5 days to go: 5 marathony things

1. Current weather forecast for Lowell, MA on October 18: High of 48, low of 37, with a few showers...um, that's quite a change from the "High of 60, partly cloudy" I saw 2 days ago! I mean, I know you can never trust weather forecasts that far out, but yikes!

2. Thanks in part to #1, I decided to just go ahead, give in, and buy a pair of arm warmers. I've been thinking about this for awhile actually, because I don't really want to wear a shirt under my singlet because something tells me I'll get warm and then be cranky that I had it on. But arm warmers...voila! If I want to take them off, they're off. I found an Asics pair for $7.95 online so I figure if I have to toss them for some reason, its no big loss...but I'd be totally cool with tucking them in my shorts and keeping them for the future. Plus...I think they just look cool. Whatever. :)

3. The less cool part of my day: I am starting to feel like I'm coming down with a cold, and this is NOT OKAY!!! I've been taking vitamin C and drinking water like it's my job because I absolutely refuse to get sick this close to race day. Uh uh.

4. You can tell your taper is working when you go out for a half hour run, trying really hard to go slow, and you run 7:45 pace and it feels like you just went for a walk....naughty! I am NOT allowed to run that fast on race day, unless it's at the END of the race!

5. 5 "power songs" that I'm going to keep in mind during the race...I'm not wearing an ipod because it's just not my thing to race with music, but these are some songs that I'm going to bring up on my mental cd player when times get tough:
-Don't Stop Believin' - Journey
It's like my power anthem of my life...how can I not? And if I hit a low point during the race, I just have to believe, believe, believe.
"Don't stop believin'...hold on to that feelin' [of how much you love running!]...!"
-Swim - Jack's Mannquin
I think the lyrics say it all...
I'm not giving in....
You've gotta swim
Swim in the dark
There's no shame in drifting
Feel the tide shifting and wait for the spark
You've gotta swim
Don't let yourself sink
Just find the horizon [finish line!], I promise you it's not as far as you think
-The Nom Nom Song
Because it will make me smile and make me think of my WTC girls!
-See You Again - Miley Cyrus
Because it's just...awesome. Can't even explain it, and I'm not ashamed. Plus, my favorite XC meet of all time is this weekend too, and last year hearing this song playing at the mile mark of that race made me laugh and spurred me on to a PR...it just makes me happy.
-What Would Brian Boitano Do?
Only if the going gets really tough....what would Brian Boitano do? I think he would BQ :)

5 DAYS UNTIL THE MARATHON!!!