Ready to Run

We are leaving in a little while to travel to Memphis to run the Half-Marathon in the morning. We have to leave today to get to the Expo to pick up our race packets and try to get a good night's rest. HA! HA! I never sleep more than 4 hours the night before a race like this. My brain will not shut down - I think of everything that could possibly happen during the race and how I might struggle during the later portions of the race. I will also be dreading the COLD in the morning. It is supposed to be 29-32 degrees at the start of the race and should warm up to the low 40s. The sun should be shining so that is a bonus. I am nervously excited about it and can't wait for it to be over. Always, on the starting line I wish that I could back out, but I know myself enough to realize that I would not like myself very much if I backed out at that point. Once the race gets going, it is just a matter of putting one foot in front of the other -- for almost 3 hours. WOO-HOO! It is always interesting to watch the other runners all around you and see that they are hurting (at least some of them are) as much as you are. Two weeks ago, I felt okay but since then I have had a few more aches and pains. I will try to post tomorrow evening about my run, but no promises. I plan to try to focus on who I am running for - the families and children who are suffering with cancer or other childhood diseases and are stuck living at St. Jude Children's Hospital right now. Sometimes, if it is not too cold, some of the children are able to come outside with their families and it brings tears to your eyes just imagining the struggles that they face. It makes your struggles to run seem so small.