So you might want to grab a cup of water and grab a comfy chair before you read this post. It’s sure to be pretty long.
So backing up to the very beginning…
On Friday night, we took a red eye flight (on Virgin!) to Boston. At the airport, we saw an Emerson friend that we knew! While we waited to board, I played the “who else on my flight is running Boston” game. haha
Once we landed, we went directly to Dunkin’ Donuts! I avoided caffeine a few days before, but that didn’t stop me from getting a munchkin’!
My parents picked us up at the airport and we went directly to the Boston Marathon Expo at the convention center. Our flight arrived at 6am and the expo didn’t open til 9am. But it was fun to hang out and chat and relax before the craziness began.
Then they opened the doors and all the volunteers clapped as we walked in.
And I got my very own Boston Marathon bib!
My dad bought me this Boston Visor!
As someone on twitter said earlier, “I trick or treated at the expo”. haha There were so many goodies! Some highlights: Cape Cod Chips, Organic Granola Bars and Coconut Larabars! Mmmm I think my parents had fun walking around too. There was so much to look at.
Then we headed over to the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge packet pickup. They had a really cute check-in. Everything was so organized and everyone was really nice!
When I got to my house, the rest of my family was excited to see Irving and I!
Look who was first in line to greet us! I miss Mr. Gizzy!
We had a fun dinner Saturday night too!
After dinner, I tried on some of my new marathon gear and posed for my grandparents!
Thank you, Irving, for my jacket! I LOVE it!
And the shirt I have on was the free technical shirt that all entrants got. Pretty sweet, huh?
My sisters and aunt got busy making signs to hold during the race.
But the first order of business was to figure out how to draw a “runner girl”. haha
And then things got a little crazy when trying to draw giraffes…. does this look like a giraffe to you? HAHAHA
Then I started to get my stuff together for race morning. I think it’s so awesome we got to keep our timing chips this year. Usually you have to give them back at the end. It’s a nice memento to have!
I attached it to my shoe right away.
I also pinned my bib onto my shirt! It looks good, yes?
My dad made me a sign too! Thanks, Dad!
That night, I slept for a glorious 12 hours. It felt SO good to be rested.
Sunday, Irving, my sisters and I headed into Boston for a Marathon-themed day!
We headed directly to the Finish Line to take some pictures.
It was a little rainy out, but I’d much rather see it rain Sunday instead of Marathon Monday!!
Next time I see this, I’ll be a Boston Marathon Finisher!
Then we found this awesome backdrop and had a photo session. 🙂
And with my sisters!!
Oh, and a shot of my AMAZING Jacket!! It’s official!
Then my friends met us down there! They came all the way out in the rain to say hi and wish me luck. They’re amazing. Thanks guys, you have no idea how awesome it was to see you guys!!!
And then, in a panic, I realized that my fuel belt wasn’t going to work, so we headed over to City Sports to buy a new one. (I know, I know, nothing new on race day! But this was an emergency!)
After a fun afternoon, we headed over to the Copley Marriott for the DFMC Pasta Party!!!!
I got so energized by all the DFMC stuff everywhere. There was a lot of excitement in the air! Peter and I found our names on the “Living Proof” board. We’re both survivors running for Dana-Farber!
haha, Ta-da!
So excited I got to share this with my sisters and Irving!
The room was huge!! It looked so good!
The centerpieces were cute too!
We ate LOTS of pasta! It was pretty good, actually. During the meal, they had a slideshow going. We caught two of our pictures!
The speakers were great. Uta Pippig was there! She has won a lot of marathons, but is best known for being the first woman to win the Boston Marathon three consecutive times (1994–1996). She was so inspiring!
And our DFMC Coach, Jack Fultz, spoke too. He won the 1976 Boston Marathon.
He had a lot of great tips to share. I think the funniest was when he told us that during the whole race, people would be screaming “Go Dana-Fah-bah!”. 🙂
And our very own DFMC Teammate, Valerie Bertinelli was there too! She was adorable. I’m so proud that she chose to be on our team. Thanks, Valerie!
She was even nice enough to take a picture with me!!
What a great night!
See you in Hopkinton!
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