We’re here! We arrived in Jacksonville on Friday night and went immediately to the convention center to pick up our race packets and browse the latest in breast cancer fashion. Imagine an entire hall covered in pink with references to boobs everywhere. I was in my element and decided to wear my new shirt: “Yes they’re fake! (My real ones tried to kill me)”. It received mixed reactions and I realized how brave I’ll have to be should I choose to go out in public in it in West Michigan. My cousin’s husband read it and said “it’s like looking at the sun…”
Instead of resting up today we decided to go paddle boarding on the Intercoastal. We shimmied into borrowed wet suits and giggled and giggled… and this is before we got into the freezing cold water. 3 team members kayaked and 3 attempted the stand up boards. Yes – there is video! Now we’re off to fuel up on pasta and talk relay strategy. It really is a lot of work to plan.
It still doesn’t seem real to me. This is my third year here and I was always in the support role. I can’t quite seem to accept that now I’m one of the survivors… the survivors made me well up with tears last year every time I passed one of them on the course. Now it’s me. weird.
I will work on a sign for my back that says “caution – slow runner – running with expanders” so no one runs me off the road. I know I’ll finish it and hope to finish it well, but then again I may have a huge meltdown on the finish line. Who knows? I am a planner and a bit of a control freak and it’s driving me crazy that I cannot predict how I’ll cross the line. Happy? Sad? Angry? Motivated? Driven? Tired? All of the above? I know this… I’ll need a beer!