I Got a Fever! And the Only Prescription…
Finally!
I’ve been waiting for next weekend for a while now, and it’s finally less than a week away. Next weekend, I’ll be flying out to Kansas City for the wedding of my wife’s best friend, and to run my next marathon!
I’m excited for the bride and groom, but let’s be serious–I’ve got a terrible case of race fever!
While it’s been just over a month since I ran the Aching Quad series, and I did run the Watermelon series this summer, I haven’t run a long race since February. A long summer of long runs in the Florida heat has gotten old, but I’m finally ready for the payoff!
The Race
I’ll be running my Missouri race at the Larry Mattonen Marathon, which is part of the Blue Springs 50/50 race weekend. The races consist of a 50-miler, a 50k, the marathon, and a half. All races are run on the same trail as an out and back, obviously with 4 different turn around points. According to the limited information I was able to find online, the trail is almost perfectly flat with no real terrain issues. The race director even told me that it’s the easiest marathon in the country.
Not sure there is such a thing as an easy marathon, though.
One of the real perks to me is that the Larry Mattonen Marathon is a small race, the marathon is actually capped at 40 runners! After running the Kiawah Island Marathon last year, I have developed a real fondness for small races. But only 40 runners is tiny! Of course, there will be halfers and crazy people (50k/50-milers) also on the course, so there will still be some fellow runners to keep me company without the course feeling crowded.
I can’t wait!
A Little Nervous
I’m starting to feel a little nervous as the race draws closer. I don’t think my nerves are as much about the race as they are about the setting, though. You see, I’ve never flown to a race before, I’ve never run a trail race before, and I’ve never been in a time crunch to finish the race in order to make my flight home before. So there are a lot of firsts to deal with for this race, hence the nerves.
And I’ve still got a few things that I need to do before I catch my flight on Friday.
- Pack–Long sleeves or short? Socks. Shoes. Wedding cloths. No real worries here, unless of course my bag gets lost!
- Playlist–Gotta get the iPod loaded up. I’m thinking I’m going to go with a college years soundtrack. There will be an excess of rap music, 80’s hits, and Weezer.
- Runs This Week–Not sure how much running I should be doing, but I know if I just sit idly I’ll go stir crazy. The Pack is starting their taper for the Red Ribbon half, but I’m not sure if I can run with them without overdoing it. I may give it a try on Tuesday, but I probably better run by myself on Thursday.
The To-Do list items just need to be done, but I’m not really that nervous about any of them. The nerves stem from the race day issues of finishing the race and getting to the airport on time. And making sure I’m re-hydrated enough to not have any in-flight cramping issues.
Once I make it home next week, I’ll have two weeks to recover before I run the Red Ribbon Half and Wine and Dine Half on November 9th. So while I’m dealing with race fever right now, I may be dealing with race-itis in 3 weeks!
Have You Ever Flown to a Race/Got on Plane a Few Hours After a Race? Any Tips, Hints, or Other Advice for This Race Traveling Newbie Would Be Appreciated!
Sounds like you’ve got some great racing ahead. Enjoy!
I’m really looking forward to these next couple of weekends. Can’t beat that finish line feeling!
Very true. I have three more races before completing 2013. 10/27, 11/3 and 11/17.
Are all of your remaining races this year local, or are you traveling for any of them?
Two are local. One in Wake Forest. One in Raleigh. Last one I am traveling to in Las Vegas.
That’s awesome. I can’t wait to see a bunch of fun places around the country as I keep running races in different states. Really looking forward to New England, Pacific Northwest, and Rocky Mtn states.