On the Eighth Day of Adventrageous

Man! That has such a catchy ring to it, eh?
 

what? You think I used this pic of our advent calendar door because I ran out of cool shots?

The nerve!

 

 

Not only is this Day Eight of our Adventrageous Adventure, it is also Eight Days until my second marathon! In honor of that very special coincidence, I present you with the following:

 

Today's Topic: Eight Happy Things About My Upcoming Marathon!!

 

1. I love the course. I ran the half-marathon, there, last year and vowed to return. From their site :

The Jacksonville Marthon course is a USA Track and Field certified flat, fast and very scenic with 85% shade. There are no hills, bridges or overpasses.

 

There isn't a ton of crowd support, as it winds through a lot of quiet neighborhoods. The areas where spectators can get to, though, are fun and festive. It also finishes on a track, at a school. I love races that end that way!

 

2. I love the location. It's far enough away from home (about 1.5 hours) that it seems like a Destination Race, but close enough that we can drive up and back the same day. The drive up will be decidedly less painful than the drive back, I'm guessing. The Husband I and will be riding, in a van, with a  bunch of people from WVR . I'm so excited about the nervous, happy energy on the way there!! (The Husband's decidedly less excited about the moaning and whining he'll likely hear on the drive back)

 

3. The boys will be far away and well-cared for. While I love the races the whole family's able to attend, this one's just not the best for that sort of thing. It's such a relief to not have to worry about them for that day!

Thanks, Kim, for taking on all that action!

 

4. (knock on wood) I won't have a big, black eye for the Race Photos, this year! Long story...

 

5. In addition to the transportation situation (that's a cool phrase, huh?!) I'll get to run with people I know. My first marathon was, by choice, solo in a city far, far away. I'm SO happy about the prospect of lining up with running buddies and a couple cool people I've "met" through DailyMile. Now to just try to keep up with them...

 

6. The weather is shaping up to be perfect. Last year, it was high 30s-low 40s at the start. This year it's forecast to be low-mid 40s when we start. 71% humidity (for those in more dry climates, this is a good number for us!!) and the high is only supposed to be low 60s. Great conditions!

 

7. The post-race meal. I rarely have an appetite after any race. My digestive system wasn't feeling normal for about two days, after my last marathon. However, I'm good at forcing myself to eat. I'm looking forward to sitting down, with friends and family, and eating whatever the heck I want.

 

8. I'm going to go ahead and get a PR. I should also add that it'll be a big one...

 

Today's share: I was lucky enough to stumble upon Sheila's blog and bookmarked it, immediately. That's pretty rare, for me. She has a passion and talent for running, three boys and an awesome sense of humor. Still not quite sure how she manages to fit everything into her busy schedule AND blog about it, but I love reading her anecdotes and wisdom.

 

How's your Saturday?