Calming Down and Gearing Up

Okay, so I feel MUCH better after today's run. Back in NY, with some of my Team for Kids ladies, on familiar terrain, on an unseasonably warm [read: 40 degree] sunny day, I found some sort of redemption over the embarrassment that has been winter running for me the past couple of weeks. I ran 20 miles and it went okay.

I feel okay.

From here on out, again, it's taper time! Last time I tapered I went a lil' nuts. We'll see what these next three weeks hold in store.

So what does taper mean exactly? Well, I ran my longest run of the training season (ahem this most RECENT season) today. This week I'll do several runs and cross-training sessions, culminating in 12-13 miles this weekend. Next week I'll do even less and run about 6 miles on the weekend. And then the third week I'll run hardly at all and be all healthy and such leading up to the big race.

Gradually slowing down. Calming down. Gettin' DOWN with my bad self.

While meanwhile gearing up. Or so one would hope.

Right now, weirdly, I'm having trouble getting truly keyed up about the race. Maybe it's because I've -- you know -- thought I was racing before. Self-preservation might prevent me from having the same advance GUSTO, as it were, beforehand. Or maybe it's that I just have so many other things to be excited for that weekend.

I'll be in Miami with friend-extraordinaire Betsy. My wonderful team-mates and friends Erica, Merri and Joss are also running as will be the lovely Miriam. Also in Miami will be a myriad of people running the half-marathon, which is the first part of the course (including new blog friends!)

[Side-bar on the Half and Full being together: I'm a little worried about how mentally I'm going to be when at mile 13 a bunch of people are like, "wheeeee I'm DONE!!!!" and I'm like, "Cool guys, I'm just gonna, like, do that whole thing again..." Not cool, Miami course. Not cool.]

Betsy and I are staying on South Beach and it's gonna be awesome. We're arriving Friday evening, I'm running (allegedly) on Sunday, and we get to stay through Tuesday evening. Just being straight baller the whole time (if I can walk, of course).

So, clearly, I'm excited.

Which is why, when I SHOULD be preparing and thinking about some things....I'm actually thinking about others. Let me demonstrate.

What I SHOULD be thinking about:

Versus what I am ACTUALLY thinking about:

Should consider:

In fact am considering:

Should focus on:

Am very really focused on:

I'm pumped, y'all. Real pumped. I'm proud of my teammates and of me and of all the other people who -- despite the 2012 NYC Marathons debacle -- ran other races in November and December and/or trained for ones in 2013. That's something to be proud of, despite whatever tsunami or terrorist invasion causes 2013 Miami to not happen.

I know I shouldn't kid, but c'mon.

As my friend Meghan said to me tonight, "What would the world be if MeriG wasn't training for a marathon!?" Seriously. And is that the type of world you want to live in? Ask yourself that.

But in the meantime, I'm going to spend some dedicated time thinking about how baller it is that my race is -- once again -- in three weeks and that the worst -- once again -- is over.  And I'll spend some time thinking about how -- ironically -- I'm not upset that this all happened again. Because somehow I think it was meant to be, because otherwise I wouldn't have this fun vacation coming up! And everything, they say, happens for a reason. That's what they say.

And, of course, THIS: