The Day Before - Posted 10/25
I got up around 8:00 this morning to get ready for our run with Gilbert at 9:30. I slept pretty good and felt well rested. The weather was perfect...in the 50s with a light wind and a bit overcast. We went for an early bagel, cream cheese, and OJ and then got back to meet up with the rest of the Gazelles at our hotel.
G's plane was on time and he was at the hotel just after 9:30. A Chicago based Gazelle named David took us on a jogging tour of Chicago on the way to the Lakeshore trail. Once we got there we jogged about a mile up the road and did some strides in the grass. We were careful to watch for holes and a whole lot of goose crap. It reminded us of the bombs at Auditorium Shores that we have to avoid after our long runs. When we were done with the strides, we headed back towards the hotel but decided to walk. I think we were on our feet too long, but no biggie. I stopped and bought some bread for my pre-race peanut butter sandwich on the way back and the group split up from there. Alex and I headed back to Subway where I got another foot long Turkey and cheese on wheat with veggies. Subway two days in a row...but it sure beat pasta! I got back to the room, ate, showered and then settled in for the second half of the UT game. I slept on and off until the mid 4th quarter and saw the end of the close game. I switched between the other games and slept even more. I made sure to switch between bottles of water and Gatorade Endurance all day long.
At around 5PM, we headed down to eat in the hotel restaurant. We couldn't sit until 5:30 so we hung out in the lobby to avoid sitting on the beds. It was amazing how many marathoners were just coming back from the expo. I was very happy to have that chore done the day before. The hotel had some pasta specials, but I put in my request for pasta with light olive oil, and sliced chicken breast on top. It is the same meal I ate during all my long runs this summer. I also had a salad and a couple of rolls. We headed back up after the meal and watched game one of the World Series. I stayed up until after the weather report on WGN at 9:30 and went to bed. I set the alarm for 5AM and did some last minute visualization and slept awesome. I think it was the best ever night of sleep I have had the night before a marathon.
G's plane was on time and he was at the hotel just after 9:30. A Chicago based Gazelle named David took us on a jogging tour of Chicago on the way to the Lakeshore trail. Once we got there we jogged about a mile up the road and did some strides in the grass. We were careful to watch for holes and a whole lot of goose crap. It reminded us of the bombs at Auditorium Shores that we have to avoid after our long runs. When we were done with the strides, we headed back towards the hotel but decided to walk. I think we were on our feet too long, but no biggie. I stopped and bought some bread for my pre-race peanut butter sandwich on the way back and the group split up from there. Alex and I headed back to Subway where I got another foot long Turkey and cheese on wheat with veggies. Subway two days in a row...but it sure beat pasta! I got back to the room, ate, showered and then settled in for the second half of the UT game. I slept on and off until the mid 4th quarter and saw the end of the close game. I switched between the other games and slept even more. I made sure to switch between bottles of water and Gatorade Endurance all day long.
At around 5PM, we headed down to eat in the hotel restaurant. We couldn't sit until 5:30 so we hung out in the lobby to avoid sitting on the beds. It was amazing how many marathoners were just coming back from the expo. I was very happy to have that chore done the day before. The hotel had some pasta specials, but I put in my request for pasta with light olive oil, and sliced chicken breast on top. It is the same meal I ate during all my long runs this summer. I also had a salad and a couple of rolls. We headed back up after the meal and watched game one of the World Series. I stayed up until after the weather report on WGN at 9:30 and went to bed. I set the alarm for 5AM and did some last minute visualization and slept awesome. I think it was the best ever night of sleep I have had the night before a marathon.
posted by Paco at 7:24 PM
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