Thursday a.m.

Good morning! The four "pages" of the picture above say: Are you ready to run? Work, Hope, Win, and Prize. These were drawn and given to me by Emma, Matthew and Jean Sowders' daughter. They are her way of wishing me a great day at Boston. I told her last night that I was taking them with me to Boston and will put them where I can see them all weekend. I also received a nice card in the mail yesterday from some others. I appreciate all the well-wishes and wishers! I am started to get excited about it all.

We leave in the morning, so today is the day to get everything together. I have a big list of small things to do and get and pack. Kedra ordered our groceries online yesterday. They will be delivered to Mary, Jean's sister, tomorrow, shortly before we arrive. Mary is reserving a "zip car" for us. I think that's what it's called. It's a car you pick up at the airport and drive one way to a drop off point in the city. One of the drop off points is nearby where we are staying.

This whole experience is something I have dreamed about for a long, long time. I've only seriously pursued it in the last 3 years, thanks to connecting with a community of runners who have "been there and done that." So many have encouraged and helped me in so many ways. It would be hard to adequately thank them. Qualifying was hard for me and so, so rewarding. You can read about it here, if you want. Now it's time to celebrate and enjoy. I hope to run really well, but if I don't, then so be it.

I have no idea about Internet access in our place in Boston. Depending upon access, I will try share some more things with you as the weekend unfolds. For those who want to follow my progress during the run, you can go here and work through the instructions. My bib number is 13763.

Thanks!