It's all SENSATIONAL from here!

Today I purchased my new shoes.  Love them!  Haven't actually run in them but the SENSATION as I slipped them on and walked around in them was far beyond what I have had for two years in my old shoes...God bless them.  It's kind of sad to let old shoes go.  After all they saw the birth of the athlete side of me.  They saw my first full mile and my first long run of 11.  They even rode with me on my 12 mile bike at my first TRI.  So, I sort of feel an urge to shrine them.  My new shoes have 8 weeks to do any breaking they need - and my feet have 8 weeks to heal from any affects of the breaking.  I think, maybe naively, that this wont be necessary.  I will let you know.

The second thing on my mind today is another SENSATION.  I'm not sure what the name for it is, but I'm pretty sure there must be an official lingo for it.  It's what I felt as I neared race day for my TRI, when I was swimming, biking and running and doing it like I actually could be in a race and not without someone laughing at me.  Its a feeling that I am sure everyone feels when they have now accomplished things they've never dreamed they would be able to do, when they reach those goals they set months ago with a lot of doubt.  Now they are actually doing it and doing it with some confidence and assurance they can do at least that much on race day!

I now have more hurdles behind me in physical endurance than before me...yes I know I still have the race to do, but the grueling day in day out training where every day is a challenge while I'm fully aware there is still so much more to accomplish is vanishing. For instance, I have only 2.1 more miles to add to my longest run.  That's nothing compared to being at 1 mile looking for 10 more.  Sure I expect to be experiencing a lot of challenges on race day (more like pain and discomfort and exhaustion) in those last few miles, but it's different.

It's different because along with this Sensation I have now is another Sensation.  It is a HIGH!
Yes, a high!   A race pre-race HIGH!   I'm experiencing the excitement of the anticipated thousands of new people running or doing their run all aroundme.  It's a high from finally being running at the location I've been picturing in my head and reading about in blogs by other runners.  It's the high of the thought of  picking up my race packet, walking around the EXPO, finding out my number, etc.  All my thoughts are starting to be more about the race than the training aspect!

Even today after getting my shoes I went right to the store and loaded up on energy snacks and vitamin drinks and perused everything available that I might consider to start eating and using on my training runs so I can decided what to actually use on race day.  The preparation of the actual race.

I guess that's it.  The training turns to race day.  Everything now is about race day.  The shoes, the socks, the shorts, the belt, the energy pops, the song list, the pre-race schedule, the bed time, the wake-up time, the travel to the start line.   All of it is now pointed there.  And it is just beyond exciting and thrilling and I can't wait.

This Sensation is such that I know I will have to do this again...and again.  I know that because I remember it from last time and now I am having it again and it's awesome!  What would I do with myself if I wasn't training or racing?

So the report now - is SENSATIONAL!