My blogging may be sparse this week. The big marathon is this Saturday morning and I need to get my sleep. I say "big" because it is the last big marathon in Utah--6,400 runners; best supported race; and most fans.
My goal is to shave 12 minutes off of last year's time so that I come in under 4 hours. If I get my sleep, follow my hydration plan, and carbo-load, I am confident I will have the energy to sustain me throughout the race, especially if it gets hot. The weather channel is predicting thunder storms and rain. Rain would be a welcome guest.
I'm dedicating this race to my friend, Daniel, who is unable to run the marathon this year. I'll run the race with his name on my bib. This race would have been his 8th. On the 29th of August, Daniel was riding around the neighborhood trying out the new dirt bike that he had purchased. His daughter was riding on the back.
As he was coming up onto a corner, a teenage driver was coming the opposite direction going too fast and cutting the corner. To avoid what Daniel saw was an evident collision, he swerved the bike to the right and dove off the bike. His daughter held fast to him. She got scratches and a couple of sprained fingers. As Daniel dove from the bike, however, the bike fell on his right leg, twisting it and breaking bones in 5 places. He underwent an operation last week. He has a metal plate stabilizing the tibia, secured with 7 screws. He will not be able to run until April. The metal plate comes off in a year from now. He will not be able to run a marathon until 2006.
Daniel and his wife Nina have been great friends for many years. It is an honor to run in his memory this year. (Another great reason to rock the clock!)
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