Running early before people are up and moving around, before the school buses hit the road to scoop up the kiddies. This was my last practice run today. The last run on my entire 18 week Training Schedule. The only other run…..is The RACE. W.O.W!!! When I started way back in December 2011 — 18 weeks seemed like an incredibly long time. My excel spreadsheet tacked to the message board in our kitchen was a bright white sheet of paper with ALOT of clean, clearly marked cells, containing miles brightly stamped within them in bold black ink. Now, that same sheet of paper has yellowed, is curling up in the corners, been folded a time or two, has a coffee cup stain on it, and every cell — Every Single One, is marked in one way or another. MOST, I am proud to say, have a check mark. The gorgeous check marks make me beam with pride — because those checks simply mean — DONE. Complete. Fini! A few cells, not many (Thank Goodness) are circled — which means I missed those runs, for some reason or another. Sickness, an early committment at work, or something IMPORTANT. Because this Half Marathon Training Schedule has been one of my top priorities for the past 4+ months. And today, I checked off the last training run. The only thing open right now is T.H.E. R.A.C.E.
Last night, I sat in the office and went through our family’s entire iTunes library. The job in front of me was …..to load up my Running iPod with fresh, motivating songs. There was only 1 rule on the table. While I was sitting there in our leather office chair, lights low, speakers nice and loud…..If the song didn’t make my feet move, it didn’t make the iPod. I went to bed last night with another check on my list. Music is all set for Sunday. Heading into the weekend with so many pieces of this puzzle coming together brings great satisfaction. I slept well last night.
Step after step this morning, the music was filling my ears, brain and soul. I was moving — last night’s work passed the test. Job Accomplished. Each of my 3 miles were well below 12:00 pace. My first was 11:00, my second was 11:30, my third was 11:37 (which included the up hill, so I was pleased). As I was practicing my “Race to the Finish” — a song came on that always makes me laugh. But today, it kinda felt like a Theme song. I’ve been thinking about all the other people who will be there on Sunday. Ok, reality check…..there are going to be ALOT of very fit people at this thing on Sunday. 13.1 miles is not for the faint of heart. And I think there are about 5200 runners. Yep — about 5000 Gazelles, and a handful of Wannabee Crashers! (Pssst, I’m in the second category, just in case ya didn’t know!)
So, I’m running, and my iPod starts playing Karmin’s Crash Your Party. And I start laughing….YAY! That’s right. I’m gonna show up on Sunday and Crash A Gazelle Party! BooYah!
If you don’t know the song — here’s the Chorus, which is the relevent part to the mental brain-tickling the song is doing for me today.
“I’m here to crash your party
You think you’re the star of the show
But I’m about to let you know
I’m here to crash your party
The bigger you are the harder you fall,
oh you had it all
Before I crashed your party”
Mom, before you start to worry too much — I haven’t lost my mind. This is just part of the mental “pumping up” process, so I don’t melt into a puddle right there on the sidewalk in front of Sonny Werblin Rec Center.
But back to the song. Check it out on You Tube — Karmin, Crash Your Party — good beat, lots of humor, and a little bit of revenge. It made the feet move, so it made the iPod, and it’ll be in the lineup of Race-Day songs that carry me from mile to mile. It made me think back to the 5K last October, when the race started, and all the Gazelles took off and I felt like I was moving in slow motion. LOL, Uh, pssst Diane, get ready to feel that feeling AGAIN! Yea, I’m ready for it this time. In fact, I plan to wave goodbye to them, so they can be out of my line of vision, so I can buckle down and get into my own mind, and run a normal Sunday Long Run (by Diane, for Diane)….nothing more, but d@mn well…nothing LESS!
I’ll be running My miles, at My pace, because it’s My race, for My reasons. All those Gazelles….they just happen to be there to witness it. Oh, and Gazelles….save a banana for me at the Finish Line, cuz…..I’m Here to Crash Your Party!!
Ciao for now……Diane