I get real nervous before XC races. I used to think it was because I was worried about how well I would run, how high I would place, etc. But that's not it. It's because I know that it's going to be very very painfull!
I don't imagine that baseball players, basketball players, or golfers feel this way. Does their competition ever REALLY hurt like running in a race? I don't think so. Yeah, I'm sure football players feel a lot of pain during a game, but only when they take a hard hit, and even then, the pain subsides, and the player can always take a breather on the bench for a while. But for us, the pain doesn't stop until we do, which isn't until we cross the line!
On the eve of a race I wake up several times during the night, with a weird feeling, part excitement, part dread. I love racing, but often right before the race I find myself thinking "why didn't I just play golf instead?". Then the race comes, and it hurts, it really hurts, hurts like hell! Then afterward I'm glad I did it, and a short while later I'm already looking forward to the next one. Are we sick or what?
Can't wait until nationals! Turn the pain up a notch!