23 days left

According to the countdown clock I have on my laptop, we're now 23 days and about 17 hours away from the start of the Chicago Marathon. The closer it gets the more my excitement, and my anxiety, build. I'm not worried about a finish time--I haven't set a time goal for myself, which goes against my nature--but I worry about just finishing. I'm sure I'll feel better after my 20 miler this weekend (hey, did I mention I have one of those coming up? "Yes, Jim, only about a thousand times..."), but the fear is always there...what happens if I collide with someone, or if I have an asthma attack, or if I get dehydrated, or...

This is normal for me--I've had the same type of fear for every new distance. I got comfortable with 5Ks after running one or two, but facing my first 8K was terrifying. So was my first 10K, 10 miler, HM...you get the idea. I'll just have to keep reminding myself that I've trained, that I'm ready, and that I'll finish just fine.

I most likely won't get my shorter run in today--too much work stuff to do--but that's OK, as it's really the long runs that count in my book. I could use the stress relief, but no worries...I'll just do some stretching and deep breathing or something.

More later...