Moment of Truth

So here it is, Friday night, and doing what I would normally do when there is a hockey game on... sit on the computer and obsess about running. However, today I have a good reason to obsess, as I am running the Birch Bay 30km in the morning.

I have to admit that I am a little nervous about this race. I`ve never done a race of this distance before, and it feels a little foreign to be honest. It`s not like the standard half marathon, and definitely not a full. But I think where the nervous hints of trepidation lies, is that I am treating this as my MOMENT OF TRUTH run.

I had a few friends suggest to me to do this run as my last long run before Boston as a benchmark for what I should aim for as a pace for Boston. Really when you think about it, when training for a race, you have a fairly good idea of what pace to do, but there still is the question mark of whether you are as trained as you think you are.

This bit of anxiety stems from my February. I had a rockin race at the First Half half marathon, and achieved a new PB- 1:43:42. I am quite happy with how that came together. However, immediately following, I came down with a seriously nasty cold that lasted for two solid weeks. And once I decided I was well enough (loosely put), I ran 32km in the big snowfall last week. (Okay, so I decided to be completely stubborn and stupid, it happens!). Running in the snow in North Van & West Van was great, there were no issues, and due to padded district budgets, there was heaps of snow removed and salt = no snow on the roads. However, bliss came to an end when I encountered slush at Dundarave, which became a test of balance for about 5km. Needless to say, I finished my run in more of a clamshell position due to the hip flexors packing it in. So my February dampened my confidence and instilled the speck of fear for tomorrow. ´(Like my long story short.)

I am looking forward to getting out to Birch Bay again. After all, it`s where I first qualifed for Boston, and the views were spectacular out there, looking to the North Shore mountains. Following the race, we will do a bit of shopping before heading home to relax.

On a separate note, we are confirmed for our glam hotel in Boston. We are staying at the Ames Hotel, which will be a 1-mile stagger from the finish line. I am really starting to get excited about our upcoming trip and doing the race. Yay! Did I mention it is now only 23 days away...