With race day only a day and half away, there is at this point nothing more you can really do to prepare yourself, except get some proper rest. With the work you have put in, you deserve it and will want to be fresh come Saturday morning. Take a few moments over the next day or so and take a look back and appreciate what you have done. Many of you committed early to the Bellin Run and no doubt that commitment helped fuel your training.
After you are done appreciating how far you have come, put that in the memory bank for safe keeping. But then I want to look at where you are when you cross that finish line and realize that this is now the new you. Looking beyond the Bellin Run, what can you do to either maintain who you are and your fitness level, or even better yet, improve it? When you signed up for the Bellin Run, you started on a journey. It was a decision to add, continue, or enhance the physical activity in your life. More than once we have told you that the actual race is just icing on the cake, the reward is the journey. It sounds so cliché but I really believe it. You can go out there on race morning, having not put in a single training mile, and somehow get through the finish, but what has that got you; A t-shirt. I say that in jest and I say that in all seriousness as well. If the goal is about getting healthier and my fit, then one day of activity is not going to make any difference. It’s what you do the day after, the week after, and the year after, etc. So if you haven’t had the best training season this year, or you have been struggling, that is ok. Then think of this year’s Bellin as a jumping off point and keep trekking on the journey. Find another race to sign up for, or even a different activity all together, just don’t stop.
"You also need to look back, not just at the people who are running behind you but especially at those who don't run and never will... those who run but don't race...those who started training for a race but didn't carry through...those who got to the starting line but didn't to the finish line...those who once raced better than you but no longer run at all. You're still here. Take pride in wherever you finish. Look at all the people you've outlasted."
- Joe Henderson
