Twas the night before race day...

It's here! It's here! It's here!!! Very shortly after moving here to the St. Louis area I was SO excited to learn that the Rock N' Roll racing series had a St. Louis stop. I signed up ASAP for the 1/2 Marathon and now, several months later, its hard to believe race day is almost here!! 

Went to the expo today (with some good friends for support) to pick up my bib number, racing shirt, and swag bag - made everything that much more real. 

*Bonus adventure* after the race expo we decided spontaneously to check out the Anheuser-Busch Brewery tour for the afternoon, finished with some yummy carbs at Olive Garden for dinner after. Scroll to the bottom of this post to see pictures from our tour adventure!

Can't wait to share stories with everyone after tomorrow. Thank you to everyone for encouragement and tips along the way!! The official start time for the race tomorrow is 7am CST. I am runner #7293 (woohoo!) Check out the course I'll be running tomorrow here: Course Map (the 1/2 marathon course is the purple line)

Found this fun parody below on a running blog I enjoy: One Run At A Time and decided it was very appropriate to share on such as night as this for me! Happy reading to you all. Happy running to me. Can't wait to Rock N' Roll bright and early tomorrow!

Twas the Night Before Race Day...

from One Run At A Time

Twas the night before race day, one could hear not a peep

It’s race day tomorrow, I needs me some sleep!

Shoes, stockings, and water, all laid out with care

With hopes of the PR I was hoping to snare


The tempos have been run, the hills been repeated,

And memories of bonks have all but receded.


With my camelback stocked and the bib on my shirt

It’s all ready – with danger I’d rather not flirt.

When there in my thoughts there arose such a clatter,

I sprang out of bed to take care of the matter!


Away to my gym bag I flew like a flash,

I grabbed at spare undies, the rest of my stash. 

The device at the bottom I had rudely ignored

Beeped silently, “Charge me!” it all but implored.

I grabbed at the iPod, batteries dead

When a thought so sublime popped into my head 

You’ve worked hard for this, chica, enjoy every minute

Give high 5s and smiles, keep your mind in it!

So, I tucked away tunes for another run

And thought, maybe I should have one run more done. 

The nagging in my head, said “What if, what if?”

But I pushed it away, with not one more sniff

Now’s not the time for pains, doubts, and straining

You logged the hard miles, now trust in your training 

After all, a race is not a culminating event

It’s a celebration of hours well spent

So, head back to sleep, think not one thought more

Tomorrow is nearing, so go catch a snore 

And when you wake up, RACE DAY is HERE!

So, soak it up, choke it up, share that good cheer!

With every step taken, each mile on par

Be thankful for legs that have carried you so far 

And when the final mile peaks, the finish line roars

The medal around your neck is no ones but yours!

With a calm, happy heart, I headed back to bed

When one last idea flashed through my head. 

And so I exclaimed, as I turned off the light,

“HAPPY RACE DAY TO ALL – AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!”

Bonus Brewery tour adventure from today...