I Packed My Bags Pre-Flight, Zero Hour 6 AM

Man, it's been hot down here in Sunny Florida the last several days. Tri buddies Tony and Carrie did a sprint triathlon in Key Biscayne on Sunday. They both did very respectable 1:13s, but word is the run was hot. Very hot. Pace slowing, heart rate raising hot. On Monday, Tony offers up a 5 miler at 7PM. Should be cool by that time. Monday, however, was record breaking hot. I check the Weather Channel website around 5:30 PM and its showing a heat index of 102 degrees for 7 PM. I e-mail Tony that I'm out. No way am I running in that kind of heat.

Tuesday morning, I go out at 6:45 AM to get the paper and note that it has rained. Its overcast and cool with a nice cloud cover. I get geared up quickly and head out the door for a 5 miler. I must be cashing in some karma chips as I have no right to expect this kind of cool weather. On the return half of my run, I hear distant thunder. I'm hoping its heat lightening. The last mile, it starts to rain. Not heavy, just enough to make me think of Seattle. "Yes, a nice light Seattle rain could be OK during the marathon," I think. After I get home, the rain starts to fall more heavily. It starts to pour and continues to rain and thunder for the next couple of hours. That little window of opportunity was over. Thank you Lord, Thank you Jesus. I'll run 20 red lights in your honor.

This morning was my last pre-marathon run. A not too challenging 5K speed treadmill workout. I only took it down to 7:30 mile pace. Don't want to do anything stupid the couple of days before a race.

As I start gathering gear and checking my paperwork for Seattle, I note that my flight out is at 6:10 AM. What was I thinking? With my wife driving my son to Gainesville the same day, its going to be hard to get her or him to get up early for a 5AM drive to the airport. These must have been the only flights available on my frequent flyer ticket. That, or I'm just an idiot. A rose would smell as sweet, I guess.

I gather together my usual doodads and goodies for Seattle. Race registration, hotel and car confirmations, shoes, goos and power bars. Don't forget the Pedialyte and the Starbucks Double Shot Expresso for pre-race hydration and accelerant. What to wear for the race? I usually over pack race gear to give myself options. Portable speaker set and iPod. Check. Camera. Check. Books for the plane ride. Check. Houston, we've completed our checklist and are "all go" here. Now, if I can just arrange that ride to the airport. Wish me luck. That, and cool weather.