The weekend is upon us.  The weekend of the Kentucky Derby Mini Marathon, that is.  Gary and I have been planning this weekend for months, and I am thrilled it is finally here, but with it comes apprehension.  I am pretty certain I can bust out 13.1 miles.  The adrenaline rush from the other 17,999 runners and the amazing crowd support will make up for my aging legs and nervous thoughts.  The issue is that I ran this race last year, so I have something to live up to.  I have a time to beat, or at the very least match.  I am working hard to not get too caught up in times, but I know come Saturday morning at 6:30 am, I will take out too fast trying to keep up with runners I have no business trying to keep pace with.  It just happens.

We are taking off at noon tomorrow so we can check into our hotel – the Galt House 🙂 (which just happens to be an extraordinary hotel on the riverfront) – and then hit the expo.  That is where we will gather our race bibs and race t-shirts, and then browse the vendor booths.  Dinner will likely be in the Fourth Street Live area, and will consist of some type of pasta.  Hopefully whatever I eat won’t haunt me during the race.  That would suck.  I am concerned about the weather.  The temps should be okay, but there is a chance of rain all day.  I can run in the rain, but for a race I much prefer sunshine.  It is difficult for Gary to run in the rain because of his glasses.

Last year we had some friends who were also running the race, and one friend, Jen, who was there to support us, but because of an injury two weeks before the marathon, she was unable to run.  Although I will miss our friends being with us, I am looking forward to a weekend away with my husband.  It will go quickly as we are heading home after the run, but we will savor those rare moments when only we matter (sorry, kids!).

I will most certainly blog about the race no matter how it turns out.  My students, who are from 8 to 10 years old, still don’t understand why I would run a race and not plan to win.  I have explained OFTEN, but they still don’t get it.  Today they told me that if I can’t win the race, they hope that I at least get 3rd or 4th.  Sure.  It makes no sense to a third grader that I would be happy to place 9000th.  Actually, my goal is to place in the top 25% of my division.  Top 20% would be awesome.  One advantage I have is that I moved up an age group this year.  Only in running is aging an advantage!

Below I am including a picture of us from last year’s race: Tony Hollinden, Jennifer Land, me, Gary, and Kick-Ass Runner Kim Strobel.  It is the race the Kim qualified for the Boston Marathon, and consequently landed a big spread in today’s Perry County News!  What wonderful memories of that day!  Now the focus is on making wonderful memories at this year’s Kentucky Derby Mini Marathon!  Run On, Rock Star!