Today, I picked up my race packet at the Marathon Expo

The Honolulu Marathon countdown continues! We are now 3 days away from the big day, and it’s time to carbo load. I was only gonna do it for two days, but I still receive the Honolulu Marathon Clinic newsletters and there was mention of carbo loading from Thursday. Why not! One extra day of carbo loading isn’t gonna kill me. So, I might gain a few lbs, but it’ll help me stay fueled and hopefully, injury free.

This year, if I feel pain during the race, I’m going to stop. Last year, I pushed through the pain and ended up in physical therapy and on the bench until April as a chain of injuries resulted in my decision to continue while injured. I got a bone bruise during the run, which caused me to walk/run funny for the last 5 miles of marathon, and because I was putting my weight on the opposite leg, it brought on runner’s knee, which led to physical therapy and an additional hip injury which I got through following some weird advice I was given during PT.

So, rather than risk all that, I’m OK with throwing in the towel this year and dropping out. Of course, ideally, I hope to cross the finish line, grab my malasada and t-shirt and medal, and walk out of Kapiolani Park injury free and in 5 hours or less. *Fingers crossed*