For some reason this week as the marathon grows closer, I have gotten a little nervous. I know running 26 miles is a daunting challenge for any runner. I have run more than a dozen marathons, including at least 8 or so in Chicago. What's strange about the little pangs of anxiety is that I'm not even running here this year.
Maybe I've run Chicago so many times it's programmed into my system. More likely it's because I've trained all summer with runners who are running this weekend. The race I'm training for, the New York marathon, is still three weeks away. But Chicago is my home, and where my marathon loyalty will always be.
So I expect I'll have the same anxiety in a couple weeks before my race, just like those of you actually running this weekend are feeling now. Meantime, the race always affords me an opportunity to talk to some of the world class runners who come to town either to run or 
watch.
The pre-race news conference featured a couple of the best women marathoners in the world. Deena Kastor is the top American runner. She just got a cast off her foot from an injury she suffered in the Olympic marathon. She's not sure about her plans for the future right now, but I'm sure she'll be back on the scene soon. Constantina Tomescu-Dita won the 
gold medal in the Olympic marathon, but is jumping right back into a major competition. She told me she recovered quickly, and is hoping to run between 2:22-2:24. At 38 years old, she is absolutely amazing! Good luck to her.
I also talked to a couple of amazing runners who are not marathoners. One of them, Alan Webb, is one of the best milers in the country. He broke Jim Ryan's legendary mile record by running 3:54 for the mile in High School. He owns the American record in the mile now with a 3:46. I probably seemed a crazy fan when I interviewed him, probably because I am. I witnessed a race he ran a couple years ago at my alma mater, Drake. He broke Steve Scott's longstanding stadium record at the Drake Relays in one of the most exciting 
races I have witnessed. Nike brought him to Chicago, along with a number of other past and present Olympians, as part of their sponsorship of the Bank of America marathon. If you would like to see the full interview, here is the link: http://abclocal.go.com/wls/video?id=6442158
I will post the interview with Olympic 400 meter champ LaShawn Merritt sometime in the next week or so. But let me leave you with a thought he and the other athletes talked about quite a bit. Confidence. On the eve of such an ambitious endeavor like the Chicago Marathon, it is important to believe in yourself. You have done the training, and put in the work. You are physically capable of succeeding in the race. The mental aspect, however, is equally important. That's where confidence comes in.
I wrote about being nervous at the beginning of this entry. That's natural. But the way to calm your nerves, is to remind yourself that you are physically ready for this challenge. You might feel every little ache amplified right now, but that will go away when the starting horn goes off. Remember all you have done to get to this point. You are ready, and you can do it.
Now go out and run a race that will make you and yours proud! Good luck!
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