Ready to (White) Rock

When I look back on 2010, I will remember November as the month when I finally quit making excuses, got off my lazy butt, and back to running the way I should again.  I did 221 miles in November, most of it at a sub-8 pace, some at a sub-7. I really pushed myself with the cross training, regained my edge, and zeroed in on one goal - to smash my marathon PR at White Rock.

Make no mistake - this is no "training run" for Rocky Raccoon - this is a major goal race.  The marathon is this Sunday, and I'm ready, focused and determined.

I've checked a few weather forecasts, and the consensus for Dallas is a low of 38 and a high of 60.

I couldn't ask for better weather.

I've been good about tapering this week.  Tomorrow morning I'm going to do an easy 6-7 miles to stretch the legs out, and then rest up until Sunday.  I've carb loaded well (including the delicious creamy peanut butter chicken and pasta dish I made tonight), so there's no excuses.  I'm just going to go for it and leave it all out there.

And if I drive home on Sunday having crashed and burned, that's alright as long as I know I've given it everything.

That's where the mental side of things comes in.  I need to recapture that mental toughness to keeping pushing when it hurts.  I haven't had that kind of grit (or motivation) since I ran Little Rock back in March.

But I don't think I need to worry too much - I'm 100% into this race.  And as this is a solo trip for me, I'm going to have plenty of time the night before to get my head right and make peace with myself.

That's been a key feature of all my best races.

So the only question left is am I going to hold back early on and try to run a smart race, or just throw all caution to the wind and go for it from the start.

There's no question really.  When it comes to running goal races, I have the soul of a gambler.