If you want to follow along

The Umstead 100 is coming up on Saturday. To say the nerves are setting in doesn't really do it justice. They have a very cool tracking service. If you want to follow along, look for me as bib #97 and you can get text alerts every time I hit the headquarters timing mat to finish a lap and the halfway point aide station at, well, halfway through a lap. The course is 8 laps of 12.5 miles each, totaling 100 miles. So you should get 16 text messages about me. I don't get a copy of your number or even see who has signed up to follow me, and they delete all of the phone numbers the next day so it's totally safe.

Tomorrow I have a 5 mile easy run, it's the last item on the training plan. Now, in the taper, I have to trust in my training, watch what I'm eating, and get my mind ready.

I have to believe that I will finish.

I have to believe that I can stand the pain.

I have to trust that I did enough to prepare.

This is certainly not going to be easy. It still seems early in 2016, but this is the only goal race for the year. Time to step up and see what I'm made of.

My strategy is to talk a lot through the first 50 miles. Then my pacers kick in to keep me motivated. First I get to finally meet the awesome Jess from the 21 Day Habit for lap 5. Then one of the preachers' wives from our church is going out for lap 6. And Kelley's amazing husband Ryan (who recently thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail and hiked 2100 miles of the PCT last summer) is stepping up for the overnight laps 7 and 8. I'm planning to walk the entire lap 7 (5 hours) then pick up the pace a little again for lap 8. As long as the timing works out and everyone else gets there on time then it will only come down to my ability to stay on my feet.

After finishing 51 miles in January I wasn't sure I'd be able to drive myself home, and there was no way I could go back out for another lap. After 41 miles in February in Alabama I could have gone for a few more laps but really didn't feel like 59 more laps were in my legs. But this is when it counts. This is my home court. This is my backyard. This is my time to step up.

I will get beer after I'm done, but not inside of the state park.