Last minute squeals

Checklist:
- Race bag: Brooks shoes, two pairs of socks, capris, sleeveless, one throwaway longsleeve shirt, sports bra, and a few choices for headgear (cap, toque, bandana, headband), jellybeans and two Clif bars, my Chicago marathon technical long sleeve shirt with thumbholes, multigrain Cheerios
- Everything else bag for the weekend: jeans, two tshirts, one long sleeve, nice sweater, hoodie, pjs, toiletries, meds, socks and sundries .... packing light so I can haul some new clothes home
- Goodies basket for the car: peanut butter, Dairy Milks, pretzels, granola bars; Juices and water, berries, grapes and oranges to be added in the morning; Also a portable DVD player, the next Book Club book, and a crossword puzzle to entertain me for the two-part 9-hour drive
- Training: Best I could do without really sticking to a plan. But feel ready enough.

Well. The party is about to begin. In about 16 hours, we'll be hopefully avoiding rush hour out of the city and on our way to Cincinnati for the race this weekend. We're not driving all the way in one shot, but we don't know where we'll stop either. In all, there's 15 people in my party -- two arriving by plane, and 13 are driving in five separate car. Of the 15, 8-1/2 of them are runners. Yumke plus R equals 1-1/2 runners, logic being that R., who was signed up for the half but has since dropped out since she managed to sprain an ankle the day after signing up. Grasshopper and his entourage are arriving on Saturday afternoon. Then there's my whole family, plus cousin and her husband. I'm still a bit foggy on the details of our actual trip -- like what we'll do while in Cinci, but I think there will be a lot of laughs along the way. The weather looks like it's going to cooperate.

Race Strategy: The plan is to stick with my sister from start to finish. I promised to see her through her first half marathon. If her leg bothers her so much that she must walk, I will walk with her. We will finish together.