Leaving on a jet plane...
Whew... well today is the day...We're leaving for ohio! I'm pretty excited/nervous/excited/pumped/nervous. My bag is packed and I'm trying to get pumped for 26.2 miles.
It's going to be a whirlwind. Tomorrow, we're going up to my old college stomping grounds to introduce The Mister to all the folks at Cedarville that I love. Can't wait!!! We're staying with my sweet friend Alicia who is also running on Sunday! (She also has an awesome blog and card company that you should probably check out!). We're also going to stay one night with a dear friend Kirsten, who shares my love of food like none other... yes she did have a food club in college... yes I did join it. She's fantastic! :) Then ALL DAY friday I'm visiting with friends and seeing people that were so formative during my college years. I can't stinkin' wait for the Mister to meet all of these dear, dear friends.
Saturday is going to be registration day where I go pick up my bib and running chip... EEK! So excited/nervous/excited/pumped/nervous. Then I'm taking the hubby to see meet the community of believers that I worshiped with when I was in college. I LOVE that church. Seriously, if you live in the Dayton area, Apex Community Church is a phenomenal church to check out! I can't wait for my stud husband to see the church that significantly helped me make my faith "my own."
THEN... (dum dum dum) SUNDAY... RACE DAY. I have a few things that I'm a little nervous/excited about.
1. I'm so excited that thus far we've raised over $2000 for water projects in Kihuura, Uganda. I'm so thankful for friends and family who have supported me and caught the vision of Samaritan's Purse!! So thankful! I'm excited to see how God uses this money to transform a community for His glory. If you want to learn more about Samaritan's Purse, click on the "Samaritan's Purse" tab above. If you want to support the water projects, click HERE.
2. The last marathon I ran was in November 2009: City of Oaks Marathon... and it POURED and was REALLY cold. I picked a May marathon hoping for warmer weather and after looking at the Flying Pigs weather record, I was thrilled that most of the races were in good weather + sun. Please look at the weather forecast:
Yes, that is rain & thunderstorms listed. I think I cried 3 times in my last marathon, not because of the pain but because of the rain and cold. I'm a pansy when it comes to inclimate weather. I mean, at least it's not COLD. But I would love it if you could pray for the rain to hold off until around 1pm.
3. I'm so excited about running with this sweet friend!!!
We lived in the same dorm unit our freshman year, lived in a hotel together for a summer during an internship in Orlando, and lived together our senior year in a house full of girls. I cannot wait to see her and her husband again and to get to run with her! It's going to be so fun to catch up and then bust a move on Sunday!
4. I'm pumped to see & meet the rest of Team Samaritan's Purse! Can't wait to get to know other like-minded runners who are running for more than just the thrill of a race.
5. I'm really excited about the goodie bag and expo afterwards! Seriously, I love going booth to booth getting free sports stuff that I won't really be able to carry back on the plane with me. :) Speaking of goodie bags, I received a virtual goodie bag link from the Flying Pig race organization this morning. Clicked on it, scrolled down, and look who you see!!!!!
You can see the Mister and Me!!! See us? In the Join Team Samaritan's Purse grey box?! See the blurry handsome fella holding a red and white State umbrella in the background??? Yes, that was the mister staying free from the rain during the November 2009 City of Oaks race. Yes, I'm smiling here, but don't let that fool you. I think this was around mile 15... just prior to the first cry.
Alright... those are the things I'm excited/nervous about. But first I must get my tush to work, sit on a panel, organize a lunch, and then I can hop on a plane and get to Cincy.
See you on the flip side! Much love - B