One more sleep

Only one more sleep until the big event. The Runner gets so excited/nervous that sleeping is really difficult. He gets obsessed with how much sleep he needs. Two years ago he really messed it up and had about 4 hours sleep between Thursday night and the race start. Not ideal but he still managed a decent race.

Even the back up teams get nervous. I hope The Hippy Chick doesn't mind me sharing this. The Bearded One takes his role very seriously and spends a lot of time early Friday evening checking and double checking the equipment. The Hippy Chick says she could dance about wearing fishnet stockings and a basque with tassels on her boobs and he wouldn't even notice! That's real dedication to the race especially since The Hippy Chick is amply blessed in the cleavage department!

So what are today's plans? I've already got a big pot of Magic soup on the aga. There's a jug of coke on the table getting the occasional stir to de-fizz it. Only 6 more litres to get flat! The hall is full of 5l bottles of water and Lucozade sports. There are bags with hot cross buns, nutrigrains, fruit loaf etc. There's running gear hanging up inside cos it's flipping raining and I can't dry it outside! The freezer is full of ice packs for the cool bags. I've got lists everywhere, not because I'm an organised person. It's because I'm not and I'm scared I'll forget something. But it's always like this so I know we'll be ready in time.

The M&M Man sent this to The Runner. It's a quote from an ultra event in the States.

"My wife, trainer, chef, motivational coach, cheerleader, drill sergeant, knee doctor, blister popper, foot doctor, sunstroke preventer, anti-dehydration specialist, friction-rash preventer, calorie intake captain, equipment manager, transportation coordinator, lodging manager, wardrobe coordinator, anti-sunburn specialist and trip-to-Hawaii-forfeiture-for-what-this-run-cost-our-family financial manager showed up on race day ready to do her job."

I think this sums up my role perfectly!

To all the backup crews I wish you good luck. May you have what your runner needs ready at each checkpoint and keep them healthy and motivated throughout. You are special people who do it for the love of running.

To all the runners I wish you a safe race. May your feet be blister free and your muscles remain strong. It's your day to challenge yourself beyond all physical and mental boundaries. Good luck x