The day before

Less than 24 hours until the race. I can't believe it's actually here! I'm definitely nervous, but also very excited. There will close to 15,000 runners, and likewise I'm sure lots of spectators. Today is a high of 75, and it is so hard to not go for a jog in the park. We didn't have training today, since we should be resting not running, but we did meet at Pershing Square Cafe, across from Grand Central, for coffee and breakfast. It was really nice to get together as a group and actually be able to have legit conversations, instead of chit chat between hill repeats. It's weird to see the same people you've seen in running clothes 2 times a week for the last 2 months wearing normal clothing (of course Coach Ben was in workout clothes, since he was going on a long bike ride post-breakfast in training for his upcoming duathlon....5 mi run+ 85 mi bike + 15 mi run. Oh my!)

After breakfast, I went down to the Expo. This is where every runner has to go by 5pm today to pick up their bib number and t-shirt. The t-shirts have the skyline of Manhattan on the front and it says "Run Through the Heart of it All." There were various booths set up selling energy gels, running gear, etc. As I mentioned before, the MS Society also had shirts made up for each runner, w/our names on the front. They re-ordered the women's shirts, since the long-sleeve ones ran extremely small. Last night we had a team pasta dinner at the MS Society office, and received our new shirts. I'm really happy the 2nd shirts are short-sleeved, since it'll be pretty warm out by the time I get running tomorrow. Unfortunately......the unisex sized shirts they ordered this time run HUGE. I got a small and it is gi-normous. Not entirely sure what to do, I definitely want to wear the shirt tomorrow, but it's just so baggy.

Tomorrow will be a very early day. Planning to wake up around 4:30, leave the house by 5, so that I can aim to be up by Central Park between 6 and 6:30. I have to have my bag checked (w/ dry clothes to put on at the finish) by 7 sharp, so want to allow plenty of time. Runners are put in corrals based on their bib #. When you register for the race you estimate your finishing time, and this is how they assign #s. 7:15 we have to start getting into corrals. Not to mention a good chunk of 15,000 people will also be waiting in line to use the port-a-potties prior to corraling. A good tip I learned is to wear a junky long-sleeve shirt for the start of the race. Since we are starting so early, it could be a bit chilly, but will definitely warm up quickly. A lot of runners will cut a little V in the neckline, then once you start running and are ready to shed a layer, rip of the shirt (Superman style) and toss it on the ground. After the race, the Road Runners club will sweep the ground and donate the clothing to charity....although now that I think about it, clothing ripped in half doesn't do much good, but it just sounds so much more fun than pulling it over your head like a normal human.

Will update on how the race goes later! Thanks again for everyone's support. Because of everyone's generosity, I have exceeded my fundraising goal and raised over $2,300! The MS Society team has collectively exceeded the goal of $40,000. Way to go!