One more long run

The Richmond Half Marathon tomorrow morning will mark the end of my race season. I ran Richmond last year and it's a great course - pretty flat with a downhill finish. Last year was rainy with temps in the 40s.  Tomorrow they are calling for sunny skies with a light wind & temp of 30 for the start & 38 at 10:00am.  Gonna be a bit cool, but at least the winds are supposed to be light! For the past week and a half, my left hip has been sore) - this seems to be a recurring theme with Richmond. Last year, I had really bad IT band issues in my left leg & wasn't sure what was going to happen in Richmond & it ended up being okay, so I am going with the thought this will be the case tomorrow. I am able to run, but will be glad when I cross the finish line and can hang up my running shoes for a few weeks.  Tomorrow I am going to focus on how far I have come & enjoy it. Two years ago, I was 40+ pounds heavier, smoked (yes, I quit), drank too much, didn't really care about much & was pretty depressed. If you had told me then that I would be where I am today, I never would have believed it. With the plan I had in place from my coach, I was able to reach every goal I set for myself this year. I gained some new friends & said goodbye to a few, but in the end, everything that has happened has been for the best. My friends have been through a lot with me this year - making me laugh & helping me deal with family stuff that seemed to keep popping up every so often. Without them, I know I wouldn't be where I am today & I am so very thankful that I have them in my life. This has been a great year (and there are still 45 days to go!) I have pushed myself harder than I ever have over the last 11 months. I trained & raced while recovering from a pretty serious shoulder separation & I had my fastest mile (7:34) in 25 years.  I learned how to swim freestyle at 41 & I haven't had coffee in over nine months. I have stuck with my desire to have fun - I have finished every race with a smile on my face & that's the goal for Richmond. Tomorrow is my 12th race of the year - 1 5k, 1 ten miler, 1 17.75k (11 miles), 1 half marathon, 1 marathon, 4 sprint triathlons & 3 Ragnar Relays.  I have one more race on NYE to make it 13.  Maybe I should find another one so that I have 14 for 2014?