Good, Great, Awesome

I hope those of you in STL or any of the storm ravaged areas tonight are safe and sound.  I love a good thunderstorm, but I'm getting a little annoyed by the tornado sirens.  Our day started at 5:30 with the sound of rain battering the window and the sirens going off and our day concluded in much the same way with two more rounds of the sirens.  Luckily, the damage in the metro area appears to be minimal at this point.

I have come across so many great articles this week; I'm not sure if it is because in my pre-race mentality, I am noticing more articles than I typically do or if I am subconsciously seeking them out.  Or maybe a combination of both.  In any case, the article I came across today is from Runner's World and the focus is dealing with pre-race jitters, which is very fitting.

There are several great tips in the article (apologies to any of my family and friends if I've unintentionally "unleashed the crazy") but my favorite is about setting multiple goals, including a goal that is not time related.  One of the coaches in the article, Jeff Gaudette, encourages his runners to set a "good," "great," and "awesome" goal to ensure that even if the day turns out to not be awesome, it is still a great or good day.  I love this idea and set my own "good," "great," and "awesome" goals.

• GOOD: Cross the finish line.  I have been planning to do this race for a year and have worked hard the past few months (during what has turned out to be the worst winter in decades) to participate in this day.  Crossing the finish line is something I never thought I could do and it will be a huge accomplishment. 

• GREAT:  A great race to me would be if I could run the entire race, save for a few water stops.  It is really hard for me to drink out of those paper cups and run, so I plan to stop at each water station for a few seconds to hydrate.  Other than that, I would love to run the whole race.  I know I can. 

• AWESOME:  My absolutely perfect race would be if I could finish the race in 2:45, which would roughly equate to a 12:30 mile.  

Tomorrow, I am going to go down to the Race expo with my friend, Mary, so we can pick up our packets and I am really looking forward to that.  Here's to a less rainy day, though, tomorrow!  Or at least a less tornado filled day! 

"You have to want it, you have to plan for it, you have to fit it into a busy day, you have to be mentally tough, you have to use others to help you.  The hard part isn't getting your body in shape. The hard part is getting your mind in shape."