Running Down a Rainbow

Somewhere over the rainbow
Skies are blue,
And the dreams that you dare to dream . . .

Number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9 . . .

Number 9?

Number 9.

Is it a lucky number?

Well you know I looked it up and it is, kind of...

In China it is. Apparently, in the Chinese language--which I do not know--the number nine is a homophone for "longlasting". . .

In Christianity there is 9 Choirs of Angels . . .

And there are 9 Noble Virtues:
1. Courage
2. Truth
3. Honor
4. Fidelity
5. Discipline
6. Hospitality
7. Self Reliance
8. Industriousness
9. Perseverance

There were 9 muses in Greek Mythology until Plato came along and added Sappho as a 10th honorary muse. Way.to.go.Plato.

9 is the atomic number of fluorine . . .(I do have good teeth from all those fluoride treatments as a kid. . . )

There are 9 planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth (this is where we live), Mars, Jupiter (this is where boys go to get stupider), Saturn, Uranus (Not mine! Yours!),Neptune and Pluto.

Okay, so maybe I am reaching.

Maybe I am searching for meaning where there is no meaning but hey, at least I am not reading my horoscope or tarot cards.

The point though is that tomorrow I am lucky because I get the opportunity to run my 9th marathon in 4 years. My 3rd in 4 months.
My 3rd attempt on the Ga ING course in 3 years to run 3:30.

Is 3rd time gonna be a charm?

No, no I don't think so. But that is okay. Maybe someday but I don't think tomorrow will be that day.

But I am optimistic about having a GREAT race tomorrow and excited and feel blessed that I get to toe the line in the town where I was born and have grown up and get to run with 15,000 other enthusiastic people --okay maybe just 14,999 since Pookie is running and I don't think she is so enthusiastic about it--- participating in the sport and race I love.

But this race. . .
Sigh.
It really is going to take some luck for it to ever have good weather.

March in Georgia is crap shoot. And by that I mean the weather totally sucks. You may get a nice day here and there but for the most part it is old bitch winter leaving out our back door in one pissed off mood. Really, spring here is just an argument between winter and summer and in March it is pretty clear that winter is winning the argument.

The past 3 days we've had a ton of rain--and I ain't knocking it; we need it! But I am just so tired of running in the rain and the cold. I want some good race day weather already!

Along with my other taper activities--shopping, obsessing over how fat I am getting, worrying about each and every pain--I have been stalking The Weather Channel.com for the past 10 days. And here is what the latest from TWC says to expect tomorrow morning:
7 am

45°F
Partly Cloudy

39°F real feel

10% chance of rain

74% humidity
11 mph wind

Sunrise 7:29 am

8 am

44°F
Partly Cloudy

39°F real feel

20% chance of rain

73% humidity
10 mph wind

9 am

45°F
Partly Cloudy

39°F real feel

20% chance of rain

68% humidity
12 mph wind

10 am

46°F
Mostly Cloudy

40°F real feel

20% rain

65% humidity
14 mph wind

11 am

48°F
Mostly Cloudy

42°F real feel

20% chance of rain

61% humidity
15 mph wind

So not totally terrible but that wind might feel like a wind tunnel and with that humidity my hair is definitely not going to look good. Like that is news.

However I am still optimistic!

Why?

Because I've been reading signs!

Yesterday I went to the expo.

Beau and Carmella--of course-- had fun and collected lots of swag. Beau even got to do circus tricks:

But while I was there I saw Joe:
He was very busy but he still stopped and told me good luck. It has to be lucky to have the guy who sells you your running shoes to stop when he is that busy to wish you luck. Right? That is what that means. . .

And my sister? Pookie? She put the blond in my hair! No hair cut this time. Don't want to make that Samson mistake again--you know, like last year when I had my hair cut the night before the race. That didn't work out. But I feel good about the blond. Maybe not faster good but brighter, happier about being slow. . .

See foils? That is Pookie is mixing the magic in the background. She is running the half. She hasn't trained but will still do good cause that's her thing.

See me getting the bleach!
See me and Pookie. Can't you tell how much she LOVES me!

And then, most important. When the kids and I were driving home from the expo the rain stopped and I saw blue in the sky and I saw the sun. Okay, so I think the sun heard about my blondness and was trying to tell me that even though I am blonder and brighter he is still the brightest of all. And I get that. Not trying to compete with sun. I know I won't win. But then as I pulled into my neighborhood I saw a rainbow arching over us.

Look! I said to the kids: There is a rainbow leading to our house!

And Beau, with the inherent optimism of children asked if that was where the gold was.

No, not likely, but surely--it means something good. . .

Now you scientists be quiet and don't ruin the magic and my faith in silly supersitions. Life, I think, is more poetic when you believe in something.You know, that dare to dream the dreams you dream thing . And, I have heard sometimes, dreams really do come true. . .

Everyone have a great race tomorrow!