The Day Before The Marathon

After a weird night of sleep in a room that never really got completely dark, Julie (my roommate on the trip and running buddy throughout our training) and I woke up to go for our 2-mile team run. That went well, I think I only got one mosquito bite.

Mark picked me up after the run and we were off to visit my friend Terrill. I last saw Terrill at my high school reunion, so I was really glad we were able to visit her. Terrill picked up some great fixings for lunch, so we were able to just hang out at her house and watch her kids chase Mark around the yard with a couple of huge water guns. Mark was soaked, the kids were soaked, and everyone was having a good time. At one point, her son Patrick ran up to me and said, "Your husband is SSOOOOO MUCH FUN!" And just as quickly he ran off to chase Mark some more. Thanks, Terrill for a nice and relaxing afternoon. It was just what I needed to get my mind off of my marathon nervousness.

Later, Mark dropped me off at the hotel so I could trek to the Team in Training pasta party with the rest of my team. The presentations and speakers during dinner were incredibly motivating. It was great to really see the impact The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is able to make through this program, and it is wonderful to feel a part of something that is really making a difference in cancer treatments. The pasta party was filled with Team in Training groups from every state except for two (South Dakota and *maybe* Alabama). Of the marathon/half-marathon's 3,857 participants, 1,335 were Team in Training fundraisers. In total, we raised 5.3 million dollars that The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society will put to good use funding research and various patient support programs.

At the pasta party, we knew the next day was going to be special. I knew that the course would be filled with hundreds of positive, friendly, and kind faces...all of us out there running for cancer survivors around the world, and really representing all of you who have supported this great organization with your donations. It was one of those moments that truly made me understand the phrase "strength in numbers." Even thinking about it now just makes me smile.

One Team in Training participant was missing his high school graduation to run this marathon, so they had him come up and put on a cap and gown so they could award him his actual diploma...that will surely be memorable for him. John Bingham, a Runner's World columnist, was the main speaker. He is a pretty funny guy, and he managed to give us some marathon advice while making us laugh to boot. (Example: if you see a bear on the course, you really only need to run faster than one other person.)

After the pasta party, I came back to the hotel, decorated my race singlet, got all my gear organized, and basically tried to relax. At about 8:30 pm, Julie and I decided we were still pretty hungry (had no protein at dinner) so we ordered a chicken quesadilla from room service. I've never ordered room service...they don't usually have that at the Super 8, do they? In any case, we figured we need to stay fueled with good food. Microwave popcorn probably wouldn't work, so we'd need to fork out the nine dollars to get some real food.

I tried so hard to get to sleep by 9:30 pm. Our alarm was set for 4:30 am, and I wanted to get in some solid sleep before the big day. After tossing and turning for what felt like forever, I think I finally fell asleep around 10:30 pm. It was still quite light outside.