Ice and snow

I can't remember the last time I was as excited about flying as I was yesterday morning. Grinning from ear to ear at times.

And then, the plane almost didn't take off. After everyone was on the plane, the pilot made some reference to the Toby Keith song "As Good As I Once Was" and said he wasn't going to take risks. "We might not go," he said.

Long story short, four hours and three trips down the runway, we took off. A short while later as we were in the air and experiencing some turbulence, he came on and said, "Normally I would apologize, but I'm happy to be up here bumping along. This air should smooth out soon."

So anyhow, we got to Phoenix safely. The finish line for the marathon could be seen from the sky as we came down on the plane.

The temperature for the race will start in the 30s and rise to the 50s. So my plan for today is to buy a race number belt so that I can easily take off and discard clothing. Primarily a long-sleeve tshirt that I have two of.

My plan for tomorrow is to start out slow, maybe just a wee bit faster than I did in the first marathon back in June. However, I want to pick it up some and get more focused from mile 13 on. Then, hopefully, concentrate on the last six miles and push hard.

Training has been tough but I've made it this far. I'm confident I can get a pr. I'm confident I can have a fun time, a good time. I'm confident I'm not going to see any ice and snow tomorrow.

Back home in Springfield, ice knocked out power to over 5,000 people. Flights out of Springfield were cancelled. I was on the last flight out of Tulsa. Just amazing. I'm so glad to be here and excited about the race.