T-10 hours and Counting!

In 10 hours I will be running my first race of the season - The Evergreen Pumpkin 10 Miler!
My tummy is in knots!

So far, this week has been productive.  I finished cleaning the whole house!  What a euphoric feeling when the whole house is clean!  Anyone could stop by and I would be fine with it!  I wish I could say that the other 51 weeks of the year.

I added this wall transfer to the livingroom:

 Now I just have to finish putting pictures in all the frames (I have mostly filler pics in there now.)

Also my husband, daughter and a few others built a house for a family of 7 (!) (plus a baby due any day now) in Reynosa, Mexico.

Here they are with original house:

New home in progress:

Finished home:

The house is fully furnished with a food prep area, plenty of food (beans, rice, oil etc plus personal items like shampoo, and diapers for the baby), a table with chairs, full sized bed, and a loft sleeping area.  You and I would call this a fancy shed - to the poorest folks in Mexico this is a treasure!  Brian just informed me that in their previous house all 7 were sharing ONE small bed - which was really just a mattress on the floor.  I know the family runs a taco stand, so maybe they were sleeping in shifts.  Still, it is sad to think such conditions exist just a stones throw across the border!

Brian and the crew returned from their 2600 mile round trip at around 6AM this morning!
Then, I heartlessly forced my husband to drive another 45 miles to pick up our race packets!  But, it involved our favorite pizza, so he didn't seem to mind!

Here is what was in the packet:

The shirt this year is actually gender specific, which I love!  However, I won't be wearing it because I'm going as a peacock!

Now, I'm off to try on my peacock costume and make sure it all works - then I will attempt to get some sleep.  I can't wait for tomorrow!!!!

Edited to add:
It's T-8 hours now and I can't calm down enough to sleep.  I keep checking and rechecking the weather, and it still says 45 degrees at race start.  That is VERY cold for this time of year.  I've had to remake my top for my costume (since I was wearing a tank and now I need sleeves) and now I'm worried that it won't dry in time.  ugh!  On the plus side, I made a pair of throw-a-way arm warmers out of a pair of socks I had laying around!  Honestly, I know I sound like a total ninny, but anything less than 55-60 is painfully cold for me.  I guess I'll break out my throw-a-way jacket as well!

My 10 Mile Race Playlist

I've been hard at work, fine-tuning my race day playlist. (I'm running the Evergreen Pumpkin 10-miler on Sunday)   Last year, music played a pivotal role in keeping me going when I felt like giving up, so I know that the right song at the right time can be a powerful tool.

All of these songs have been chosen for their beats per minute, their encouraging message, or the ability to pump me up!    I find that I tend to run to the beat of the music, and 180 bpm (90 X 2) seems to keep me at my max pace.  I added slightly slower songs at the beginning to keep me from going too fast during the first half.

I debated putting this up, as musical tastes are so subjective, but I have discovered some awesome tunes while perusing other runner's playlists, so I thought maybe someone out there might find a new favorite on mine!

1. Hall of Fame - The Script feat. will.i.am 85 bpm  (To get me started off right!)
2. Dance - Dizmas 153 bpm  (The words of this song are perfect for the start of a race!)
3. Prisoner - Needtobreathe   86 bpm  (Great beat!)
4. Reverie - Scott & Brendo   125 bpm  (Reminding me that "it is time to run"!)
5. Graveyard Shift - Sam Roberts Band   86 bpm  (I will be running in a graveyard after all!)
6. Saving Grace - The Afters    87 bpm  (Great beat, great message.)
7. Runnin' - Adam Lambert    84 bpm  (I just like it, Ok?)
8. Laying Me Low - David Cook   87 bpm  (Great beat!)
9. Bang Bang - K'naan  90 bpm  (Just plain fun!)
10. Chocolate & Ice Cream - Plumb 88 bpm  (The reason I run -ha!)
11. The Victory - Third Day 88 bpm  (Great race lyrics!)
12. Untouched - The Veronicas 88 bpm   (Pumps me up!)
13. Walking on the Stars - Group 1 Crew  89 bpm  (Great beat!)
14. Turbo Style- Beckah Shae    158 bpm  (Check out the awesome lyrics!)
15. Fight For You - Jason Derulo   89 bpm  (Always makes me think of my husband!)
16. Move - MercyMe   106 bpm  (a perfect race song!)
17. Welcome To The Show - Britt Nicole   90 bpm  (Beat, baby!  Plus, LOVE her!)
18. Run-On - Barbara Cox 187 bpm  (runnin' for Jesus!!)
19. Kiss You - One Direction   90 bpm  (*blush*  but it does have a good beat!)
20. Roar - Katy Perry 90 bpm  (see above)
21. Laura - Scissor Sisters   90 bpm (see above)  
22. I Will Run - Misty Edwards   86 bpm  (This is the song that got me through the 10th mile last year!)
23. Like A Champion - Selena Gomez 90 bpm  (I might need an attitude adjustment at this point.)
24. Incorruptible - Beckah Shae 129 bpm  (One of my favorite running-lyric songs!)
25. Shadow Of Your Wings - Casting Crowns 113 bpm  (From my favorite Bible chapter : Psalm 63!)
26. Unbreakable - Fireflight 90 bpm (Pump-me-up song!)
27. Speed - Billy Idol   88 bpm  (Guaranteed to make me 30 seconds faster!)
28. Light Up the Sky - Thousand Foot Krutch 89 bpm  (See above!)
29. Worried About Ray - The Hoosiers   87 bpm  (My goal time is 1hr 40 minutes.  My playlist is 1hr 43 minutes long.  If I make it this far I am "worried about Mendy!")

Do you have a favorite race day song?