Pre-Race Gratitude

In approximately 65 (or so) hours, I'll be at the start line of the Lake Sonoma 50. I think it finally hit me on Monday...this is really happening!!!! And since Monday, I've been experiencing waves of panic, anxiety, fear, doubt, and, believe it or not, a mini, baby bit of excitement too. I've spent the better part of this week devouring last year's race reports and videos, reading blogs written by my competitors, staring at the course map/elevation profile, thinking about what I'll wear, mentally prepping for the pain, etc. At times, the on-and-off anxiety I'm experiencing over the 50-mile distance feels overwhelming. 

And to calm myself down, I circle back to the title of this post and remind myself how lucky and truly grateful I am to be running this race. I'm not injured. I have an amazing support system. I love trails. I love running. I love being around other people that love running. I'm just so darn happy when I'm outside and running!

Furthermore, I may never again find myself in such a lovely place in life with respect to running and racing. This sounds dramatic, and maybe it is. But you just don't know what tomorrow will bring. When I step up to the start line at 6:30am on Saturday, I will not be taking that for granted.

And finally, this is a race and I must compete! (Thanks to Travis for that reminder). I'm feeling the most anxiety over not knowing how I'll do. Not knowing where I'll fit in with the other runners. Not knowing roughly how fast I will cover the course. Not knowing at what point I'll start hurting. And what if I start hurting earlier than expected? The list of unknowns is endless. Really, all I need to do is finish this race and earn my 2 points for the CCC. But, I've put in the time and the training, and I owe it to myself to be in the mix and competitive with the other women.

Stay tuned for my post-race blog post. Here we go!!!!!!!!!