I'm ready

Tomorrow's insanity: the San Francisco Marathon

I'm ready.

Since I began this insanity on March 28, I have:

• run 750 miles
• run 96% of the schedule from the book
  
• peaked at 55 miles in one week
• visited the track 6 times (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
  
• run 38 Mission Loops
• run 3 10K races (1, 2, 3)
  

• run in San Francisco
• run in Santa Clara
• run in Los Gatos
  
• run in San Fernando Valley
• run in Maui
• run in the Santa Ynez Valley

• learned to use a heart rate monitor
  
• estimated my Lactate Threshold
  
• learned to drink while running
• learned to eat while running
• determined which energy gels to use
• learned to crush a cup and drink from it
  

• dealt with injury
• iced my knees hundreds of times
  

• figured out which shorts to wear
• shopped for and selected a singlet to wear
• learned about Body Glide

• wrote 95 blog posts
• received over 40 comments
  
• asked a million questions
• run with 23 other runners
  
• received extensive advice
• read the book twice
  

• run the course:
• Embarcadero 17 times
  
• Fort Mason Hill 12 times
  
• Marina Green 11 times
• Crissy Field 10 times
• Golden Gate Bridge 2 times
• Lincoln Hill 2 times
• Route to the park 2 times
• JFK Drive countless times
• MLK Drive countless times
• Middle Drive countless times
  
• Transverse Drive countless times
• Stow Lake Loop 3 times
• Haight - Mission - Potrero - Dogpatch - Ballpark 2 times

• registered for the race
• worked out a goal
• created a pace chart
• created a pacing band
  

• broke in a new pair of shoes, putting 80 miles on them
  
• woke up before 6 am just about every day for three weeks
• drank lots and lots of water this week
• worked out a disposable water bottle and handle for the first part of the race
  
• carbo loaded

• slept in today
• spent much of the day on the couch
  
• went to the Race Expo with my brother (who is running too!)
  
• picked up my bib
• picked up my timing chip
• pinned my bib to my singlet
• attached the timing chip to my shoe
• set aside everything I need for the race
  

All that, and probably more. Much obsessiveness, much effort, and much preparation. I don't recall preparing this much for anything, really, so this is all I have to say:

I'm ready.