One good thing about these long flights to my marathons is, it gives me time to write about the upcoming event. I don't really know why I feel compelled to write about these things--other than the fact that it keeps my mind off the ever changing engine noises that usually cause me to start looking to see if the flight attendants are putting on their parachutes and figuring out which one I will attack and take it from.Anyway...back to the marathon...or...the day before...

As you know, my last marathon was just two months ago in Alabama...where I just missed my goal of under 3 hours by 37 seconds. I had never trained harder than I did for that one and I was dreading jumping back into such an intense training routine all over again. So, I took a week off and backed off the intensity level to a more "comfortable" level. I figured this one just wasn't as important to get under 3 as I felt that Rocket City was...I'm not really sure why...but I was fine with it.

Then...the cold hit...sub zero temps for days and days...and days. I was going to total up the the total miles I had run on the treadmill training for this marathon. I'll bet it was over 300. And I think that is what is worrying me the most about this one. I suppose an advantage is--it might have prepared me better for the warmer weather...I lost a whole lot of sweat during those 300 miles. My training was okay. If I'm honest, I really did not enjoy it a whole lot. Maybe I need a little bit of a break after this one. Which, I do intend to do...maybe two weeks.

I have really been looking forward to this trip though. It is going to be so nice to have a week after the race to just relax. I had my road bike hauled down for me, so I'll probably do a little biking...hmmm...I'll have to do that first thing in the morning...before I start drinking. Have I explained the reason for this trip?

About a year ago, Ryan's girlfriend decided that she would like for us to join her and her family at their timeshare in Sarasota, FL, to celebrate her golden birthday. They always drive down and back. But, since I don't have the flexibility with my work schedule as I once did, taking off any more than a week would not be doable. So, DW, Ryan, and the other family headed out early Thursday morning and drove through to Nashville, TN, where they spent Friday and did some touring. They will roll into Sarasota sometime today--spend the night, drive to Naples tomorrow, watch the marathon, and drive me back to Sarasota. We'll spend the week there, then we'll all drive back to Minnesota where, by then, I'm sure the snow will all be gone and the temps will be back in the 60's and 70's...

Oh--back to my race--I'm not really sure what to expect. Even though I didn't enjoy the training, I did put in a solid 2 months of quality runs. So I'm sure I'm ready. And, because I'll have people that I will want to impress along the course and at the finish, I will be motivated to perform well.

Well, the lady sitting next to me on the plane was a talker and wanted to talk...so we talked almost the whole way. Probably lucky for you guys because I would have just kept going on and on about the days leading up to today...the day before the marathon. I am at my DD's FIL's house in Marco Island. He's a good guy. Unfortunately, I just want to relax and get ready for tomorrow...I'm really no fun the day before a marathon...come to think of it...I'm really not a whole lot of fun any other day, either.

It looks like 47 degrees at the start, warming up to 58 by 10:00. That sounds good to me. I hope I don't blind anybody with my Minnesota pearly white skin.

Okay--I'm just rambling...I'll let you all go.  See ya!

Perfect conditions! Good Luck Mike---Go get this!

Sounds like perfect weather - have a great race!

I looked up the results and I'm speechless. Congratulations on the overall win!

And the sub-3! Very impressive