After training for the past three and a half months, I can say that I am finally ready for the Boston Marathon tomorrow. In this time, I've run approximately 550 miles, burned approximately 77,000 calories, and ran in temperatures as low as - 2F degrees. I've come up with my running strategy in the past two weeks, and now all that's left is to execute it. I have three obstacles to overcome tomorrow, and if I can do so, I'll have a successful run. My first obstacle will be trying not to waste energy while running past the 22,000 people ahead of me. Second, I'll need my legs to cooperate with me for the entire race. I've always had problems with my leg muscles cramping up in my past marathons, making me slow down significantly in the last 6 miles. If I can keep from cramping up (specifically my right hamstring), I should not have a problem keeping pace aerobically. Finally, my last obstacle will be dealing with the unexpected events. My shoes coming untied, getting a blister on my toe, chaffing, tripping and falling, catching other peoples elbows, and the weather could all have an impact (either good or bad) on the race. The less number of times any of these happen, or the less severe they are, the better my chances are of running a good race.
I also wanted to say thank you to everyone who has donated to the Respite Center. This year 42 runners have pledged to raise money for the Respite Center, and their contributions alone have raised almost $100,000! So far, I've reached 91% of my fundraising goal. For those of you who were still planning to donate, there is still time. You can go to:
www.tom-running-blog.com.
Click on the donations tab, and instructions to donate will follow. Any and all donation amounts are really appreciated, and it would be great to be able to line up tomorrow with my goal of $3,000 raised.
Finally, if anyone is interested in following my progress during the race, please follow these instructions.
1. Go to: http://www.baa.org/BostonMarathon/Att-Athlete-Alert.asp
2. Click on the registration page link in the second bulleted paragraph.
3. Follow the instructions to receive either text messages or email alerts. To do so, you'll need the following information:
a. Bib number - 22684
b. My birth date - 03/21/1977
4. For people who sign up for text message alerts, you will have to confirm the message by sending a reply. Instructions will be included in the original text message.
Thank you again for following along in my journey to complete another Boston marathon, and helping the Michael Carter Lisnow Respite Center. I'll be sending out an update after the race to let you know how it went. Until then!
Tom
P.S. If you are in the area and are watching the marathon, I'll be starting the race at approximately 10:37 AM. I'll be running each mile at approximately a 7 minute mile pace. You can figure out what time you expect to see me based on where you are on the course. Otherwise, I'll be wearing a solid dark blue, sleeveless running shirt and black running shorts. If you keep an eye out for a pair of blinding white legs, you should have no problem finding me!
I also wanted to say thank you to everyone who has donated to the Respite Center. This year 42 runners have pledged to raise money for the Respite Center, and their contributions alone have raised almost $100,000! So far, I've reached 91% of my fundraising goal. For those of you who were still planning to donate, there is still time. You can go to:
www.tom-running-blog.com.
Click on the donations tab, and instructions to donate will follow. Any and all donation amounts are really appreciated, and it would be great to be able to line up tomorrow with my goal of $3,000 raised.
Finally, if anyone is interested in following my progress during the race, please follow these instructions.
1. Go to: http://www.baa.org/BostonMarathon/Att-Athlete-Alert.asp
2. Click on the registration page link in the second bulleted paragraph.
3. Follow the instructions to receive either text messages or email alerts. To do so, you'll need the following information:
a. Bib number - 22684
b. My birth date - 03/21/1977
4. For people who sign up for text message alerts, you will have to confirm the message by sending a reply. Instructions will be included in the original text message.
Thank you again for following along in my journey to complete another Boston marathon, and helping the Michael Carter Lisnow Respite Center. I'll be sending out an update after the race to let you know how it went. Until then!
Tom
P.S. If you are in the area and are watching the marathon, I'll be starting the race at approximately 10:37 AM. I'll be running each mile at approximately a 7 minute mile pace. You can figure out what time you expect to see me based on where you are on the course. Otherwise, I'll be wearing a solid dark blue, sleeveless running shirt and black running shorts. If you keep an eye out for a pair of blinding white legs, you should have no problem finding me!
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