Here We Go.

So today is it. Yesterday was packing day and hydrating day and organizing day and finishing my teeshirt day and all that logistical stuff and try not to think about it all.

Actually, I am surprisingly less stressed than I should be. I am just happy to have the chance to do it. This really is a culmination of a lot for me. Most recently, its my official return to the road-- and its nice to finally feel like I am back from injury. Much larger yet is the symbolism this race has for me in how far I have come in general. Remember, I started out as an overweight smoker. I had never even considered something remotely athletic my entire life. My only recorded run time had been the Presidental Physical Fitness Test I did in highschool when I walked the mile in something like 18 minutes and a hearty bit of lip for my gym teacher. So in 1997, when I watched the race with my parents, cigarette in mouth and a lot of cynacism for the whole thing, there was this wee little seed that got planted in me that I secretly wanted to do this too. The first time I quit smoking, it was the goal I put down in a stop smoking online discussion board. I remember telling my online quit buddy Steve that one day I would do this race. It was my goal-- though at the time I wasn't really ready to do the work to get there. I wound up going back to smoking after a good 3 years off it and it took me another 2 years to quit the habit altogether. Truth is, when this little blog began, I hadnt even quit smoking. But it was coming.

So yeah, this race in particular has a lot in it for me. It's why I don't care so much about the time I do it in so much as the chance to do it. And when I see Mom and Dad and Marisa at the Mile 9 marker we stood at some 11 years ago, its going to feel pretty awesome. The rest will be icing.

Yesterday, I had the second of the two massages I knew I needed to work out the kinks before the big day. It was not one of those happy little massages at all. It was a little like the kind Bree would do with me on my knee to work out the adhesions I had built up from running on an injury. This one just focused on all the parts of my lower half. I got elbows in my butt, pulled up off the table, sharp digs into the bottoms of my feet... you name it. I got one hell of a massage. It made me realize how much tension is still stored in my legs and how much more work I really do need to do to get it all back. Truth is, I still felt a little injured when I could feel all the areas that were abnormally painful. But its all good... this isn't the end goal, this is all a site along the way. A big site, but site none the less.

So in about half an hour I hop in the car and head to Boston. First stop, the house of my near and dear friend Tara, aka Uta... who ran Boston several years ago and has been one of my biggest cheerleaders since. I watched her run that day and have been in awe of that ever since. I am running this as much because of her inspiration as any other. And now that she has her two twin boys (who are now about 4 mths old) and her 2 year old daughter, I get even more excited to visit. So first stop is Uta's house.

Tomorrow I pick up my number and go to the convention beforehand and then just chill out and roll around on my foam roller, do some stretches, maybe take a drive of the course, and then have some dinner and go to bed. And it will be game on from there.

We'll be another post before the race... we will see. But if not... remember that you can get up to the moment tracking on www.baa.org with my bib #21540 and wave start time of 9:55 am on Monday.

That's it for now. I gots to load up the car. Wish me luck! Yeehaw.