5 Days And Counting...

I have been waiting for this weekend for awhile. Don't believe me?

My official countdown started 80 days ago...

It actually started way before that, but that is when I started to put it on paper to really focus to keep myself motivated. I am a visual person, so it helped. (Another trick I did is here.) Seeing the mileage go up gave me confidence and a sense of accomplishment. If I were to doubt myself, I just look at my training. 

People have been asking how I am feeling?
My mom was astonished when I talked to her on Sunday that I wasn't frazzled - both for the race and the planning, packing, etc. and I thought about this and figured out why...

Did the research.
There are a number of resources you can tap into to prepare yourself for any race: internet, blogs, friends, books, etc. Not only can you research the actual race, but on all the components that might affect you as well on race day: long distance nutrition, running in heat, running up hill, etc. Thankfully, Comrades has a great website and numerous fanatics, so information was not at a minimum. I have read articles, reached out to Comrades veterans, grilled friends on their ultra experiences, etc. to help gain some insight on how to make this a successful day for me. 

Did the training.
No matter what you are training for, there comes a time when no matter what you do from there to raceday, it's not going to matter. At this point, you need to sit back and trust your training.

Mentally ready.
To me, I have been thinking about this for the past 6-9 months, so I pretty much have it in my head what I want to do. I have thought about all the "what if"s and thought about how I would answer them.
I think that is an important thing for each athlete, to have in your head what you want to do and how you are going to do it. It's the unknowns that make me nervous and, in this case, I have eliminated a number of the unknowns and feel prepared to handle those that come my way.

Ready to take what the day gives me.
All the factors above make it really easy for me to roll with what the day gives me. I feel like I have done everything in my power to prepare myself and now it is just a matter of putting my body to the test and seeing what happens.

So here I sit. Ready to Roll.