A Fun Day

For many years it has been my annual tradition to take the Friday before the marathon as a vacation day, go to the Expo and do some shopping. The fact that my birthday always falls on or near marathon weekend is an additional reason for this fun tradition.

I started my day by sleeping in until 8:00. I read the morning news over coffee, checked up on things at the office and handled a few work-related matters, then got dressed and headed downtown.

I got to the Expo at 11:15. I picked up my race packet, got my chip tested, got one of the two shirts I’ll be getting this weekend (I get the other after I cross the finish line) and explored the Expo. I hadn’t had breakfast, so I made sure to hit the Clif Bar booth for samples. I was disappointed that there was no Smoothie King booth, but there were two rice companies with booths and I ate a lot of rice. I also ate a mini Lara Bar. It was okay, but I still prefer Clif Bars.

I browsed the sale clothing from the various running shops, but didn’t find anything I just had to have. I bought a couple of new running caps though, and some socks and an amphipod pocket. I have two amphipods already, but they’ve been missing since I moved last August, and I’ve really missed having one for short runs.

I signed up for Bayou City Outdoors' newsletter and entered a drawing for a weekend in Marathon, Texas (near Big Bend). I picked up race info on upcoming triathlons and next November’s San Antonio Marathon.

When I could find nothing else of interest, I left the expo and went to one of my favorite resale shops. I found a lot of good stuff there.

Then it was off to PetSmart to stock up on supplies, using one of my gift cards from Christmas. And since PetSmart is next to a Barnes & Noble store, I browsed the books and found two I liked, using another of my Christmas gift cards.

Walgreens was next on my list, where among other things, I got some instant cold packs for after the marathon. It was great last year to be able to ice my legs immediately after getting my finisher’s medal and shirt. It speeded my recovery and made me feel very smart.

And finally, since Friday is Grocery Day, I went to Central Market and Rice Epicurean, where I filled up on samples and did the shopping for the week.

I got stuck in traffic on the way home due to a stalled cement mixer on the freeway, but that was the only down spot of my day. I got home and put all my loot away, visited with Dan and read blogs and emails.

Tomorrow I’m going to do laundry and maybe go for a morning walk to my new secret trail. I’ll get all my gear together for the marathon, so I won't be scrambling for anything tomorrow night. Dan and I are going to a wedding in the afternoon, but we’ll be home early and hopefully I’ll be tired and able to go to bed early. If not, no big deal. I’ve done runs of over twenty miles on just three hours of sleep, so I’m confident my body will be up for whatever I tell it to be up for on Sunday.

One more day!