My First Running Nightmare

Last night was crazy. I had my very first (and hopefully last) nightmare about my upcoming half marathon.

I’ve been feeling really anxious about next weekend. It seemed like May 4th was so far away and all of a sudden – BAM – it’s right around the corner. I think my two main fears about race day are:

1. Not finishing in the allotted time of 3 hours 30 minutes.

2. Injuring myself during the race and not finishing.

To sum it up, I’m nervous about not finishing. I can confirm this based on my dream (or nightmare) that I experienced last night.

I was rocking my race and actually passing people. I don’t remember walking at all. I was running the entire time and feeling good. Then, for some reason that only my subconscious knows, I had to leave the race around mile 7 and go home. Huh? Really?  Suddenly I was home and realized that I needed to get back to the point in the race where I left so that I could finish within the time requirement.

Streets were closed and traffic was at a standstill. I had to get back to mile marker 7 but I couldn’t get there. I was looking at the clock and wanted to cry because I knew I wouldn’t be able to run another six miles, since I only had another hour left to complete the race (Note: I’m a slow runner that averages about 13 minutes per mile). At this point I realized that it was no use and I wouldn’t be able to finish. That’s when I woke up.

As my heart was pounding and panic was setting in, I realized that it was all an evil REM sleep joke and I could finally exhale. Although I’ve had much more bizarre dreams, this one felt really  real. I’m a natural worrier and this nightmare was a true reflection of that.

While I know that it’s okay to be nervous, I realize that I need to try to find some ways to relax for the next week and a half or else things might get really ugly in dream land.

You might also like:

• Ten Miles Strong
• My Half Marathon Training Plan
• The Words We Speak
• 8k Race Jitters

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