Almost Here

Just under 5 days (4 days, 23 hours as I post this) until TCM.  The nerves are starting to kick in...normal business at work but at least T got home safely last night.

Time to start the packing process:  load of laundry tonight, make sure all the crap I need for the race/weekend is ready to go, etc.

I mailed some of my pre-race nutrition to MN on Friday.  As long as it makes it there all things should be good.

Nothing but easy runs this week.

Nothing but easy running and stressing out this week.

60 Freaking Miles

She's made it!  Her text said "exhausted and elated".

Just sucks that she won't be home until almost 10 pm tomorrow!

To say I'm extremely proud would be an understatement!

Komen 3 Day Walk - Day 1 in the books

Talked to T last night and this morning.  22.5 miles in day one.  One blister.  Some tired legs but overall things are great.  She actually sounded like she was having a good time.

21.5 miles today.

She is my hero.

Big Weekend #1

All is quiet in the house.  Well relatively quiet.  The cats are doing there usual night-time-crazy-routine and I've got iTunes open (Shawn Mullins - Lullaby currently playing) but it's just me here.

T made is safely to Seattle this afternoon for her 3 Day Walk.  To all of you out there that donated, thank you very much.  To those that haven't donated - there is still time!

She is supposed to update me at the end of tomorrow.  21+ miles on day one.  20+ on day 2.  15 on day three when they end at Memorial Stadium in Seattle (right by the Space Needle).

(Dave Matthews Band - Why I Am playing now)

I'll post updates from her if I can remember to - probably via facebook/twitter.

But all this "quiet" makes me a bit introspective.  About the last year, about what I've got coming up in the next few weeks, my running in general, life in general, the variety (or what some might say the lack of) in my music.  You know random shit.  But it's nice to spend some time in your head occasionally.  Gives you perspective.

Healthy Respect

I've worked outdoors in some fashion most of my adult life:  caddied in high school, the last 19 years in athletic training, etc.  As a result I healthy respect for what mother nature can throw at us and have a pretty well stocked gear closet to deal with those various conditions.

Rain is no problem.  Heavy rain, who cares.

Lightning?  No fucking way.  Seek shelter.

So today that's what I did.  As we were making the 30 minute drive to Spring Lake this morning it started to rain and lightning was visible in the distance...the distance that we were heading straight into.

Get to the race.  It's raining.  No big deal.  Not the conditions I'd hoped for, but ok.  Then the lighting picked up.  REALLY picked up.  They announced a 15 minute delay.  When that delay ended they announced an hour delay.  I conferred with my personal safety committee, T, and went to registration table and turned in my chip.  The look on the lady's face was priceless - sort of bewilderment and surprise.

See, I know what the current standard inclement weather policies are - and what the race director was proposing wasn't in line with those, IN MY OPINION.  So I came home.

Running is fun...but it ain't worth dying for.

Nerves

Even if tomorrow will be the 9th half marathon (okay, it will really be the 8th, and one 25k, but really does it matter?) I'm still a nervous wreck tonight.

I'm poring over the Hourly Weather Forecast Graph on www.noaa.gov for the race location like an engineer at NASA trying to figure out how to get the astronauts home and all I'm doing is trying to figure out if I need to wear long or short sleeves tomorrow.  Long by the way.

I'm not even racing this!  It's my last workout before TCM and if you have to do a bunch of marathon pace miles you might as well do it in a race if you can:  water/gatorade on the course, a t-shirt (even if the large they gave me is probably a child's large), and a beer mug instead of a finisher's medal.  So there shouldn't be this much race anxiety...should there?

Not As Tough As Expected

August 22.  What's that, three weeks ago?  Maybe it's because I've been so freaking busy at work - sometimes, like last week, too busy to get my runs in.  I don't know, but the whole no-alcohol-until-the-marathons-are-done as been surprisingly easy.  And there is the added bonus of it actually helping me accomplish what I was hoping when I started:  the weight is down.  Consistently down.  Not as low as I've been hoping (thanks to the lack of running) but I've been consistently at 180 the last two weeks.

18 days until Twin Cities...and the nervousness is starting to hit.

I have my last workout this Saturday.  The plan calls for a 15 mile run at marathon pace, so I'm running the Spring Lake Half Marathon.  That way I can do my pace run, and try to hold my goal pace for the half, while having everything taken care of for me...timing, water, gatorade, etc.  Plus I get a long sleeve technical t-shirt and a finishing mug.  All for $40.  Not a bad deal.

After that it's just easy miles for the next two weeks and then Twin Cities.  Have I mentioned the nervousness is starting to hit?