I’m five days out from the NYC Marathon.  As you can imagine, it’s on my mind a lot right now.  My friend Michaela and I began tossing around the idea of running New York a few years ago, and after a couple of failed attempts (Then the Wheels Came Off) at meeting the qualification standard (the only way to guarantee that we would both be accepted into the race on the same year), I met the standard in Mississauga in May 2018.

This dream has been a long time coming.

Here’s what my physical journey has looked like since my training “officially” kicked off on June 20th, more than four months ago:

• 948km running
• 77 runs
• 13 one-on-one Pilates classes
• 11 hot yoga classes
• 10 Crossfit classes

I feel ready.  I don’t feel the “fear” that I often feel about an upcoming race.  I’m not scared of the challenge, I’m not afraid of the pain, I’m not worried about the event.  I AM EXCITED.  I am looking forward to soaking it all in and experiencing the famous roar of the 1 million spectators that line the route, the energy of Brooklyn, the deafening silence of the Queensboro Bridge, and the 5.5km of rolling hills in Central Park to finish.

If you want to follow along on Sunday morning, download the NYC Marathon app (iPhone or Android) and search “Ashley Worobec” in the athlete tracking section.  If you allow push notifications, it will alert you at checkpoints along the course as I progress through 42.2km of NYC streets.  My start time is 9:40am.

And above all, THANK YOU for your support thus far.  It takes a village, and you’ve all been a part of my village.