Flew out at 6am to Duluth (via Minneapolis). The hospitality level has been off the charts - we had a driver waiting for us at the airport holding a sign with our names. Never experienced that before! :-) Checked in at the Canal Park Lodge, which is the race HQ - got our bibs, then went to the media luncheon at the convention center, then went to the information meeting for the national championships. Definitely the biggest group of ultra-fit people I've ever been in a room with! We met up w/ Derek D and his wife Allison, who is also running the women's half champs. Finally back to the hotel and met Erik (Hamdog) for a run along the lake. Ran 35 minutes plus some strides. Feeling good, ready to roll early tomorrow morning. First impressions of this whole race atmosphere - the Grandmas Marathon knows how to put on a great race! The volunteers are super helpful and nice (perhaps even surpassing Utah standards!). I could easily gain 10 lbs before tomorrow with all the free food (and beer - yep, the elite athlete hospitality suite is stocked) they are throwing at us. And speaking of food/drinks, it seems like the party will be going all day and all night tomorrow. Its gonna be a lot of fun. I can't wait to get out there.
The weather should be good - not as good as last year, but not like the Boston Massacre either. It supposed to be 57 degrees at the start, light winds, and 100% humidity. Guess that means I won't have to drink anything, since I can just breathe in my fluids.
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