Lead Up to the Starting Line

Before getting in to this post, I decided to split it up into two - the lead up to the Marathon and a full recap of the race.  There was just too much to say to fit it into one post, so this seemed like the best way to deal with it.

I also want to thank the following people for their kind donations to my Boston Marathon fundraising page: Justine B. Tracy D.G., John O., Sage, Sora and Sally, Sarah R. and Marc D.  I will still be able to accept donations to my page until mid-May, so if you're inclined to make a gift you can do so here.

Marathon Expo and Bib Pick Up

Everything got really real on Friday when I left work early to head over to the Hynes Convention Center to pick up my Boston Marathon Bib, runner swag bag and check out the Expo. My boyfriend met me in Copley and I think he got a kick out of how excited I was.  The volunteer who handed me my bib was really nice, wished me good luck on my first marathon and posed for a photo with me.  I am guessing I wasn't the first or the last person to geek out like this.

The BAA gave strict instructions to runners to NOT post photos of their bibs on social media to prevent people creating fraudulent bibs so I didn't even get a chance to show these photos off until after the race was over.

After picking up my bib, we walked to the t-shirt pick up area where each runner picked up a bag with a bunch of goodies in it.  Clif Blocs, a long sleeve BAA Marathon tech shirt, a Sam Adams Boston Marathon pint class and some other goodies. 

Then it was off to the Expo, where I made a purchase at the second table I stopped at!  The weekend before, I overhead a girl talk about her FlipBelt and how awesome it was and so when I saw the table I decided to see what exactly it was. I wish I had known about this item a long time ago!  It's the most simple running storage belt I had ever seen and most importantly the woman at the counter told me it wouldn't ride up over my hips.  This is a consistent issue for me and why I won't like wearing fuel belts or fanny packs when I run.  They tend to ride up over my hips and are really uncomfortable and get in the way of my race bib.  I bought a pretty coral colored belt and decided I would test it out at the 5k on Saturday and decide if it would work well enough to wear during the Marathon on Monday. 

I also picked up a Boston Marathon SparklySoul headband and my boyfriend bought me a BAA Marathon pint glass to add to my pint glass collection.

One of the coolest freebies from the Expo was the Marathon poster. It was the same design from the Adidas Official Marathon apparel brochure (pictured), but layered on top of the design was the name of every since runner participating in the 2015 Boston Marathon.  I totally geeked out when I found my name on the sample posters they had open on the table.  It is currently still rolled up and protected in my closet until I can get it framed to hang on my wall.  Very cool.

I could have spent a fortune...and the entire day... just hanging out at the Expo, but after an hour and half of wandering around and exploring, we headed home.  I had the BAA 5k the next morning and wanted to keep my legs as fresh as possible.

BAA 5k Shake Out

Saturday morning was gorgeous!  My brother's girlfriend Lydia and I went into Boston together to run the BAA 5k.  The sun was shining and it ended up being a lot warmer than I anticipated, but it was really nice.

I was super excited to participate in this race because it goes across the Marathon finish line and it was crazy to know the next time that view came into sight it was going to be because I was finishing 26.2 miles.  Crazy!

This race was also my first time running without doing the run/walk  technique that I had been using for my long runs.  I had skipped a lot of my shorter runs during training because of my knees so it had been a while since I had just run straight through.  It felt great and I was really happy clocking in at 28:47.

Pre-Marathon Jitters

Sunday was such a crazy day!  I couldn't seem to get a hold of my emotions.  Little things like watching the news caused me to burst into tears.  I decided it must be PMS - Pre Marathon Sensitivity!

AWWWWWWW

Watching the weather reports didn't help matters either!  It felt with every new update, the forecast got more and more grim with the rain starting closer and closer to our 11:15 am start time. The more I heard about the weather, the more nervous I got. I was second guessing my clothing choices and was afraid my feet would get blisters from running in wet socks and the more I thought about it, but more freaked out I got and then came the waterworks.  I was really lucky to have my boyfriend Mike by my side the whole day.  He's an incredibly calming presence and was able to talk me off the proverbial ledge every time I started to freak out.  He kept reminding me that I was prepared, that I had run 20 miles in the snow, that I was ready to tackle this challenge.  I don't think I could have made it through without him!

That evening Mike made a lovely pasta dinner for me and his family (his brother in-law also ran on Monday) and I got an incredible pre-race gift from his niece.  She is three years old and made me a good luck card.  When she gave it to me she told me she wanted me to win the whole marathon.  It was the sweetest gift I have ever received and I have the card proudly hanging on my refrigerator.

THE BIG DAY!

Team Victory (minus Ashley)

And then it was Marathon Monday! I woke up at 5:30 to get ready and have some breakfast before meeting my friend Amy at the train station to head into Park Street to catch the BAA shuttle buses.  The time passed way faster than I thought and I found myself rushing to get out the front door.  I was a bundle of nerves - I had put my pants on inside out and my socks on the wrong feet.  It was crazy!  Mike gave me one final pep talk and out the door I went.

Amy and I went into town and met up with almost all of my other Team Victory teammates at Park Street before getting on the bus to Hopkinton.  At this point, nerves were gone and excitement started to take over.  The bus ride felt like it took FOREVER!  We finally arrived with about an hour and a half before our start time.

It was C-O-L-D and I wished I had brought warmer sweats to wear at the Athlete's Village.  Volunteers passed out coffee and we just held onto the cups to keep our hands warmed up.

Then it was time to go!

To be continued....