say a prayer for surfboy

This post may come across as a little uneven. A lot of loosely connected thoughts. I'm here at my friend Jeff's apartment in Chicago, a couple of hours before bedtime. I wonder how I will sleep.

We spent the afternoon downtown, picking up our numbered bibs and other giveaways at the Health and Fitness Expo (where I met up briefly with Dylana and her friends). It was a fun atmosphere, sweat-wicking fabric and energy drinks as far as the eye could see. I think it helped get me into a racing mood.

So here we go. There are definitely reasons I should be worried about tomorrow. I can't say that this is something I've done before. I haven't. And I can't say that my body hasn't let me down at all over the last few months. It has. But at the moment, my legs feel rested and ready to go. I made it to race day prepared and healthy, which was the goal of the training all along.

And really, if this were easy, there would be no point in doing it. I don't want this to feel like just another run, it's the 2008 Chicago Marathon! So in that sense, I'm excited. And it will be fun to run with Jeff. It's been just about a decade since we suited up in Bay's blue and white for the cross country state meet (I'd have never guessed we'd be running together in a marathon ten years later).

So it may be tough, but it sure won't be boring. And if you find yourself sitting at the breakfast table or in a church pew tomorrow morning and wonder what mile marker Hrubik's at, feel free to shoot up a prayer for him and his some 40,000 odd comrades.