I race a lot, and sometimes that means that I don't fully enjoy the experience or that I take it for granted. My first marathon was an amazing experience, and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of that entire weekend. The next 2 were a bit anticlimactic because I didn't go to the expo (they didn't have much of one), drove up the morning of, then promptly left after I finished to refuel at a restaurant. The third was better than the second because I focused on fun during the race, but still didn't feel as magical as #1 -- will any really will? ;) This weekend I hope to recapture the feeling from my first marathon and really enjoy the journey. Yes I have a goal, a very aggressive goal, but that doesn't mean that I can't also have fun.
Friday: We are driving up in the morning and spending several hours at the expo. I want to meet the pacers, hear the speakers, get KT Tape applied by the professionals, buy a new bondi band for the occasion, take silly photos, and just take it all in.
Saturday: After spectating at the 5K and visiting the expo a bit, I'll be in a Galloway meeting all day, which I'm actually really excited about. It will be great meeting other program leaders and learning more about the program I love so much. I'm going to the pasta dinner after the meeting to mingle with other Galloway leaders and hear from some amazing speakers.
Sunday: It's show time! We'll take the shuttle to the start early and head to the Galloway tent to stay warm while reconnecting with everyone and taking group photos, then we'll head to the starting corrals to find my pace group. Racing with a pace group will be a new experience for me and I'm really looking forward to it because they'll be using the Galloway run/walk/run method. I ran my first marathon alone, and it worked great then, but I've been training with a group and I've enjoyed racing with others. I look forward to sharing this experience with a group with the same goal, and hopefully having fun while we work together to achieve it. I want to bring my camera to capture this like I did #1, but I really don't want to carry it. We'll see what wins out on race day. Since it's looking like it will be quite cold, if I wear my jacket I'll bring it. Otherwise, I may have to make do with the iPhone.
Post-race: I plan to take full advantage of the post-race festivities, including all the yummy food, silly photos, and free massages! We may not make it back to the hotel in time for late checkout, but we can clean up and change somewhere before driving home. Jason will be running this one too, so it will be fun to compare notes on the drive home. I really don't want to rush through the celebration of this accomplishment, and really want to soak in every last drop this weekend has to offer.
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