Tomorrow is the Bear Paw 5k, and I’m crazy nervous. It’s my last race for the summer, and everything I’ve done over the past six months culminates tomorrow on 3.1 miles of pavement.

Earlier this week I emailed my mentor and friend Matthew Whitis for advice. See, I’m feeling good. My last couple track workouts have left me feeling like a caged animal, hungry for more. My threshold work has been solid, almost dare I say, “easy?” I’ve finally shed some of the extra muscle mass I was carrying around from the winter, and I feel lean and strong.

This is a strange place to be, this feeling of confidence. In two years of trying to break 17, I haven’t felt as prepared as I do right now.

But despite all this, there is a constant battle of internal wills. The weak me is full of doubt, second guesses, and negative examples. The strong me knows I’m ready, have been, and tells me I can do it.

Matthew’s email was great and closed like this: “Know you’re ready, execute the plan, and finish strong. Concentrate! Be present and don’t give in.”

Don’t give in.

Don’t give in to doubt, fear, or pain. In a small way, it echoes the message R4V pushes to Chief, Stacy Pearsall, and Nate Beard, folks who face a daily struggle on the road to rehabilitation. Don’t give in to the easy way out. You are strong and capable.

So in the name of our collective ideal realities, whether we’re racing for a PR, healing, or simply trying to get out the door for Sweet Mother of Mercy, another run; I say to our doubts and fears, “Come and get it.”

What we seek is already within us, and nothing can take that away.