Countdown to Insanity

Thursday: 6:00 am-

I wake up to get ready for class. I am feeling pretty good. It hasn't sunk in yet that I am leaving later that day to run my first ever marathon.

Thursday: 1:45 pm-

I say goodbye to my classmates who some wish me luck during the upcoming weekend and I head home to finish my packing. Socks: Check. Shorts: Check. Running Shoes: Check. I am good to go.

Thursday 4:00 pm-

My mom and dad arrive at our house in Salt Lake to pick me up and to begin our Journey. The ride down isn't too bad. I feel pretty good. A movie(Tommy Boy) helps me relax and to keep my mind off of what is about to happen. We arrive at my grandma's condo later that evening. I am still feeling really good. Watch some t.v before I retire for the evening.

Friday October 2nd 8 am-

I awake and it starts to hit me that today I will check in and get all the info I need to help me get through 26.2 miles of pure insanity tomorrow. "What do I need to do to get ready?" I think to myself. I get up and try and see what's going on. My brother is still asleep and my parents are out for a walk. I start to meander through the condos' in the neighborhood. Anything to keep my mind from wandering. Alex finally wakes up.

10 am- Things start to get moving. We're getting ready for the day. My sister, her boyfriend Spencer, and Michelle are all coming down for the marathon today. We hop in the car and start making our way to the Dixie Expo Center where registration will happen. On the way over to the Expo center I start to get nervous. Not nervous about the race itself but rather, to check in. Weird. I know. We pull up and there are hundreds, even thousands of people who are walking in. We eventually find my bib number and I am able to receive my packet along with timing chip and shirt. We decide to mingle through the booths and to see what is there.

12 pm- We head to Costco to get things for the pre race meal that evening. We decide on spaghetti as it should be a good pre race meal. We head home and things start to get real. My family did a great job of trying to keep my mind off of things.

5 pm-

My sister and crew(who were now speaking in southern accents) arrive, just in time for dinner. We have a nice laid back dinner. I would keep getting messages from people. "You ready?". I have to say that I felt ready. I wanted it all to be over. That's what I was ready for. I didn't know what to expect. I wasn't worried about running, but what would happen at the start line? What happens if I don't finish in the alloted time given? Things like this are going through my head.

7 pm-

We head back to the expo center for my sister Courtney to pick up her running shirt although she wasn't going to run in the race, and to register everyone else to do the Mayor's Walk the next morning. After we left the Expo center we decided to head out and drive the course of the marathon. This is where it gets interesting.

We arrive at what will be the finish line the next morning. The road is already closed off. It's weird to be there at that moment. I felt that I was in a movie. You know, where the football player is standing in the end zone looking up into the empty seats where he will be playing the next day? That's what it was like. A man was practicing how he would finish. I wondered to myself. "Am I going to finish?". We get into our cars and decide to follow the course. We get on the road and we're driving, and it all feels good. I started to get a little uneasy because that car ride lasted for 45 minutes though. I was imagining myself running this route in less than twelve hours. "This is going to take forever" I think to myself. We finally arrive at what will be the start. We get out of the car and it's a crisp 45 degrees out. The starting line is illuminated with Christmas lights, those big lights used to due construction at night, and the workers still trying to get it ready. All the flags from each country and state that had runners representing it were blowing in the wind. I have no idea what to expect.

10 pm-

We get home and I decide that it's time for me to go to bed. I have to be up at 3:15 to catch the bus. I tell everyone that I will see them at the finish line, and head to bed.