The Count Down to Tink

We're in the final stretch. In just two weeks, my sister and I will be lining up for the Tinker Bell Half Marathon at Disneyland. After my failed attempt at my last half marathon, this will be the first time I go at the 13.1 miles.

I have been trying not to dwell on the race or psych myself out. Every time I start thinking about getting in the corrals or what it's going to feel like at mile 9, I make myself think about something else. Focusing on the things that I cannot change before the race is not productive for me at this point. Instead, I am hydrating, keeping track of how I feel, and stretching A TON. I am trying to get myself as limber and loose as possible.

I'm also trying to stay positive about my training up to this moment and the fact that "it is only a race," as the boyfriend likes to point out to me. He's a runner, too, so it's not like he is trying to downplay what it takes to tackle a half marathon. He is instead telling me that there are tons of things out there harder than a race and that I need to keep a level head.

After countless cross country races and track meets in middle school and high school, my mind has a standard operating procedure going into big events like these. It tends to make my breath come quicker, my mouth taste weird and my stomach reject anything that I put into it. But it is just my brain and I have been trying to combat it by shifting attention when it tries to psych me out. Tackling your brain and mental capacity is something that many long distance runners deal with. When you're out there on your own for mile after mile, there's nothing to keep you company except for your brain. Using your brain as a positive power instead of letting it have control over you is key and sometimes very hard to do. Here's hoping that I've trained it well enough.