race ready

The London Marathon is less than twelve hours away. I feel well prepared, though certainly not optimally so. I've trained with verve and dedication, and I've eaten tons of pasta over the last three days. All is ready.

I took the kit out a while ago, to be ready tomorrow morning. Once again I'm struck by what a low-key operation running is. It doesn't take much. There is almost no technical equipment, nothing that can break. Shoes wear out after a year or two but the rest is practically eternal.

Here is all I need, spiraling clockwise:

• My number starts with a three. I hope my finish time won't.
  
• I'm wearing the same shorts and vest as last year and as the year before. How anyone would set out without a full zipper is beyond me.
  
• Compression socks rule! Your grandma wears them because they fight varicose veins. I love them because they keep shin splints in check and my calves from flopping all over the place.
• The same shoes that caused my feet great suffering last year, but they have improved since – and are 60 grams lighter than the ones I bought earlier this year.
• A watch for split times. I know my body well enough not to need a heart rate monitor.
• A Livestrong wristband won't make me faster but might remind me in the toughest part that there is such a thing as iron will, which I will then deplore not having.
• The chip, tied to the laces of the right shoe, will time my race.
• Three Clif Shots to boost my effort. The last one has caffeine.
• The kit bag will hold all the stuff I'm not taking on the race, like warm clothes and a water bottle, while it's shuttled to the finish area.
• Lucozade gave me a pace band. I must finish each mile in 6:52.