Getting There

Pre-race day. 4:30 pm. I'm calm. If I think about things too much, the heart starts racing. I made it to packet pick-up this morning, an hour long drive, with my 14 year old daughter as my wing man. We got there with no issues. The expo is small, but since the Diva expo is there also, I don't have anything to compare it to. I got mine and Charlie's bibs with no problems and then got on another line for the race shirt. You obviously don't run in it, since it's a cotton, long-sleeved hoodie. I LOVE it! It'll be what I change into after the race, (sans bra)!! We also got a pair of New Balance socks and a race lanyard. I saw my buddy from Sayville Running Company at his booth and I was very happy to see the people that put on the LIMA 5k there so I could tell them it was my 1st race and theirs as well. That'll be my 4th LIMA 5k on June 1st. That's a race I can really get excited about.

Here's the race sign that my friend Jen (who is running the New Jersey half simultaneously with me) made to help cheer me on to the finish line! I'll be hearing Shaun yelling at me to "DIG DEEPER!" for many miles. And at the finish? "This sh*t is buh-nanas!!!"

The ride home was a different story. I printed out reverse directions, but it's crazy around Nassau Coliseum, (where the NY Islanders play), and Museum Row, so things got sketchy. We did get to see geese and their goslings and an actual duck crossing sign, just blocks from a frickin' mall. Well, we wound up taking the scenic route, completely south to the Atlantic and then headed east, then north and east, again, home. Thankfully I know my way around since I'm driving more for work. It was a very peaceful drive and only 5 or 10 minutes out of our way. Anyone who knows LI will appreciate the amount of driving I did on the following roadways: William Floyd Parkway, Long Island Expressway, Northern State Parkway, Meadowbrook Parkway, Ocean Parkway, Robert Moses Causeway and Sunrise Highway. Believe it or not, on an island that's only 118 miles long and 23 miles wide (I Googled that), there's plenty of highways I didn't touch. Joy of joys, I get to do the ride again tomorrow.

So, I've been doing some laundry, buying some songs and rearranging my running playlist and playing plenty of Candy Crush. My legs feel tired from just laying around doing a whole lot of nothing lately. Charlie and I went for a 1.25 mile run yesterday and we got it done in 12:49, and the calf felt good. I can't see into a crystal ball and know that there won't be issues, but for now, it's put my mind at ease. I've been a sobby mess, though, the last couple of days. I've been reading and hearing about a lot of people's race stories and I can feel every bit of frustration and sadness that they experienced as they were running their race. And when they finished? I was right there with them at the finish line, knowing the pride, satisfaction and jubilation that was bursting out of them, while they held their medals and smiled for the camera. I will hold that memory of that feeling while I'm trotting along the course tomorrow. The best part? I'll be experiencing the entire thing with Charlie!