Day 111

I slept like garbage. I woke up wide awake and ready to go - and it was 4:50am. So much for getting a good night's sleep the night before the night before. If only the race had been today... the sky was sunny, the temperature outside was cool but not too crisp. It was the perfect day for a run. But no. Better to let the storm get closer. :-(

My morning started off with a carb-filled breakfast.

Oatmeal and raisins

Carb-loading is fun! Then it was time to take the Metro to the expo.

On my way to the expo at the stadium

TONS of people were going to the expo - the Metro was packed with runners. It was here I learned that I made my first marathon rookie mistake. It is NOT cool to wear normal clothes to an expo. You should wear running shoes/bottoms and your most impressive race shirt you have - most preferably a shirt from a different marathon. Lesson learned.

The expo was split into two sections. First you went into a large tent to get your race number. It was so well organized - there was no question that this was a military operation.

Bib number booths armed by Marines!

Picking up my number!!

Once you got your number, you had to stand in a super long line to get into the main part of the expo. With 30,000 runners and an estimated 100,000 spectators, standing in lines became quite the common occurance throughout the weekend.

Welcome to the expo!

Now this is what I call an expo!

The expo was huge! It was also crowded and hot. The first stop was picking up the mock turtlenecks each participant got. Not exactly my top fashion choice, but they could be worse. Then my parents and I fought our way through the Brooks section, looking for anything left in either mine or Andy's size. Good luck! It was so picked over, which was kind of disappointing, but we managed to come out with a few treasures. And once again... the lines were looooong. Thank you Dad for standing in line while Mom and I kept shopping! I picked up an extra stick of Body Glide and then found this booth selling "rain gear." With the threat of running in a hurricane, I was quick to pick up a jacket and pair of pants for myself and Andy - they promised to block both wind and rain, and supposedly you could rip them off when you didn't want to wear them anymore... ideal for undressing on the run (literally). In addition to all of the shopping opportunities  there were lots of fun/funny photo ops too.

Probably the only time I'll get to touch a finish line tape

Gel tasting party! Finally!!

This was a motivation wall at the expo. :-)

With my bib number!

This forecast is soooo wrong.

Once we were finally done at the expo it was time for lunch. Bring on the carbs and salt!

French Dip Sandwich

After lunch it was off to get the last few things Andy and I would need for the next day - mainly breakfast food and some saran wrap to wrap iPods/watch if it was raining a lot. The entire outing took almost all day, which meant spending all day on my feet. As soon as we got back to the hotel I tried to relax until it was time for dinner. Last chance for carbs!

bread :-)

Last bowl of pasta for awhile!

My parents and I had dinner at this really delicious place called Kora - it was nice to eat out in a real city for a change! Back at the hotel I started laying out my race clothes and making PBJ sandwiches for the morning. It wasn't long before Andy's flight landed and he made it to the hotel. I ordered him some pasta room service and showed him our expo treasures. We finally went to bed around 11:00pm - not so bad considering his flight got in around 9:00pm.

Only a few hours left....