Pre-Marathon Jitters

Well folks, it's here - on Sunday at 7am I run my first (and maybe my last) 26.2 and I couldn't be more excited/nervous/anxious.

Take a minute to watch this video that Brooke sent me when I first signed up long ago in January!

I have my final race instructions email, I am picking up my race packet this afternoon (on the way to the Portland Greek Festival), I have my outfit picked out, my breakfast planned and I'm weighing my transportation options to and from the bustling event. You can nap while I'm running, Dan! 

This week I had a great chat with a fellow first time marathoner and we discussed a few of our pre-marathon concerns and how we planned to tackle them. Overall, it came down to the fact that we've done the training runs, we know what "the wall" feels like and we are coming equipped with some awesome music to help us on our way and keep our minds off of the pain.

The debate is still out on whether I'd like to carry gels. I haven't used anything in my training so I don't know if I should experiment with them.

What you should know about the Portland Marathon:

Weather - 10/7/2012

The day will be gorgeous with a low of 39 and a high of 75!

Detailed Map of the Course

Here's a detailed course map of the 26.2 and also on that page is the half marathon.

Pacers

I didn't know such a thing existed, but the Portland Marathon provides Team Red Lizard as Pacers that you can follow to keep yourself in check with your time goals. My true goal is just to finish, but I'd love to be between 4:10 and 4:40! Not trying to qualify for Boston or anything! :)

Aid Stations

There are nineteen aid stations along the route! Considering I never even had water on my runs I will be happy to see water, gummy bears and even pretzels in several locations! I will not make the mistake of bypassing early water stations - it will be crucial to hydrate!

Follow Me

My Bib number  is 923, so check in on me on Sunday to see how I'm doing!

Doing it for the T-Shirt

All Marathon finishers receive a long-sleeved performance shirt, custom-manufactured for the Portland Marathon. Awesome!

Post Race Food Fest

Apparently there's a big tent with food for participants after the race - if I'm not feeling sick from the gummy bear sustenance you can bet I'll be grabbing some carbs and protein!

WISH ME LUCK! I'll be ecstatic to be done and free to run my 100 miles a month again without long and slow distance runs.

<3 JE