3 days and counting

Only three days to go until the Houston marathon. Not as ready as I want to be, but I think I will at least be able to finish in under 5 hours. I have never passed the 20-mile mark in training. Maybe not knowing what to expect is a good thing; I have made it through a lot in this life by being naive (oblivious) to the dangers around me. Not really the best plan, but right now it is all I have. It has been 10 years since my first (and last) marathon attempt. The 2000 Green Bay marathon was really an unplanned failure. Being thin and being in shape are not the same thing. I signed up for the GB marathon the day before the event with absolutely no training whatsoever, and bought a brand new pair of shoes (which I wore without socks). The event was not a complete waste, I did have some fun. We ran through Lambeau Field; out the tunnel, from endzone to endzone, and back out the other tunnel. I even smoked four cigarettes along the way. At 4 hours I reached the halfway point and called a cab, I just was not having fun anymore. As soon as i stopped moving my entire body cramped up, and I had blisters on my blisters. I am in a lot better shape these days, I haven't had a blister on my feet in years, and I have completed three half-marathons without much distress. I have my playlist set up for my i-Pod, ready to go. I am working my third and final night of the week tonight, the plan is to go straight to bed after I get home and sleep for a few hours. Then up and running for about 90 minutes easy with pick-ups. maybe a hot tub and massage. I plan on running at the gym just to avoid undue stress on my joints at this point. My left foot and right knee have been bothering me just a little bit. After that I will go over my list of gear I need to bring, and begin packing. We plan to leave for Houston about 10am Saturday (it is a 4-hour drive from Corpus Christi). I have until 6pm to pick up my packet, and I would like to check out the expo while I am there. Well, that's all for now, I really should get back to work).