Day 4,530—3 Runs until the Run Rabbit Run 100 and More Thoughts about Elevation Training and do People Who Make Negative Comments about Runners Know they Don’t Have to?—

 

Start time: 4:34 a.m.

Weather: Mid 60s wind 6.3  mi/h, Humidity 72%

    

       My elevation mask didn’t bother me enough to make me wonder if it was working correctly. I kept moving it higher on my face to get the seal right. Near the end of this run, I turned it to the hardest setting, but it didn’t make much difference. Only 2 more runs in St. Louis! And only three more runs until the race! Even though I have been thinking about it every day this week and have been completing chores every day in preparation, it still doesn’t feel real to me. I keep thinking something is going to happen to keep it from working out, but that’s how I usually feel before races; this one has extra complicated circumstances.

        I checked the weather in Steamboat Springs this morning, and it looks like it will be between 40 and 60 degrees, with a 50 percent chance of rain both days. I keep thinking about the 1 p.m. start, which is so late, so I should try to stay up late on Thursday. I hadn’t planned on starting late on Thursday morning, but maybe I should start slightly later than originally planned; that’s all to be decided later. I only have two days left to pack!

        Yesterday, a friend sent me a screenshot from a social media post that said, “Do people who run marathons know they don’t have to [?].” It isn’t the first time I have heard this comment, but what is frustrating is how obvious the insecurity and jealousy of the post's author are. Why on earth do people feel like they need to make fun of people for trying something? It reminds me of my conversation with people over the years about homophobia. I ask them if they have an opinion on cricket. When they ask me what that is. I say, “Exactly, why would you have an opinion on a subject that you don’t participate in and know nothing about?”