The Final Countdown.

This is it, everyone! A few more hours of work and then I pick up my boyfriend from the Metro and the crazy marathon weekend begins! Way back when I just had my name in the NYC marathon lottery, I promised my friend Pat that, if I got to run, I would make an entire playlist of just the song above. I don't think I'm going through with that, but I'm sure I will make the aforementioned boyfriend listen to it at least once or twice during the weekend.

Once I leave work today, things will get very hectic and stay that way until about Monday afternoon. So, sadly, I think my blogging about things like the Expo, the race, and the aftermath will have to wait until next week. For my final pre-race blog post, here's a brief review/rundown of what is happening this weekend:

Tonight (Friday): I pack, eat lots of carbs, and go to bed very early.

Saturday: At the crack of dawn, Andrew I will be driving to the site of the Annapolis Striders' Downs Park 5-miler. This is leg 7 of the 8-leg Champ Series. When I learned that I would be running NYC, I thought I would have to skip this race. It starts at 8:30am, and running it on time would put me at risk of not making it to the NYC number pickup. For awhile, I resigned myself to just missing out on the 2011 IronMan award. 

Once I was halfway through the Champ Series races, I changed my mind: I had to try to do Down's Park somehow. I contacted the race director and begged for his assistance. He very generously agreed to allow me to run the course early (at 7am) in exchange for some pre-race volunteering. Then, when our pre-race volunteer plans fell through, Andrew stepped up and agreed to volunteer on my behalf while I am running. So, through the generosity of these two great guys, I will get to earn my second IronMan!

After the race, Andrew and I will drive up to NYC as quick as we can in order to pick up my number. Once I have it in hand, I think I will exhale for the first time in weeks! Then, we are spending the night with my gym/running buddy Jen, her partner Tracy, and a few fellow runners in Brooklyn.

Sunday: Race day! Over the past few days, several people have asked me about runner tracking. If you want to track me during the race, see this blog post  for all of the details. After the race, my friend Matt will be helping me find my way to Brooklyn so I can finally meet the St. Lydia's folks in person! (BTW, its not too late to pay them a visit or give them a donation!) Then, I'll be spending the night with another Brooklyn friend.

Monday: My alarm will go off at 9am so that I can register for IronGirl 2012! If any of my (female) readers are considering doing this race, I have two pieces of advice: (1) DO IT! and (2) Register at 9am! This race will sell out in a few hours at most. By noon, you may be out of luck.

Once I get registered and moving, I will be meeting the last of my lovely Brooklyn friends for lunch and then heading back home to rest and blog!

Thanks so much for all of your support! I look forward to sharing my race with you when I get home!