The Countdown

Holy $hit!!!!! The marathon is less than 22 hours away!!!!

This time tomorrow (9:30 a.m.), I'll be two hours into the marathon...with hopefully 13.1 miles completed.

Weather is supposed to be 31* F at the start and 41* F at the finish...what to wear, what to wear... I'll be wearing my running capris for sure, but I'm stressing about how many layers I need up top. Two for sure...maybe three! I wore three layers during my 35* F run - sleeveless tech top, long sleeve tech top, cold weather long sleeve jacketish tech top. I'm thinking that's what I'm going to wear for the race, too. Three layers. I think. Hmmmm.... ACK! LOL!!!

This is completely unreal. All these months and hours and miles of training and mental preparation culminating in one day. One moment. One start. One finish. Just the thought of it takes my breath away.

Let's see....

I know I've ran over 300 miles since I started logging my training. That would be like running passed Chicago, IL...or Niagara, Ontario...or over the Mackinaw Bridge...or down passed Cincinnati, OH... Unreal!

I've ran in 92*F, 35*F, in the sun, in the rain, in the wind, in the humidity, in the morning, in the after noon, in the evening and even in the dark!

I've ran when I was happy, sad, mad, ho-hum, not motivated, completely motivated, full of energy, exhausted and even when I was sick.

I run alone and sometimes I run with others. I tried a running group - they were too fast; although I could probably keep up with them now. I run with my girlfriend who is running the half - normally slower than normal cause we like to talk so much! I've run with Paul on his roller blades...

I've met some really great people and joined a really supportive group, JustFinish, online. Oh and I can't forget about tackling Mike on my 18 miler and running most of the 20 miles with him! LOL!!!!

I have a routine for all my long runs - any run over 9 miles... Before I go to bed I have a soy protein shake and then one about an hour before I get ready to leave for my run. For the extra long runs over 12 miles, I add a quick shake if I wake up during the night to use the bathroom.

I always run with three pieces of gum in my mouth.

For the extra long runs, I started take two Motrin to keep away the aches and pains that may sneak up on me.

I listen to my iPod and make up words to some of the songs... Well, switch them around to include "runner" or "marathon" in them to help keep me motivated.

I've dedicated miles of my runs to those people who have passed on or can no longer run. I have a list, in my head, of folks I'll be dedicating miles to during the marathon.

And let's not forget about the outpouring of support from everyone - thank you so much. I love it and it's soooo uplifting! :) XO!

Well, I really need to walk away from the computer. My OCD is setting in and I need to try to focus on something other than 7:15 a.m. tomorrow morning!

21 hours and counting!!!