Marathon Eve

Well, I was able to get away for a few moments and picked up my race packet at the Des Moines Marathon Expo downtown this morning. Not only were there quite a number of booths offering wonderful information on running organizations and proper nutrition, but there were plenty of freebies to boot. Surprisingly, I was able to correctly answer a trivia question to win a great Fuel Belt. I don't remember the question exactly, something along the lines of "what former high school athlete..." to which I tentatively commented Allen Webb. Who would have thought I'd be right?

All in all, there was so much to see and check out that I felt like a kid in a candy store. It was a really great expo, and I've been to a few expos in my time. While I'm at it, I want to throw out a big kudos to the Des Moines Marathon staff for organizing such a great expo. Of note, the long packet pickup lines from last year were delightfully gone in favor of a very efficient booth system with plenty of volunteers waiting to help. (I seem to remember spending more than an hour in line for the 2006 race, but my wait for this year's event was less than a couple of minutes ... way to go, Chris!)

As I took a few moments to savor my walk around the expo, I was surprised when I bumped into Amy and Tom at the Runners Lounge booth. It was nice to finally meet both of them, as well as a have a chance to meet and converse with a fellow blogger Kent, whose weight-loss article was featured in yesterday's DSM Register. His story is such an inspiration! After I grabbed my bag of goodies (as well as a great deal on a running jacket I couldn't pass up) and bid my new friends good-luck, I finally made my way home.

At the moment, I am taking a few moments to prepare for the race in the morning by putting together a few extra items, like a long-sleeved shirt and socks, in preparation of any change in weather. Though I don't typically use these items often, it's good to have a back-up plan for anything that might (and likely will) occur. Actually, while listening to the news I've heard the forecast is changing a bit for tomorrow, and is now featuring a high of only around 65 (down from 74) with moderate winds and clouds. But my guess is that the cooler weather will fair much better for runners than the warmness we are currently experiencing today.

Final note: If you are running tomorrow, I just want to say best of luck and have a great race and I'll see you at the finish line! And stay tuned for a post-race report. Now, time to go cook some pasta ...

Photo by JupiterImages