If Hal Higdon is my Mr. Miyagi, I guess that means I’m ready. For the past 13 weeks, I’ve been in full-on marathon training mode, and today I pounded away the final two of 350+ miles worth of training runs. (Math nerd alert: That means I’ve spent a bit more than two of the past 91 days with my sneaks on the trail. Wowza.)
The Kansas City Marathon is this Saturday. I’ve done three half-marathons since I started running seriously about a year ago, but this is my first full, so needless to say I’m pretty pumped. And excited. And nervous.
Because all of the important things in my life have been subject to my list-y-ness at one point or another, I figured the marathon should be no different. So here’s a rundown (bahaha!) of what I’m checking before heading out the door on race day:
• My trusty sneaks: I’m now on my second now pair of Asics Gel-Nimbus running shoes, which have been delightfully cushy for my high arched footsies. Unfortunately, I’ve worn a hole in the back of the second pair, and the cushiness isn’t as cushy as it was fresh from the box. Jared’s been trying to get me to buy a new pair for weeks now, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. Along with my chatty nature and glass-half-full optimism, I’ve inherited from my mom a heart for the inanimate objects in my life. These poor old sneakers have carried me through the entire training season. They deserve to cross the finish line, right?
• Wicking gear: I never realized how important this was until my mileage started increasing. Being sweaty is gross. I’ll take all the help I can get.
• Nano full of jams: I’m in the process of putting together a playlist for the race, but I think I’m settling on the following: a few podcasts of This American Life (because it’s long and lovely), a few of Stuff You Should Know (so I can end the run a little smarter than I started) and one round of The Creative Penn (to inspire those writerly thoughts). Then I’ll end with a happy dose of Christmas tunes (because heading into mile 25 with [jingle] bells on sounds pretty good to me).
Let the countdown begin: one day, 12 hours and 42 minutes. Eek!
XO,
Katrina
Good luck Katrina. You will do great!
Thanks, Matt!