Four Days To Go.

And I feel like I have so much to do.

That's kind of an illusion, though. I was going through my insurmountable mental checklist of tasks to complete before we leave on Saturday... but in reality, all the most important preparation is done. I haven't packed, I still need to finish cleaning the house, I've got e-mails to send and people to call.

In spite of it all, I am ready.

16 weeks ready.

$1,010 raised so far for Team World Vision (THANK YOU!).
14 long runs done.
Countless shorter runs, speed workouts and intervals logged.
Hotel booked.
Dozens of articles and newsletters read.
Marathon clothing purchased, broken in.
Shoes laced.

Mental readiness complete.

I think I'm as ready as possible! Since the River Bank Run in May, I've logged 764.10 miles with my Nike+ chip. Some of them are triumphant, others painful. I suspect that's a bit what the marathon will feel like. Again, I remind myself: Have fun!

Wednesday update: My run today was damp.




I decided to see how my iPod and gels fit into my new race belt. They fit well, and I can put my chapstick in there, too. My race bib will attach to loops on the belt as well, so that I don't have to worry about pinning it to the outermost shirt or changing it when I shed a layer of clothing. It bounces around quite a bit, but I think it'll be better once I use up the first gel or two. Since I was running with the iPod in the belt, I didn't wear the headphones. It was a nice time to think about what it will be like, running without music during the race. I'm sure the experience will be very different, running with thousands of on-lookers, but I still enjoyed the preparation.

In the damp, grey day, I almost had the pier and boardwalk to myself. It was intriguing to hear the wind and the waves over the sound of my own breathing. The wind was coming from the northwest, and the waves in the channel were gulping hungrily at the edge of the pier, while the waves on the Lake side were menacing, deadly, as they rolled silently toward the shore. The water was a dark, murky grey. It was beautiful.

Very different experiences await me in Chicago. I can't wait!