I just gagged. Hard. I'm sipping an herbal concoction that my acupuncturist put together for me. There are two different mixes, one for AM and one for PM, and they both taste like shit, with just a *hint* of pure ass. He (Yulin) assessed my situation last Friday and concluded that I have poor circulation, which usually originates from the spleen, so he mixed herbal remedies to assist my body ciculate the blood. I really want to get off the medication, and Yulin felt that I do not have high blood pressure (he was shocked when he heard that my doc took my pressure, saw it was 140/80, and doubled the dosage of my meds), so he gave me the option of weening myself off of the meds and seeing how I feel. I've cut my dosage in half and feel, for the most part, just fine. Go fuckin' figure.

I'm getting anxious about the race tomorrow. Checking the weather this morning, I was pleased to see that there will be record-breaking high temperatures tomorrow! SWEET! What a grand way to honor me! Fortunately, the race is between the Valley and the ocean, so temps should only reach into the low mutherfucking 90's by the race's completion. Yikes. I was going to carry just one hand-held bottle, but I'm quickly shifting to carrying two and filling one with Gatorade at the race's start. There are 3 aid stations along the trail, so I'll be able to refill fairly regularly. The more I read about ultrarunning, the better I'm coming to understand that it has SO MUCH to do with giving your body the proper fuel along the way, i.e., carbs, sodium, and fluids, as well as training your body to do incredibly insane, long runs.

So tomorrow AM, the alarm will ring at 5:15, I'll down a bagel on an undoubtably sour stomach, kiss Dara on the forehead (she's arriving to the finish line around 10:00 - no reason for her to sit there for 3-4 hours waiting for my lanky ass), throw on my pre-set running gear, and head out into the morning sun.

I'll provide a full report with (hopefully) photos after the weekend!