Judgement Day

December 7, 2007

Well, it's here--this is marathon weekend. On Sunday morning, I will skip my churchly duties, and with a desperate prayer in my heart, I will run 26.2 miles with the ultimate goal of qualifying for the 2008 Boston Marathon.

The weather reports have been all over the place, and seem to be changing dramatically by the minute. A week ago, weather.com really got my hopes up. They told me that I could expect sunshine, rainbows, butterflies, and a high temperature of 65 degrees. There was a slight chance of the sun turning into a cartoonish smiley face, and the clouds breaking into spontaneous show tunes. I was really looking forward to it.

By the middle of this week, the weather wasn't looking quite so ideal. The forecast called for a high temperature of 78, high humidity and strong winds. It wasn't the perfect running weather, but it was the perfect spectator weather, so I was still feeling fairly optimistic about the whole ordeal. If I was extra hot and sweaty, so what. At least there would be friendly folks with signs, forty rockin' bands, goofy looking little boys ringing cowbells, and Snickers bars at mile twenty-one.

But the latest forecast could very well be the worst--60ish degrees at the start, with declining temperatures throughout the race, heavy rain, and a possibility of thunder and lightening.

So what does that mean for the runners? It means that we will get colder and wetter with every mile, and there's a strong possibility that a few of us will get our hair singed off by a stray lightening bolt. The band members will be sleeping, the Snickers man will be hiding, the spectators will be Christmas shopping, and the kids with cowbells will be forced to play inside.

So basically, the race festivities will consist of 15,000 runners, 15,000 disgruntled spouses, and my very enthusiastic friend Catherine cheering everyone on like a mad woman. If there are no bands, Catherine will sing. If there are no cowbell kids, Catherine will beat her chest like a female ape. And if there are no Snickers bars at mile 21, I'm sure that Catherine will do something to appease the athletes (remove her shirt, perhaps?).

So yes, I will admit that I'm kind of discouraged and a little bit disappointed. But I'm totally prepared, and I'm not at all afraid. On Sunday morning, at 8 o'clock central standard time, I will stand on the starting line--probably smelling like a wet dog--I will look Mother Nature bang in the eye, point my umbrella to the heavens and say "Bring it on you crazy, heartless ho-bag. BRING IT ON!"

I just hope that the woman standing next to me doesn't think I'm talking to her.

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good luck on Sunday! I hope you run like the wind and win the whole thing!

katieo said...

lol, I wish I was that lady standing next to you!

GOOD LUCK!

Sarah said...

Good Luck!! You are a trooper, those lightening bolts won't mess with you!

Topher said...

Wha..? Skipping Cheerios time in the pew with James while listening to a Dry Counselor blab on and on about obscure doctrine? May the heavens have mercy on your soul... and on your race. Good luck! At least if the weather's crap, your chances of placing are greater since the panzie elite runners won't show up, right?

akshaye said...

Good luck! I hope the weather clears up. The cold ain't bad.. but the rain is a bitch. I hate wet socks.. yuck! Not to mention that they make you blister very quickly. Um... wait a sec. I am supposed to cheer you.. Yea the rains great hehe!

Good luck!! Have a blast on race day

Ian said...

Good luck Amy! I hope you BQ

Bahston Beans said...

You're so fast, you can just run between the drops!

Marathoner in Training said...

Amy,
Best of luck running in the cold, wet weeather. If the weather is too bad, you could allways eat cheereos in the pew. You are a real trooper to run a marathon in this kind of weather.
Good Luck!

Hilary said...

Best of luck to you.. looking forward to hearing all about it.

Mindy said...

Good luck! You rock!!!

Jess said...

Good luck with the race -- can't wait for the report!

chattypatra said...

Ok, Amy, pretend you are listening to a cheer from that save the world cheerleader on Heroes:

"Firecracker, Firecracker,
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!
Firecracker, Firecracker,
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!
The rain is gonna fall
And lightning's gonna strike
But Amy's gonna run
She's gonna cross the finish line!"

Hum...guess now you know why I was never a cheerleader. Heh.

GO, AMY, GO! WIN THAT RACE!

P.S: Will the race be on TV?

Marcy said...

GOOD LUCK AMY!!!

Anonymous said...

good luck! i hope you get your snickers at mile 21. regardless of how disgruntled your spouse will be at the weather, i'm sure he'll be proud of you!
(i say that as a runner and as the wife of a marathoner...i stood and sat in the rain and didn't mind one bit)

Amy said...

Thanks you guys! I'll let you know how it goes!

Katy Shamitz said...

3:37:30
:)

Viv said...

LOL! I hope the weather changes for the better. You know TX weather is crazy like that. Best of luck Amy, I hope you get that Bawhston qualify!

Anonymous said...

Good luck, I'll be rooting you on from Chicago!

J~Mom said...

GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!! We will be cheering for you from blogland!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Good luck! I know you're going to do great! Make sure there are pictures of you.

We should have gotten a bunch of us together and made you a trophy!

Grandma said...

hey I thought you only saved that greeting for me!!!!
Go get 'em Amy! Good Luck!! xo

Catherine M. said...

Awwwe! I'm so excited! You'll be fine. Running in the rain is refreshing, its like relaxing in the spa and exercising all at once. You can use my patagonia if you want to. I'll do everything I can to lift your spirits. Flashing you would only be scary..

I love you Amy, I'm so excited for you and Sarah that I'm getting sick to my stomach for you!

Cheryl said...

Good luck, Amy! I know you'll do great! Hope you get a Snickers bar.

Ali said...

Good luck Amy! I can't believe race weekend is here already. I will be thinking of you on Sunday. You are going to do great

P.O.M. said...

Let's all just take a moment and be thankful for friends like Catherine. I just wish everyone in the world would have a Catherine. There would be peace on earth.

Most importantly, kick some mother loving booty.

Anonymous said...

Good luck Amy. You've got moxie and will do fantastic. An amazing accomplishment just to be running that far.:-)

Anonymous said...

Good luck!!

Anonymous said...

STOP YOUR WHINNNNNING AND JUST RUN

Heather said...

I missed your birthday post! I was out of town! And sickly!

Not good luck -- GREAT LUCK! Tomorrow! It's gonna be great! GO YOU!

MissAllycat said...

Good luck, Amy!! I'll be sending good weather vibes your way.

Amy said...

Thanks everyone! I'll let you know how it goes...

Amy@RunnersLounge said...

Amy,

Good luck to you today. I will keep good thoughts for you throughout the race. Enjoy the miles!

Amy
http://blog.runnerslounge.com

Jenn S. said...

Amy, we've been thinking about you all day, especially since the weather was so cold and miserable. Hope you and Sarah and home relaxing and taking it easy. PLEASE call me if you need me to come get James tomorrow.

I'm so proud of you!