Calm Between the Storms

Not much change to the weather forecast for race day. Still humid, 60-80 degrees, with possible severe thunderstorms.

Last night there was an outrageous thunderstorm here in Eldridge. It knocked out power in the hotel for a few minutes. It was crashing so loud I thought there were elephants in the room above me. It literally shook the room. Rain was coming down in buckets, or sheets, or swimming pools. We got over 2 inches of rain here last night. It only lasted about an hour, but if that happens during the night on the track, we're definitely going to have to find shelter and halt the race for a while.

It's cloudy and humid again today. The sun is coming out a little, but it looks the same as yesterday. There was a tornado that destroyed a turkey farm about an hour or so southwest of here.

This morning I woke up early and did a few errands. Then I went into Davenport to the Walmart, which, like it or not, is becoming a part of my pre-race ritual since I run in so many out-of-the-way places. I only spent $39.71. Felix would be so proud of me. He thought I spent way too much in Nevada, but we were out there for a week and there were 6 of us!

I thought about getting this top, my lap counter at the track wouldn't have any trouble spotting me in this. But it seemed impractical. Yes Felix, I do think about those things.

I found out why people shop at Walmart. They have specialized clothing, with technical features you can't find anywhere else. And it's such a bargain!

After Walmart I drove down to the Mississippi River, just out of curiosity, I found myself on the riverfront in Moline, Illinois. I walked along a path down there. Nothing much going on, not very exciting at 9 in the morning. That was it. I wanted to get back to Eldridge and start organizing my stuff.

I drove back to Eldridge, dumped the water out of my coolers and re-filled them with ice. I'll have to top them off tomorrow, I'll need ice for my drinks and maybe for my head and neck when it's that warm out. Nothing will dry in this humidity, so I might have to change clothes a few times. There's nothing worse than a saturated running bra rubbing your skin off.

Now I'm in the room, eating a big salad, one of my pre-race rituals. Salad in a trough. I bought the trough at Walmart. Gotta get some fiber in before the big race, clean out the pipes before race morning! McDonald's is open at 5 am, and I'll do my usual pre-race 1000 calorie breakfast sandwich there in the morning. Sounds kind of gross right now, but last July was the last time I had one!

Doug and Marji will get here this afternoon and then we'll go to the pre-race dinner and briefing at Lancers Grill. Hopefully I can at least set up the tent tonight, so there's less to do in the morning.



All I have to do now is put my feet up and drink. Margaritas would be nice, but I'll have to wait a few days...