Sunday, Sunday....Marathon Fun in Boston

Boston Marathon Expo - Not for Agoraphobes
So, Saturday was a complete kickback day....didn't do a thing but eat and rest and relax....I think I went outside once to walk around my friend Marci's wonderful yard in the warm New Hampshire sunshine. The day was probably the most relaxing day ever....which was exactly what I needed 48 hours before the marathon. 

Marci and Hal's Property in New Hampshire

We had an amazing dinner and I went to bed with the intent of sleeping for 10+ hours Saturday night.....and sleep I did!! Even the frogs that sounded like very loud crickets couldn't keep me from sleeping Saturday night. 


I woke up on Sunday morning to another beautiful day in New Hampshire. Marci and I had our coffee and breakfast and headed out to Boston to go meet Meb and run through the Expo, one last time just to see all the masses of runners that were there on the last day to pick up their bibs and packets. The rumors were milling around that the Boston Athletic Association was getting ready for the hottest Boston in over 40 years....but I wanted to see for myself if the BAA was truly freaking out! 

On arrival to the expo, we were greeted by an almost overwhelming crowd of runners and others that were there to just cruise through and see the world's largest running expo. It was a huge mob of people, every age and every country seemed to be here for this event. 

Dean signs my t-shirt

It was a sea of people from vendors to runners to family and kids with not much room to even get into any of the booths to look at stuff, within minutes I was done with the expo and the crowds as it was making me nervous listening to people worrying about the race, the heat, the nervous tension in the expo was palpable....so I was getting some shorts from the North Face booth and I almost backed right into this little tiny guy who was walking over to a podium set up on the side of the booth. I thought he looked familiar and so I said to my friend Marci, I think that's......oh, that's Dean Karnazes. Marci, not a runner at all, said who's that? I said, "Oh, he ran 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days." 

Dean lives in California and was telling
me that he knew of my running club
 in Davis, the Golden Valley Harriers

We were both shocked at how small he was and how he didn't seem to have any fat on him, every inch that we could see was a sinewy tanned muscle fiber that was toned to 100%. Marci and I, both being  RNs were amazed at this human physique. Marci got in line to get autographs and I went and paid for my shorts. 
Dean was a really nice guy and signed everything we put in front of him as well as my t-shirt - so we were finally done with the Expo and after one last look at the crazy mass of people, we left in search of the Meb Meet and Greet event. 

Meb signs the sleeve of my
Racing for Autism T-Shirt

Our next stop was at the hotel directly across from the Boston Marathon Expo where we ran into another couple, Brian and Lisa Smith who were trying to figure out how to get to the bus dropoff location for the next morning. They were charity team runners and so I asked them if they wanted to go up to the Plaza Ballroom with us to meet Meb Keflezighi, 2004 Olympic Medalist and 2012 Olympic Marathon runner who was also going to be the Boston Marathon's Grand Marshal the very next day. They, of course, said "Yes" and asked if Susan Hurley, our fearless Charity Teams leader was going to be there....I thought that she might be there so we went up to the ballroom. When we arrived we noticed that they were removing all the tablecloths and cleaning up and so we were disappointed to have missed Meb and then we saw a man walk out that looked a lot like Meb and I asked him if the event was over. 

Mary James, Meb Keflizighi, Lisa Smith & Brian Smith
at the Seaport Boston Hotel 

He said that Meb was headed to the Expo but hadn't left yet, this man was Meb's brother and personal manager, Merhawi.


We felt like VIPs who got back stage passes and our own private meet and greet with Meb.....an amazing marathoner and person to take time out of his busy schedule to talk with us and take photos and share with us his thoughts about his Olympic Trials race where he just made it across the finish line in front of Ryan Hall who was hot on his heels. It was quite amazing to be standing there chatting with this amazing world class runner without anyone else around - we were all just in awe of his down to earth, calm demeanor knowing that he was suppose to be at the Expo signing autographs and yet he was still here with us....what a great day it was already turning out to be!

Downtown Boston

Lisa and Brian still wanted to get over to 100 Clarendon street and so since they were all prepared to walk there, I told them to save their legs for the marathon and we would give them a ride in the 'Stang.....so we made our way through the streets of Boston with our new friends and dropped them off close to the location where we would all be meeting the next morning to get on our VIP buses to the start of the Boston marathon!! 

Quincy Market - Downtown Boston

I was all ready to get out of Boston and relax in New Hampshire but we had not eaten lunch yet so we went to Quincy Market and had fish tacos and margaritas with chips and guacamole and salsa....couldn't have asked for a better lunch....even though it was probably not part of my training pre-race nutrition, that margarita tasted so amazing...it was a perfect solution to my expo provoked anxiety.  


It was just a great drive through the towns of New Hampshire and the woods enroute to Marci's house. I ate my magical marathon dinner of roasted potatoes, chicken and roasted carrots and drank a lot of water and then it was time for a hot shower and bed - it was 8:00pm. 


I managed to send off some last emails to family and friends as well as post some comments on facebook and then I read some of the second Hunger Games book and it was lights out for several hours before 4am when the Boston marathon day would start! I slept really well and only woke up a couple of times during the night but fell right back to sleep getting almost 7 and 1/2 hours of sleep the night before a marathon....that I have never done before ever!!