Please take a number...

It's official...I'm in the race. There's no going back now, buddy! (Well, I guess technically I could just not show up tomorrow and chock my entry fee up to a donation to the American Cancer Society...but I won't - I promise!)

Tonja, The BFF and I all went to pick up our packets together this morning. Somehow, magically, even though our names are not close to each other alphabetically, and we all sent in our registration forms separately, we ended up getting sequential numbers: 1938, 1939, and 1940. I thought that was pretty cool...

See that "R" under my number? That stands for "Runner", and I'm not exactly sure they know how loosely that term should be used in my case, but whatev. I'll go with it.

Also in my 'packet' was this lot of runner swag:

A shampoo/conditioner sample, a travel-sized 30 SPF sunblock that is "Ultra Sweatproof" - thanks, I'll need that -, a travel-sized Dove Lotion, and a packet of PowerBar Carbohydrate Electrolyte Gel in Green Apple flavor - mmmm, yummy! (I'm seriously intrigued by this.) I'm a sucker for free stuff!

After we picked up our packets, we got in my car and took the route of the race course. This, of course, is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, now we know the lay of the land, what to expect, and how much farther we have to go until we reach the finish line. On the other hand, we now know how much farther we have to go until we reach the finish line.

Seriously?! 3.1 miles is a looooooong way, dude! I'm in a wee bit of shock, and it's my fault. My 5k's have been stationary - I've never been outside and mapped that distance, and to tell you the truth, if I had, there's a good chance I would have quit right then and there. But I didn't, and I won't, and tomorrow I'll give this thing everything I've got.

One good thing about this course - it's really pretty. It goes around a lake, past a horse farm, and past another lake before coming back to the starting line. The website says "rolling hills", and I'd say that's fairly accurate. Most of the course is pretty flat, with probably 3-4 long (not tall, but long) hills throughout.

Good thing #2 - this race is for runners and walkers, as I'm pretty sure most 5k's are. For me, this means two things: (1) there will be other people there with me in the back, and (2) there will be people there that I will be faster than! I'm just glad that I (hopefully) won't be the last person across that finish line. I may be the last runner, but if I beat the walkers, I'll be happy. Plus, having people there towards the end will help push me to keep going, to run as much as I can, and to finish faster than somebody.

Good thing #3 - the weather is supposed to be great! 62 degrees, mostly sunny, and only a 10% chance of rain. It doesn't get much better than that!

I'm really excited. I have no idea how I'll do, but at the very least, I'll be able to say I did it. That, to me, is what really counts.