Countdown to Ottawa

This time next week I will hopefully be finished my marathon in Ottawa.  I've been reflecting quite a bit on my training over the past few days.  I'm in my last week of my taper and not feeling quite as rested as I'd like to be, but I still have the next week to take it easy and hydrate.

I've told everyone who cares to listen that I'm not really concerned about my time.  I'm hoping to run it around the time that I finished Niagara Falls.  I do have more conditioning now compared to last fall so I should be able to run better, but the weather has recently improved.  The warmer weather is generally a good thing, but I'm used to running in weather that has been no warmer than 14 degrees with no humidity. 

The Ottawa Race weekend is a huge event.  Every hotel has sold out down town.  I love the city of Ottawa and am looking forward to visiting it.  Running around it for four hours?? Maybe not.  I have found in the past I don't spend much time looking at the scenery during races.  I'm usually focused on the runners around me or the road.  Maybe this time, I'll check out what's around me.  Don't expect pictures of the course, I won't be running with a camera or my phone.  I am not that coordinated.

I'm not experiencing my normal jumble of pre-race nerves - yet.  In the past, I would be dreading next Sunday.  In truth I really just want the whole thing to be over with.  Its an odd way to feel given the fact that I have basically been training for this race since the middle of December.  I think I'm just feeling tired from the training.  When I took my 10k clinic, Matt told our class my week 7 or 8 of the training you should feel as if you really can't do anymore.  I certainly felt that way at the end of this training.  Perhaps its because of my work requirements that I'm not feeling as well rested as normal.  Who knows.  There are so many factors that can effect your outcome when it comes to running.  But this race training program was the first time I actually had to have running be my third priority rather than my second.  Family - work - running not family - running - work.

I've been lucky as well to have some great running friends to do my training runs with.  Tracey and I had some soggy and beautiful early Saturday morning runs together.  I've had a few week day runs with Katherine and yesterday Rick and I ran the last few k of our Saturday morning run together and reflected a bit on our training.  That one of the greatest things about running with others, is the friendships you form while sweating profusely and breathing hard.  Sometimes things about yourself you didn't even realize about yourself come out in conversations.  These social runs are what I am looking forward to the most at the end this training.  That being said, I'm sure within a few weeks I'll be planning my next race, but then again the people I run with probably already know that.