D Minus 22

It's only 22 days to the big one. If you take away 14 days for marathon tapering, you have only 8 more days of actual productive work. The total runners have already exceeded last year's by 3,000, crossing the 10,000 threshold. It's a realistic time then to do the following:

1) Re-assess your training
Has it been largely going according to plan? Have you managed the long runs well?

2) Re-adjust your race goals
Depending on how well you've achieved your training goals, re-adjust your race goals upwards or downwards. The key here is be realistic and honest with yourself. If in doubt, better to be conservative than be aggressive with your projection.

3) Re-affirm your self-belief
Whether your training is good or bad, be confident that come what may, you can count on your inner strength to carry you through the rough miles and finish strongly.

4) Take care of yourself
Now is not the time to try new things, be it gear or food. Avoid the weights. Consume foods that are high in protein and carbs. This will allow you to rebuild your damaged muscle tissues and from your previous day's workout. Stay out of the rain and rest well.

Whatever happens on race day, know that you've done whatever you could in the last few months. If things have not been going well, there's no point in crying over spilt milk. Instead focus on the task at hand, start slow, soak in the atmosphere and enjoy your outing. If you've been going great guns, go for it - it's time to reap the rewards of your months of effort!