Am I ready?

With just a week to go until the Eugene Marathon, I will bet there are a lot of people out there wondering.

Am I ready?

It is a valid question. If you've been training for months, and sticking to a schedule, then yes, you probably are ready. Is it enough? Is it ever enough? If, like me, you haven't been as dedicated as you'd liked to running, then you may have some self doubt.

Now, I'm doing the 5K, and could probably run that far without a lick of training if I had too. I'd just be sore and maybe even injured afterwards. But I don't want to just limp through. I'd like to enjoy the race. And I see it as a bridge to my triathlon at the end of May.

I think I'm physically ready, and after running 3k at the March of Dimes, March for Babies event on Saturday, I think I'm also mentally ready.

I'm also excited. I can't wait to see all the thousands of runners lined up, and all their friends and family cheering them on. It is very cool to feel a part of something.

I feel like a little bit of an imposter, because I'm only doing the 5k, but I know I shouldn't. Because I'm taking a step (actually a whole bunch of fast steps) towards a bigger goal. And maybe someday I'll tackle a half marathon.

At the very least, I hope by joining this race, I'll understand a little better why so many thousands of people spend hundreds of hours running and running, chasing a dream.

And I've still got a week of training, to make sure I'm ready.