2 days out for M2M

Sometimes you hit the last few days before a marathon and everything feels great and sometimes you feel lousy. When I have felt great leading up to the race, they usually turn out ok but not always. On the other hand when I have felt lousy leading up to a race they usually turn out to be a struggle.

So 2 days ahead of Marathon 2 Marathon, how do I feel, well, lousy describes it well. I feel completely worn out, so either I am getting sick or I am just worn down and a good nights sleep will give me the renewal I need. The forecast is still for sun and mid 80's so it's not going to be a perfect weather day.

What will I do if I still don't feel well tomorrow, good question. Common sense would say abort, do a long run for Afton if I feel better by Sunday. That said, common sense and I seldom get along, so my guess is unless I feel real bad tomorrow, it will be Iowa here we come.

I have a lot of running goals to accomplish over the next 10 years of my life including run 50 states, run a 50 miler, a 100 miler, break 4 hours in a marathon, run Chippewa every year and avoid running injuries. Ok, the last one is probably going to be the hardest to accomplish but the rest are doable. After I get Iowa complete, I will be at 6 states with 2 more marathons (and states) getting done in August. If I can click off two more in the fall, I will make it to 10 states this year. That will leave 40 states over 9 years, so I will need to maintain 4-5 a year. I think the goal is going to be hard not because of the races but the cost. With gas at $4 and after this year most of the close states (within 6-8 hours) all complete, it will take a lot of planning and budgeting to get the rest. Along with the fact that I want to try a 50 miler either this fall or next spring. I think I will need to fine tune my plan. So what to do, well, for the moment I think I will simply focus on the summer events and the fall will take care of itself as will next spring.

So do I think I can get through Iowa, yes, after all it's only 26 miles and I am only about 25-30 pounds over my once normal running weight (ok, 10 years and a couple of knee surgeries back). The way I see it, 5 hours in the Iowa sun will help me lose a pound or two, set me up for the Afton 50k and get the state of Iowa done. If I do need to abort, it won't be the end of the world, it could give my knees a break, my body a break, but I don't think I will. Stay tuned...........