Breathe the Air

The time has come.

There's so much electricity that goes through your body as you get ready for a marathon. You get excited, then worried, and you bounce back and forth between those two emotions rather frequently.

For me, today is about experiencing a little bit more of the city, eating good, energy-boosting foods, and having my one last, "Breathe the Air" run. This is what I have decided to call the two-mile tune-up the day before the race that Hal has on the schedule. It's a chance to get out and move your legs (particularly after traveling from wherever) and do a little bit of a workout in the air in which you'll be competing.

As it turns out, this is not as big a deal in Seattle as it might be elsewhere. Really, there isn't too much a difference in altitude between Austin and Seattle, so it's not like the air is any thinner, or there's any less oxygen. That will be more of a factor when it comes to states like Colorado. For this race, the real fun is the change in weather.

Tomorrow's forecast is just about perfect. At race time, it should be between 50 and 55 degrees, partly to mostly cloudy with no (predicted) rain. Having spent 20 hours in this city so far, I can tell that there is really no knowing when a few rain drops might fall, but at least it shouldn't be storming or anything. This is ideal running weather. When I went out for my two miles this morning, the only thing that bothered me at all was that my running path was overgrown with tall grass that had been rained on last night, and I ended up with wet feet. And even that made me smile a little.

What I must do now is remain smart and strong for about 24 hours. I'm in an early starting corral, which is very good. I've got almost all my equipment laid out, and I'll get the rest of it at the expo this afternoon. Most importantly, I've trained for this. My body feels strong and my mind feels ready, far more so than either did in Austin.

And to be honest, I'm really too excited to spend much time writing.

Friday's Run:
53 Degrees / Misty Rain
2.2 Miles
16 Minutes, 53 Seconds