I wanted to go to church this morning, but knowing the time schedule I was on, I figured the blessing of the athletes would have to do :) After breakfast I went with Larissa, Erik (Smooth's children) and Juliana and Beth (Larissa's friends from TX) to the expo. I got to pick up my number!!! This is SO unreal! It is like a kid in Disneyland, but a Disneyland you've worked YEARS to get to! A runners paradise! SO many runners just like you, SO much excitement! I could hardly contain myself. I wanted to jump up and down and act like a 2 year old! :) It was amazing, simply amazing! 
After browsing the expo I went to the South Church or the Church of the Finish Line :) to go to the Blessing of the athletes. What an amazing experience! It was beautiful and refreshing and uplifting! I will never miss this, and if you go to Boston you shouldn't either! One of my favorite adventures in all of this. 
Went back to the expo and met Paul. After browsing around some more (that expo is HUGE!) and figuring out what a cah and a wicked fast runnah was, we headed off to Fenway Park for a Red Sox game. I'm not a baseball fan, but MAN ALIVE! What an awesome experience! We sat right beneath the score board so everyone would turn and look at us :) Met some other Boston runners there and of course had a Fenway Frank. My father taught me well. You can't go to a baseball game and not have a hotdog! A little popcorn was good too. (Newton Running picture for the South Valley Newtons! The best 'fitting room' in the expo!!)
 
After an amazing, almost no-hitter, game we went back to the expo and went our separate ways for the evening. I went through the expo...again :) and still didn't see it all, but then went to meet Lowell and Co (Terry, Smooth, Larry, Family etc) at Mafia Mamas. Such a wonderful treat. Great carb loading Italian! Then we went to the famous Mike's Pastries and got a world famous canoli. Oh YUM! Heaven I tell you, heaven!  We went back to our rooms and I tried to settle down and get to bed, but I was just too nervous. Crazy day! Antsy, ready to run and experience BOSTON!!! It took me until midnight or later to finally settle down and get to bed. My roommates were wonderful they said "feel free to make as much noise as you need! You've got YOUR big race tomorrow!" Already felt like a celebrity in my own little world :)
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