... to my first marathon! I've been posting about it over here. I'm pretty ready, as ready as I can be. I went to the expo yesterday and picked up all my stuff ... race number (29473), chip, tyvek jacket/pants that i can tear off and toss when I'm fully warmed up, freebies, and a sign for my kids to wave at me at mile 8 :).
I'm so glad to have lots of people to look for on the route ... friends, family, a cousin volunteering at mile 17 to hand out water, in-laws in town to cheer and help babysit, and the prayers of many. My fundraising is over $5000 now, truly amazing! I just got another check in the mail today too, so that will make it even more.
It's been a long time coming and still doesn't seem quite real. I started running, with this in mind, in the first week of January, 2007. I could barely run 10 minutes (the cold didn't help!). I hope to make all the wee hours, pain, agony, and joy of it all be worth the effort. Even if something happens and I don't finish, I have NO regrets about the training. It's been an extremely healthy thing for me both physically and mentally. I love getting lost in my head when I run, and hope tomorrow proves to be no exception. It's true that it's more a mental game than a physical one. Very true.
I hope to be done 24 hours from now ... I start at 10am, and aim to finish in 4:15 so that has me crossing the finish line between 2:15 and 2:30. It's just another long run, right? With spectators. And water stations. And an agonizingly long time between when I have to get up and when I start, almost 5 hours. I dread that part a bit.
I'll post to the blog afterwards, and my running blog will have updates posted after every timing mat I cross, and there are about 18 of them ... so you can see a blow-by-blow account over there if you're interested.
Off to nap, if possible :).