Marathon Induced Insanity

Saucony Kinvara II's  My favorite running shoe on the market!

I don't think I have posted yet I decided to run another marathon.  I am now less than 24 hours away from the big race.  I am running the Top of Utah race in Logan, Utah.  The course passes within a mile of my parents home, so it seems like a bit of a hometown course for me.

The training this summer has been phenomenal.  I am running faster than I ever have in my life.  I ran a half marathon 4 weeks ago and beat my personal record (PR) by 9 minutes with a 1:26.  That is a 6:38 mile pace.

If you know me at all, you'll understand the intense emotions I have been feeling this week.   Really, it sometimes feels like self-induced insanity!  Training for a marathon is a huge investment of time.  All the stars must align on one day for things to work out and have the best race.  Weather, bowels, equipment, rest....

I have researched all the in's and out's of the course, weather, elevation, average mile splits....I try to leave no possible scenario unexplored.  On my long, hard runs, I've tried to latch onto that pain to push through to the end, and then the feeling at the finish.  I need moments to be able to visualize in my mind those last six miles.

The Ogden marathon was such a disaster for me, I am praying not to repeat.

My goal is 3:15 or under.  That is an aggressive 12 minute PR.  But all my training runs, and recent times suggest it is possible.  So tomorrow at 7 am MST wish me luck!