T-4 but looking forward

I posted a few weeks ago about my frustration regarding my fall marathon.  There seem to be very few details available online, and the marathon is now less than 7 months away. 

I even posted yesterday about the fact that we're planning to buy plane tickets in less than 2 months.  Hubby has to put in his vacation request in less than one month. 

But all of that turns on the date of the marathon.  I'd been working off of this little countdown calendar on the upper right portion of the Beijing Marathon's website.  For the longest time, it was blank.  Then a few weeks ago, it popped up with 224 days and some hours/minutes. 

I used an online date calendar, and determined that the countdown calendar was counting down until Oct. 14, so that's when I've been assuming the marathon will be.  Over the following weeks, the little numbers were counting down the days, counting down the days.  I'm still checking the website pretty often, because I'd like to see the actual date published somewhere, and it would also be nice to know when I can register. 

And I feel like I need that date desperately to request vacation and buy plane tickets.  We're essentially planning the entire visit in China around a planned marathon in Beijing the first Sunday we're there.  Hard to do much planning without a concrete date.  And the little countdown just didn't feel very concrete. 

I've been a little extra-nervous because one unofficial website says that the 2012 date is Oct. 21, so I have very little confidence in relying on the countdown on the official website in light of conflicting information. 

Today, as usual, I checked the website.  And now the countdown calendar is all blanked out again and not counting down.

This is so frustrating.  I know, I know, one marathon at a time.  I should be completely focused on Sunday right now, but I think I'm sufficiently nervous and relaxed at the same time that my mind is already looking forward.  I'm nervous because there's just no way that I'm well-prepared for a mountain, or for sand, or for running a majority of it with the pack.  But I'm relaxed because I know I'm not going to PR, there's nothing more I can do to prepare, and even if I end up walking the entire event (which I'm confident I can do), it will still be an incredible experience.

And I'm not planning to PR in Beijing either.  I want to see the city and soak up the experience of my first foreign marathon.  And I'm nervous about the air quality and the crowds further hampering a PR attempt.

I registered for the San Antonio marathon this fall as well, but unless the weather happens to be fabulous, that will be another easy run.  I've pretty much decided that I'm never running San Antonio as my goal race again. 

So 2012 isn't going to be a marathon PR year.  I knew that at the outset.  No big deal. 

But I'd like to at least move forward on my Beijing plan!  I know variety is the spice of life, but sometimes I wish a vast majority of the world planned ahead as much as I do.