Pre-Race Day, in Salt Lake!

Get ready for the race weekend review... IN PICTURES!

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Friday afternoon we headed up to SLC because we planned to stay with the fam that night to make things easier come race morning. 

We stopped by the race expo first and I went to work snagging any FREE stuff I could find. 

These tops weren't FREE, but they were a slammin deal. 

I snagged 2 Nordic Track tech shirts for $7 each. I love the feel of the fabric, not that nasty stuff they are sometimes made out of. These are quality. AND they fit like a girl shirt. Happy day.

I can't say the same for the actual marathon shirt. 

It's wearable, but those sleeves are gonna have to get fixed.

Say no to unisex race shirts! Come on SLC...

Then we went to my one of my FAVORITE places. REALLY, it makes me SO happy. 

Whole Foods.

Perfect place for lunch.

I LOVE they they tell you EXACTLY what is in everything. Makes life for a stinky little eater like me SOOO much easier. Plus everything is delicious, fresh and healthy. YUM!

My dream would be to have their salad bar replicated in my fridge so I could peruse it everyday for lunch. All chopped, prepped and ready to go.

We picked up some pretty flowers for my mom too...

And Ben got these CRAZY brownies for a treat. 

That package weighed like 5 pounds I swear. Peppermint (KILLER) Brownies. I say "killer" because you would probably die if you tried to eat that whole container yourself. Luckily for his heart, he shared the rest with the fam later.

I had my own treat of these. 

I know, I am a creature of habit. When I find something I like... I'm super predictable.

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It was SOOO beautiful yesterday.

Perfect day for walking around an outdoor mall, The Gateway. 

Spring IS coming for real... eventually. 

We couldn't help but do some iPhone lusting. 

The iPhone 5 needs to hurry up and come out!

The Gateway was the finishing spot for the marathon the next day. 

Everything was getting set up so it was fun to see all the paraphernalia and visualize the finish line.

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For dinner, my mom served pork steaks, potatoes and summer salsa. 

I made some Chili and Brown Sugar Carrots to go with. They are SO good. 

I swapped potatoes out for bread and made a pork sandwich instead. 

Sliced pork steak, tomato, lettuce, bbq sauce and LOTS of pineapple.

For dessert I went with more bread topped with pb, honey and bananas. 

Okay, I had 2 slices of this.

I LOVE bread. If I am gonna go for carbs, that is my first choice.

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Then I prepped everything for the next morning. 

Laid out all my gear and made my breakfast for the morning.

I know I brought a TON of racing clothes. 

The weather couldn't make up it's mind, so neither could I. 

I got to bed at about 10:30 that night and fell right asleep.

Late night for this grandma. ;)

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Do you get nervous the night before a big race?!?

My first marathon I did, but I don't anymore. It doesn't hit me till the next morning when I get up. Then it feels like Christmas morning/a little nervous excitement. But in a GOOD way!

I remember my first marathon, getting on the bus and being driven up to the middle of nowhere in pitch black, to start WAY up in the canyons... I thought to myself. "What the heck am I doing?" That's when the reality really set in... there is ONE way out of this. I gotta run ALL the way back!

What do you usually eat the night before???

I eat whatever sounds good. I keep it simple with foods my body is used to eating but just bump up the carbs a little and eat a little more than I normally would.