Lucky 13

So it's the night before. I'm nervous. Am I prepared? As in grade school,  the answer is, if the conditions are good and luck shines on me, perhaps. Have I prepared enough? No.  I've run as far as 8.5 miles. It's not 13 but I expect it will be enough to get me through. I will desperately be looking for that 2nd wind. But one way or another I will finish because for me, finishing this race would be special and I really and truly need something special right now. I don't know how special it makes me - I am one of at least 15,000, not to mention the nutters doing the full 26.2.

Since I have to be up at about [insert deep breath] 4:30 am, I am getting myself together ahead of time: putting my 2 1/2 hrs worth of tunes together, shorts, shirt. Travel light. Ipod and car keys and that's it. Unfortunately there will be no one at the other end to cheer me on or hand me a sweatshirt but that's the way the cookie crumbles. Sometimes you're on your own. No baggage, travel light.

But more important than any of that is the question why run a 1/2 marathon? In order to answer that I will leave you with a quote from a real underdog movie:

 
"'Cause all I want to do is go the distance... and If I can go that distance, you see, if that bell rings              
and I'm still standing, I'm gonna know for the first time in my life, you see, that I weren't just            another  bum from the neighborhood..."

                                                                            from the motion picture "Rocky"