26.2 Miles: A Lesson in Forward Motion - Part 1

Here's how it all shook down race fans:

Friday was Travel Day. The most notable thing was that there was no notable thing. I always get a little nervous with a sub-45 minute layover at any airport, but all was well. 2 smooth flights. Got into Phoenix, grabbed some grub and a beer at TGIFridays. Nice to know my nutrition patterns followed me to the desert.

Saturday was Expo Day. I'd never been to an Expo before. I was supposed to go to the one for my half marathon in Des Moines, but we got in late. So, it's like a convention for running geeks. Cool. Looking back on it, I should've picked up a couple things. A P.F. Chang's stuffed bear for my son and a non-dorky looking fanny pack. Boy, I sure would like one of those SpiBelts. That'd be great to review, Spibelt. Hint, hint Spibelt!

**Chauvanist Alert!**

The perky lady that was selling the Spibelts was generous enough to demonstrate that, no matter how fast you run in place, the pack will not fall off. She seemed nice.

I'm pretty sure I saw a couple people featured in Spirit of the Marathon (the guy who got injured while training and the grad student that raised money for an adoption agency). No kidding. There was a SOTM booth, but they weren't involved. The booth was situated right by a meeting area and, once they saw that, Injured Guy and Grad Student inched away. Hmm.

Next up, I was fortunate enough to meet Vanilla in person. He was in awe of me. I mean, really...it was embarassing. I didn't get the chance to punch him because he strategically had his wife and kids with him each time I met up with him. I didn't want to have his kids see their dad get punched so I let it go.

After the expo, we jumped in my sister's car and drove the route. THAT'S when it hit me. This is a lonnnggggg way. We talked strategy. My buddy, who wanted to be called "coach" would be at the 21 mile mark snapping pictures. It helped that he was at a Circle K. He told me he'd have a chili dog waiting for me. What a coach, huh?

I didn't speak much after our strategy session. I was anxious more than anything else. We met the Vanillas at a bagel shop for a late lunch. I'm sure that we all spoke to one another, but I don't remember much of it.

We went home and I vegged as much as I could. I did little fidgety stuff, though. I wrote my info on the back of my bib, laid my stuff out to make sure everything was there, etc. Dinner was great. Spaghetti and meatballs at a locally owned place in north Phoenix. I had 2 beers, as is tradition, to calm my nerves. It helped somewhat. After dinner, we chillaxed a bit more and then I went to bed in hopes of getting a good night's sleep.

Coming Up....Part 2. Where are all the marathoners?