Day 4,566—3 Runs until the Rim to River: Getting Ready—

 

Start time: 4:35 a.m.

Weather: Mid 40s wind .4  mi/h, Humidity 90%

        I worry when the humidity in my basement is over 40 percent. How is it normal for it to be between 80-90 every day here?

        I went through the race packet yesterday, and it made me so happy that there weren’t any surprises regarding drop bags or cut-off times. I was doing the math for the first cut-off times in this race, and they match the course cut-off time. This race is a straight there and back, and I don’t think I have ever done a straight there-and-back 100 before. All the races I have done have been either point-to-point or loop courses, so this will be an interesting change. The Badger is the closest I have done in that format. It does make things easier mentally because once I run the first half, I can check on my watch to reassure myself I am going the right way.

        It is cold there. I looked at the weather this morning, and it was in the mid to upper 30s, and according to the race director, he said to expect freezing temps around the rim, so I will plan on bringing a lot of my cold stuff for the race. Right now I am thinking I will start in shorts but will bring at least 2 heavier jackets. I have three drop bags to pack, which isn’t much, but I am going to prioritize clothes and gear over food. I will see each drop bag twice, for a total of 6 times, which will be a nice change compared to how infrequently I saw them on my last race, but so far so good. My goal for tonight is to get my drop bags packed, so I can start focusing on the camping gear. I don’t know if I will want to cook at my campsite this time. I will still need to do a grocery store run one of these nights, but hopefully I can avoid going more than once.

I like these Halloween decoration pictures I took today! I like the idea of keeping records of Halloween decorations in the area year after year. I could put out a book in twenty years that goes through the decades. Maybe a book for each season with some of my favorite pictures from that season.