Still raining. Started at 4:30 am, and I wasn't able to go back to sleep. It is in the low 30s, but not below freezing, so just the cold rain. I wimped out on biking to work. I can still claim I'm getting over the stomach flu that hit me Monday night and knocked me out for two days. Drove to work yesterday too as I really didn't have enough strength to ride.
Just as well as I had to pick up my race packet for tomorrow's half marathon. I am one of the two-hour pace group leaders. Running buddy Tim is the other. We, along with another buddy who has since moved away, were, and kind of still are, known as the BARFers. Fitting, given my week of nausea.
In the tent, the volunteers were well organized and remember to give me my bonus PACER t-shirt. A couple more of these and I'll have enough to form my own Indianapolis basketball team. They have extra shirts and hoodies from previous years for sale: $5 each. A good deal for a quality hoodie. I consider getting one each for the kids, but then the guy tells me their credit card machine is down. When I do carry cash, it disappears quickly. I think the RD just needs to donate those if they don't sell.
Next stop - lunch. I call my wife en route. She and kids are watching a movie. She had some of the same stomach problems I did, but a little less intense. We're hoping the kids escape it altogether. The girls have a dance performance next weekend which requires a mandatory all day rehearsal tomorrow. I'll drop them off on my way to the race.
Panera - Baja Mac & Cheese ordered on the touch screen, spy a couple of fellas vacating a table by the fireplace, claim it with a blinking pager, wet jacket and gloves and get some water. Next to me is that long table with grandparents, a couple of moms and three grandchildren. They speak of snowy days when they lived in Maryland. Mom tells her daughter about her snow boots that are like the daughter's horse riding boots. "No we can't go riding today. It's too cold and wet for the horses."
I ate my carbohydrated food and checked social media, news headlines, and email. Then I downloaded some Christmas music. I've never listened to any one full album from Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Now with these online music subscriptions, I can try almost anything out there.
Back to work (okay, maybe write a quick bloop first). Weather forecast says it is supposed to stop raining before the 8am race start and even warm up to above 40 degrees. I kinda hope so. Thinking about running in cold rain for two hours is enough to make me barf.