Raceday Eve

Greetings from Tennessee! Less than 9 hours away from the race and Ashwin and I are in the hotel lobby still wired and far from sleep.

We've prepared by scarfing southern BBQ and rocking to some honky tonk yesterday before a relaxing Friday and an inspirational Team in Training dinner with more than 600 members from around the country.

The event has finally set in after months of hard work and we're all psyched for the morning to come and get on the move for what looks like will be a beautiful, sunny day in Nashville. Hopefully the heat holds off (forecast is for a high of mid-80s) until we're almost finished.


a few observations (read: inside jokes) from Nash-vegas:
- Brandon, aka "Bruno," has a camera that takes a great picture of Andy Dick on stage at Tootsie's Bar.
- Girls in cowboy boots and skirts/dresses... we could get used to this.
- Country Music speaks to everyone, especially when the lyrics only consist of the line "I'm gonna kill you"
- From coach Chip - "You'll be fine if you alternate the beer, liquor and water."
- running for 5 hours > running for 2 hours and 8 minutes
- "Bite Me Mode" will 100% apply to a one Lena Feldman tomorrow.
- Go to the Smoking Corner at Tootsie's
- Combo Platters at Jack's. 'nuff said.

We'll have lots of pictures and video to come in the next few days. Until then, leave us a note to find after 26.2 miles tomorrow morning!

Almost...the End!

4 days till the Country Music Marathon!!

I'm so excited for Brian, Lena, Chris, Ashwin, and Brandon to finish their race.  Jessie and I completed ours about a month ago and it was awesome (after 3 days of recovery).  I had an amazing entourage of friends who ran with me (Brian, Lena, Ashwin, Dan, and Erin) and even more who met me at the finish line.  I was joking around, laughing till about mile 19-20 and then just quietly thought about the reasons why I was doing this, my training, the mission, my supporters, and how much it would suck to tell everyone I stopped at mile 24.  

Jessie did AMAZING and qualified for BOSTON and already signed up for Marine Corps!  I somehow got pressured into signing up for Marine Corps even though I swore for almost a month I would never sign up for another.  Nuts, right??

Anyways - this message is for all my Nashvillers - you guys are going to AWESOME.  I know how nervous some of you guys are (remember I couldn't even read any emails related to the race for a whole week and did not sleep well for 2 weeks) but you guys have been kicking serious ass training and raising money while still being the great friends that you are.  I feel like the big sister and am sooo proud of you guys.  I will be there this weekend screaming my head off with inappropriate and appropriate exclamations simultaneously and get you all properly drunk afterwards.  

Remember to use the bathroom at least TWICE before the race that day and don't listen to anyone at miles 20-26 that you're almost there.  That's a lie.  The last 0.2 miles will be the toughest yet easiest/most rewarding 0.2 miles of your life.  

To all the supporters: THANK YOU SO MUCH.  Sorry I haven't posted photos or videos on the blog lately but they're actually all up on flickr and youtube.  Here are the links again.  Please visit - I took plenty of videos during the Nashvillers' 20 mile run.  

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ifdiddydidit/

http://www.youtube.com/user/GonnaRunFar

And you all know we'll be celebrating our brains out after. Hope to see you all while joining us in the fun =))

The Taper

Just a short update:

After countless frigid Saturday mornings, afternoons on the treadmill and dimly lit evening runs building a distance base, we're on our cool down leading up to the main event in about a week and a half.

The training we've all put in has been invaluable, leaving us experience dealing with chilly temperatures, battling blowing winds (in our 20 miler ten days ago) and fighting up and down hills on the W&OD trail, which I'm pretty sure I've seen about enough of. All the captains and coaches with Team in Training have done a massive job setting us on paths to success.

The remaining training almost seems like cheating with such comparably short distances. Still, I know my worn down body appreciates the brief lull to get fully geared up for Nashville on the 25th. Only 11 days away!

This Saturday we'll all join up for our last group run, a short jaunt compared to the last few weekends, of the spring TNT season before the first of the group heads to Tennessee on Thursday morning. We'll continue updating with thoughts from everyone as race day approaches.