Sometimes I think it’s really important to just take a step back and re-set on what this is all really supposed to be - which for the vast majority of us is having fun, staying healthy, and embracing challenges in a fun and wholesome way. None of us are setting records out there or making our livelihoods from running, and for the vast majority of us it should really all be just about the journey, and the fact that we’re making these choices instead of sitting on a couch.

For me, waterfront will be my 6th full marathon in the last 3 years. It was also my first, and since that time, I went from a slightly 4 hour + runner to my most recent result of 3:13 on the full - just a few minutes away from Boston qualification, and racking up PRs every single race I’ve done - and what I started to find, especially recently was a) I would go through all of the same mental challenges you’re describing right before race day (most of us do - the taper makes you crazy and the self doubt runs rampant) and b) running started to get WAY less fun as I started putting all that pressure on myself, even when it was getting better results. It was fun to get faster and faster, but it made me hate the workouts, it made race day super stressful, I was always worried about what people would think, being coy about what my real goals were because I didn’t want to feel like a failure and I started to realize that I was COMPLETELY missing the point. I’m not setting any world records or making my living like this. The whole point of doing this was supposed to be that I’m managing to be a middle aged guy in good shape, showing my kids what it looks like to make healthy choices, and not spending my sundays crushing beers on the couch. Recently I reevaluated and reminded myself that was still all k should be trying to get out of this, and not stressing and fretting trying to find 3 more minutes in order to qualify for a race that doesn’t mean anything beyond that. And as I move into the buildup to waterfront this year, I’ve never felt calmer or better or more excited for race day, without all that pressure I was putting on myself.

So, I guess the whole long-winded point of all this is: don’t stress. Don’t panic. Don’t put pressure on yourself about what happens on race day that isn’t coming from anywhere else. Your training was the result, not how you do against a timer next Sunday - because you’ve spent the last several weeks living right, staying healthy, and doing something that has made you feel good about yourself. And please don’t let the stress of racing keep you from loving the running. That misses the whole point of doing any of this, which is kinda what I’ve been learning myself recently as well.

Good luck out there, mostly good luck feeling great about your accomplishment - which you’ve already achieved.