Let's Do This

It's time! The 2009 Twin Cities Marathon starts at 8:00am central time tomorrow morning. I picked up all my race materials today at the River Center in St. Paul with my GF and a buddy of mine who is also running the race. The fitness expo is great for last minute running gear, gels and all the free samples! I started carbo loading early, which was good because I didn't eat enough for lunch. Each year the race packets have a little gift with the Twin Cities Marathon Logo on it; my first year they were crappy throw away cotton gloves, last year it was a an ear warmer/headband of decent quality, and this year we got tech socks. I was pretty stoked because I always like to try new socks and they look like pretty good quality. Here's a pic:



After picking up my racing packet I realized I didn't plan on how to attach my racing chip to my sandals. They are using new chips this year that didn't come with little plastic ties because they aren't being collected afterward--you are supposed to thread your laces through them. I found out I can easily secure it simply by closing the velcro on my sandal straps over a flexible clipping mechanism on the back of the chip. Just another advantage of sandals! Weather is looking like low to mid 40's for the start of the race and about 50 by the end, with mostly cloudy skies and low chance of rain. It's a little colder than I'd like, but no rain is a huge plus. I'm not sure yet weather I'm going to start out in short sleeves or wear a long sleeve over my short sleeves and hand my long sleeve shirt off during the race. After 3 miles or so I'm pretty sure I'll want to shed long sleeves. I'll be wearing gloves, shorts, a hat and my ear warmers from last year. I find that if you cover your head/ears, hands, and torso you retain a lot of your heat. My legs can easily stay warm in sub 40 degrees, and my feet felt almost hot when I ran in 45 degrees and spitting rain yesterday thanks to my Darn Tough Vermont socks, so I should be set on that front.

I'm going to go out gunning for 4 hours. My plan is to make the first half in right around 2, to put myself in a position where I could make it and then see how my body responds. I know I can finish barring a major onset of toe pain or some other injury. I actually had some toe soreness today which is a bit worrisome, but I think I'll feel better in the morning.

I got to bed now to get up bright and early. Next post will be post race!