6 Weeks and 3 Days!

It's getting down to the wire! 
The training plan I use (www.runnersworld.com/first gives you the gist of it if you're interested) is based on three quality runs and cross training. There are no "junk" runs, although sometimes I do a 2-3 miler to get warmed up for my sculpt class on Saturday. Each run has its purpose: speed work, tempo, and long run. 
The first time I ran a marathon (the week before my 40th birthday - May, 2009), I used this plan, as I'd used its half-marathon version for a bunch of halves. I never really looked at the times/tempos. My goal, like so many people, was just to crank out 26.2 without stopping to walk. I paid attention to my speed, particularly on the long runs, but I didn't really invest much in the concept of tempo or speed work except to go faster than I felt like going. It worked, and I was able to finish my first full marathon (in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia) without walking. 3:52:something. Not without crying, mind you, but without walking. 
Tangent: I didn't have much guidance, and only went by what I had read in magazines for this first marathon, which I thought was going to be my only marathon. Nobody warned me about adrenaline, and how you feel like you have wings for the first hour or so. I'd been training my long runs at about a 9:33 pace (I remember that number coming up a lot), and ran the first 12 miles of the race at an 8:10. Really not smart. I kept saying to myself, "this seems fast, but really, I feel great, so why slow down?" Here's why: because there's 14 more miles to go after you stop feeling amazing. I was tired at the half, discouraged at 17, felt like hell at 20, and broke down into tears at 25. Heaving, sobbing tears, but still running. I had to make a conscientious choice. I could do 2 of the following 3 things: run, cry, or breathe. I decided to breathe and run, and staved off tears until I crossed the finish line (right behind a guy dressed as Picachu, for chrissakes.) (Tangent done)
Anyway, now that I'm about to run my 9th marathon, I've learned to pay more attention to pacing, and to heed the wisdom of my training plan. (And regarding my above tangent, to pace myself better on race day). In a 16-week training plan, it's hard to hit every single run, but this may be the best I've stuck to my plan yet, I think. At 6-weeks out, I'm feeling prepared. I have two more 20-milers to go, but my tempo work and speed work is all on target. 
My worries are starting to be the things I can't control. You really can't know what sort of weather will show up in Chicago on October 12. Luckily, I know I run well in cold, and it's been a hot summer in Oregon, so I've been somewhat unwittingly doing heat training. My other concern is the flat course. Everyone says, "You'll love Chicago, the course is so flat!" I hope I love it, but flat has never been my best. I actually do well with a certain amount of hill, but I'm prepared to love it for its flatness. 
Now, I'm off for an 11-mile tempo run in heat and hills!