OK Yall, I am running The Columbus Marathon this coming Sunday. It's gonna be slow, gonna be painful, but I will finish.

This race for me will server one purpose: To Finish.
I'm not worried about time, although I think it will be between 4:00 -4:30 time wise. I am slow as dirt. You would be too if you were 200 pounds. Although I have seen some heft flying down the trails before so go figure.
I just need that experience to rekindle what I had found 5 years ago.

It was just that 5 years ago, my friend asked me if I wanted to run The Columbus Marathon with her. I said no way; I have at most run 5k's and 5 mile races. She asked me what my longest distance was and I said 12 miles. She then looked at me and said, if you can run 17 miles, you can finish a Marathon.
So, that night, like a dumbass, I went to the gym with that goal in mind: "gotta get 17 miles in", picked out a treadmill, laid all my Gatorade, gels, and everything else I would need, and started running. I watched TV the whole time. The treadmills would only go up to a certain distance and shut down. I'd then restart it and back on my way down the treadbelt.
About 15 miles in, I noticed that burning sensation in my nipples, then I looked in the mirror and noticed a reddish streak running from my chest. My damn nipples were bleeding and killing me. Stupid cotton shirts. I was about 1/4 mile away from achieving 17 miles when they told me the gym was closing. WTF? Time flew by, and I told them, please let me finish this out. Sure enough, I did. I don't recall my time, but I did it.
Two days later I had a 5 gallon bucket of ice water soaking my legs 10 minutes on 10 minutes off -all because of shin splints. After that, I never had them again.

You would think tapering for a race would be easy. I am friggin about to go nuts.
I refrained from running on Sunday, although I was going to run a 5 k. I woke up late and that race never happened.

I might go out for a quick 3 mile run tomorrow.