Thirteen Hours To gO!

I have my pasta sauce simmering on the stove.   Hopefully, I will eat by 7 pm instead of the not so great for running a marathon time of 9 pm.  It has been a busy day.  I ran at 7 am to see what the temperature was like and to shake out the kinks and also to check the running gear.  BTW, long socks on arms are scratchy so I bought some arm warmers at the expo for $10.  I will be ditching the sweatshirt and sweatpants somewhere along the course. I went to the CIM Expo and listened to some speakers and wandered around looking at the various booths.  I got my very boring grocery shopping done and gas for the car so I would be ready to go at 4 am tomorrow.

Wow!!!  A year of planning and working towards my goal are at an end.  I ran 721 miles to get to tomorrow.  Now all I have to do is show up and run 26.2 miles.

I've been thinking a lot about my brother today.  He has rarely been far from my mind.  I remember the sweet little boy he was, following me and my other brother around.  Brett is 4 years younger than me and 18 months younger than my other brother.  In those days, he was a nuisance to me.  Getting into my things, asking lots of questions and in general just being a little boy.  There was no way for me to know that when we grew up he would be one of my closest friends. 

I know people that don't have relationships with their siblings.  I have a friend that doesn't like her brother.  That is so foreign to me.  I can't even imagine what it would be like not to have my brother, both my brothers in my life.  In my birthday card this year he wrote a note, yes with a pen in his mouth he wrote these words:  "I've always known that my big sis has my back.  That was true when we were kids and now even more so."  The thing that he doesn't know is that he has always had my back.  He has always been a source of strength to me.  There are many decisions in my life that I couldn't have made without his counsel.  I just feel so lucky to know him, to count him as my friend, and to love him like a brother because he is...my brother Brett.  Tomorrow is all for you little brother.  Your spirit will carry me on my way.  I love you!!!