Day 4,061 —4 Runs until the Huron 100: Figuring it Out—

 

I would like to start a new morning routine this week, considering I am driving to Michigan on Friday. It is about an 8-and-a-half-hour drive, which is not ideal but not awful either. I want to arrive at packet pickup by 5 p.m., so I figured I would leave around 6 or 6:30 a.m., so I have plenty of time. It is an hour later there, so it makes things a little more complicated. The packet pickup goes all the way until 8 p.m., so it is not the end of the world if I am later, but I would like to have time enough to stop for lunch without being rushed and, in general, not have a lot of anxiety about the drive.

         I don’t love driving, but I like the idea of being alone that long. What I don’t like is having so many factors outside my control, but maybe it is more about not having ever done so much of this before. I will feel better when I start the race at 9 a.m. on Saturday, but even that late start time is annoying. Also considering, I will be on a shuttle ride starting at 7:15 the morning before.

My point with all this is that I need to start getting up early again, which might be difficult with the routine I have gotten myself into. I will need to run and shower before I leave on Friday, so that means I need to get up at around 4 or 4:30. I have class the night before that can go until 10:30, and my wife has said she will possibly be in meetings from 1 until 6 p.m., so I will be watching both of my kids, which will make it more difficult to pack.

So, I need to get done what I can now, but the trouble is figuring out what that is exactly. I am going to try to get stuff together for my drop bags, even though the new ones I ordered for the race won’t be here until Thursday.