Marathon Eve

So inspiring.  I just went to the Speaker Series at the race expo, and listened to Steve King intervew Kathrine Switzer and Bart Yasso.  Kathrine Switzer was amazing - she said a little something that hit it squarely on the head as to why running is more than just one step in front of another...it's that too, but it's also about the feeling of self empowerment, self confidence and self esteem that you get from it.  So, so true.  She truly was a pioneer in women's running and was recently inducted into the National Womens' Hall of Fame for activating social change...she was in good company, with the likes of people like Rosa Parkes!  Seeing Bart Yasso was pretty cool too...every runner has heard of the Yasso 800s, right?  He's the "Chief Running Officer" at Runner's World, and had his own moving stories about how running has come to embody social change and the sense of community and inclusion.   When it came to the question and answer period, a newbie marathoner asked for the one piece of advice that either of them had for first timers, and both Bart and Kathrine said to not set expectations and to just enjoy the event.  Seeing as these are two of the greats of running, I'm going to listen to them fully and just go out there and enjoy the reward for all the training over the past 18 weeks.

Plans for tonight?  A quiet night at home with the family and just some general R&R.  So I guess this is it, eh?  When you hear from me next time, I'll be a marathoner.  I'm on a total roller coaster of emotions but I'm ready to get 'er done at this point!  If anyone is so inclined, here is the link to the race site where you can go to watch the race live, or here's the link to the race results!  I hope to be crossing the finish line anywhere between 1 - 2pm, and bib number is 1703.  I'm going to end this post with a quote from my fave, Oprah:

"Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it."

Catch you all on the flip side!