A few years ago, DW gave me about 3 weeks notice that she wanted us to do the local Turkey Trot 5k that year. My goals were: finish, and run the whole time. In a misty rain, I did both, with DW finishing just a couple of minutes behind me. The joy of our embrace upon meeting in the chip return area was something I will always cherish. Thinking back, I was worried about many of those same things. And after that race, I thought about how there was no way I could run any further than 5k; something like a 1/2 marathon was totally out of the question. My RoadID has the phrase, "my race, my pace" on it. It reminds me that it is me, what my body is capable of doing that day, and the clock.
A long, long time ago, in a rifle range far, far away... I joined my high school rifle team. From there, I was lucky to find that my chosen college also had a rifle team. I've had the good fortune to make many friends and learn from many good mentors in my sport. From more than one person/coach, I heard this advice: visualize yourself succeeding. See yourself crossing the finish line (shooting 10's). Imagine how good that is going to feel. DW knows I've already been visualizing how it is going to feel this November, after we've finished, and the joy.
Are you doing the Hershey 10k? If so- I was on their site tonight, and the course map is lacking much detail. Look at the "spectator map". It has mile markers on it, as well as the locations of the water stops. Pre-race, I saw that the restrooms at the stadium will be open. You can also search "Hershey 10k review". I read a few last week, to see what others said about it in the past.
