Those three words, “Are You Ready?” have been asked of me more times in the last week I think then I have heard in my life. It brings up an important point, are we ever truly ready. Are we ever truly as prepared as we can be.
 

I think from the pee wee leagues up to the olympics this question is asked. The answer it seems is much harder than the question. In response to all the questions about am I ready, I guess I should say all the things I have done to prepare and ready myself. I have trained, overtrained and come back to a healthy balance. I have prepped, yes prepped to the point I have a written up plan for race day. I have packed all the clothing needed, prepared all the gear, checked and double checked it all. I have all the nutrition I need. My body for the last couple of months has been an experiment of one, testing drinks, foods, powders. I have put it through all sort of stresses physically and mentally.
 

However as many of the variables that I have prepared for their are always the set of unknowns. I don’t know the course, don’t know all the obstacles, don’t know what the weather will do half way through the race. I cannot control who my competition will be when I show up and toe the line. This race has never been run therefore their is no data to draw off of, no past course records to try to chase down. It’s just a set of unknowns.
 

No one knows how this race will play out, not even the organizers. This is part of what makes it exciting to say I was one of the first. That I tried something that had never been done before. So am I ready, well really the answer is as much yes as you can be. Yes, mentally I am calm and ready to race, yes I have all the equipment, gear and nutrition I need, and yes the known is well not as scary as it has been in the past. I have no clue how the next couple of days will unfold, now it’s time to put the notes together and hear what time of song comes out on the other end.