Day 3 - Rest Day
 
After a long night of sleep, because the night before the night before is the most important, we woke up to another good breakfast in the hotel. Right after that we shipped out to race check-in at a different hotel and were able to pick up some NAIA Nationals gear, I got a sweet grey tie-dye to match with the girls and most the guys got a red long sleeve. 
 
We went back over to the hotel and got ready for practice and lunch. We stopped at a market where people got sandwiches and burritos to go for after the run. We got to the course and it was looking much better today, but it still had some muddy and wet sections. About 300 meters in, there is a huge pond of water and mud that we will have to avoid. Since both the men and women's teams got box numbers closer to the pond side we have to be ready for that in the start. The rest of the course has pretty much dried up so it is looking to be a great day tomorrow. 
 
Since we got lunch before we ran, we hopped in our vans and ate on the drive back to the hotel. We cleaned up and were able to relax for a while until dinner. We had reservations at this Italian Restaurant called Mama Ricatta's. My parents flew out to come support me and the rest of the team, so they were able to eat with us and also see the course earlier. The food was delicious and we all realized that mostly everyone here is very welcoming and friendly, which has made the trip that much better. 
 
After dinner, the guys had a team meeting just to go over race strategies and goals. We were also able to look back and thank God for getting us this far. We looked back to where we were a year ago and saw how incredibly blessed we have been through the highs and lows. It's tremendous to have come this far and to be at Nationals as a team. The girls had their meeting after us and the rest of the night was spent preparing for the race. 
 
We would love it if everyone could keep all of us in your prayers. Go Eagles! 
 
Kevin Horchler