a g(n)u strategy

i set out for today's run with a new mindset. no more talk of, am i or am i not ready? no more of that. we are too close now.

i am ready. i will do it. i will rock this thing.

i began repeating that mantra around mile 2. i became more and more confident as i ticked off the miles. the mind is such a powerful thing, isn't it?

the next thing i thought about was how i'm going to celebrate at mile 20. i figure i'll raise my left fist in triumph and then pump my right fist a couple times as i celebrate the fact that i'm about to rip that 20-mile wall right to shreds. it must have taken me 3 or 4 miles to settle on that celebration dance, hehe.

there is no more room for doubt now. no room. mental toughness and confidence are my top two strategies as we head toward the starting line. i think i've always had pretty decent mental toughness. time to kick it up and put it into overdrive.

today's long run ended up being 20.3 miles in 3:25.

i practiced with taking in more gu than usual. get it, a gu strategy? + a new strategy w/the mental tougness and confidence? a gnu strategy? well, anyway. heh. maybe it sounded better in my head when i was mentally writing this entry over the course of my run.

instead of the usual pre-run banana w/gatorade, i had a gu (w/water) around 15-20 minutes before i arrived at my running spot.

then gu at:
1 hour 15 minutes, and also at 2:22.
i also cut back on gatorade and drank more water (because i decided to have more gu in lieu). the night before i bought a small 6oz water bottle and carried that in my left hand for the duration of my run. that was a great idea and big help for today's run. (yet, i won't need that on race day because there will be water every 2 miles.)

the gu strategy seemed to work ok. i will probably take in 4 gu at the marathon, 1 beforehand and 3 during the race (with the last one around 3:45).

i will be ready dudes, i AM ready. lets do this. only 2 more weeks of build-up. next saturday is 12, then 20 the following week, then taper. get out your mental toughness and put it to work dudes, its going to be one of our best ally's on race day.

in terms of the run today, i felt absolutely great through mile 9.5 (at which point i stopped at my car to refuel). i felt fatigued the last 5 miles and hit my little wall around mile 18. i'm a little sore but overall i'm very happy with the run!