know that if I don’t I will never be able to actually complete a half marathon. So I’m a bit worried that I might fall back into old habits once the half marathon is done.

I guess being aware of this is a first step in making sure it doesn’t happen. Maybe I need to find a new challenge afterwards. Doing something completely different or maybe keep training and aim to completely RUN (no walking) the half marathon next year. And if some of you are going to suggest a full marathon now, forget about it. There is only so much I can handle form a psychological perspective ;-)

Well, I think the best thing to do at this stage is to ‘enjoy’ the next three weeks as much as I can and fully concentrate on the event. At the end of the day completing a half marathon is a huge achievement for me and I want to make sure I actually enjoy it and appreciate it. I have taken the Monday after of work (actually I have ‘moved’ a NZ holiday. It’s Labor Day in NZ the week before the marathon which means I would have that day of work. But I asked my boss if I could just work on Labor Day and then take the Monday after off and he’s fine with that). I think it will be good to have a day to relax afterwards.

On a not so happy note, I found out that my flatmates won’t be able to come see me cross the finish line as they are all going to a movie marathon (=you watch movies for 24 hours in a row. Yes, apparently there are people that would do something like that ;-). It’s just a typical case of bad timing. I would have really loved to have them there as they are not only flatmates but also really good friends but what can you do. They have their own marathon challenge to tackle. I guess we’ll be a very tired flat that afternoon ;-)

OK, that’s it for now. Will let you know how the 18km on Saturday go.