Reporting State side!

If I thought the last months training was hard, the journey to Las Vegas wasn't much fun starting with the flight being delayed 3 hours and 20 minutes.  Some communication from Thomas Cook would have been nice but it gave me a chance to practice my breathing and patience.  When that didn't work it gave me plenty of time to worry about how I was going to get my bus from the airport to Kanab which was leaving 3 hours after my plane was originally scheduled to get in.  If I missed the bus I'd have to stay in Vegas and come back to the airport 24 hours later.
I was also unaware that there was a comedians conference in LV with a plane full of contestants who were practising their acts after a few too many drinks on the plane.  One guy got stuck in the toilet door twice and had to be "freed" - now that was funny!  I put my head phones on and zoned out for 10 hours - good practice for the race.  With 35 minutes to spare I sprinted off the plane, managed to persuade some good people to allow me to skip some of the massive queue and then found myself in the slowest possible queue for customs. Tick tock.  Several phone calls to the bus operator, and a big than you to them as the bus diverted to my terminal and picked me up.  Kanab here I come. Only one other competitor on the bus so we spent the next 3 hours comparing race food, hydration tips and experiences so the coach trip flew in.  Got to the hotel and wondered why I was tired - it was 4am back home!
I got 6 hours sleep but jet lag meant I was wide awake at 4 am local time.  I decided to go through my itinerary for the rest of the week before the race begins on Sunday morning 9am.  All of a sudden the reality is kicking in and the excitement is building which will continue all week as more competitors start to arrive.   I'm picking up my race goodie bag this morning and can't wait to see what's in it.  Probably buy some G2G merchandise and take in Kanab while acclimatising.  Tomorrow I have a massage, on Thursday a flight in a plane to see the local area (OMG the mountains are stunning!) and a yoga session.  Friday's when it really hits home and race check-in is at 3pm.  Unlikely though it is, this is where the doctors can put an end to your race so fingers crossed.
I will be writing a daily blog up till the race starts, that I can guarantee.  Subject to how I'm feeling at the end of a race day I intent to either blog directly or Fiona will blog and or post my message on Facebook.  Remember that due to time difference it will be a day behind.  If you want to send me a message during the race then these get delivered to me in my tent at night.  If you go to www.grand2grand.com and go to the "race coverage" section then there is an email a competitor facility - my bib number is 252.  You will also get race updates here or you can like them on Facebook and get updates.  There is no tracking facility.
I'm heading down for breakfast shortly and will then go out and explore Kanab.  I hope you enjoy the excitement of following this amazing adventure with me.  Remember I'm raising money for Maggie's so if you want to support an unbelievable charity then go to www.justgiving.com/derek-stewart6 . Catch up tomorrow.