Yesterday was a tough one. My dodgy left knee, which has miraculously barely troubled me during this marathon build-up, suddenly started hurting again. It was so sore on Tuesday evening that I had to take a load of painkillers just to get to sleep. Very worrying just a few days out from race day.
On top of that, I had a short run to do (8km), including just five short minutes at marathon pace… and it was hard! I’m aiming for about 4:10/km, which should feel easy by now, especially as it’s the end of the taper and theoretically I am well rested. But it wasn’t! So that was also a big concern.
Then there’s the weather forecast. Annoyingly, it’s looking really miserable for Sunday – all day rain. Not the absolute worst for running (very hot or very windy would be worse), but I am relying on a bit of atmosphere and support out on the course and if it’s chucking it down you get nothing (except guilt for making the poor marshals stand out there getting wet!).
Plus, I made the mistake of peeking at the list of entries for Montpellier. There’s prize money for the top five men and women over the line and, based on previous years’ results, I had allowed myself to fantasise that this could include me. Well, this year: no chance! There are at least ten women on the elite start, many with astronomical PBs and a couple hailing from Africa. So there’s that dream firmly crushed.
Before my previous marathons I vaguely remember feeling FULL of energy and absolutely raring to go at this stage (mind you, that was over ten years ago, so perhaps my memory is playing tricks on me). I’ve got a couple of days left, so fingers tightly crossed I can get some confidence back.
