I'm not crazy...I'm just bored!!

Taper week. One week out from Boston. So, I decided to swim! I got a great swim lesson from the amazing Erin and I hope to incorporate her coaching suggestions into my swim to help myself be able to race faster in tris! I like swimming...I just hate getting wet and dealing with the chlorine :/

Arms at shoulder width

reach long

look at bleachers/windows on breathing

keep arm under ear when breathing, dont drop it too quickly.

Decided that instead of doing my typical taper that I do I figured I'd do my normal Tuesday and Thursday runs which will equal what I normally do and then a quick run in Boston on Saturday and call my taper good! So, I was going to do the Tuesday ten, but with a few people (including Chad) dropping out we decided to meet at Amy's, run a little early and pick up Kim along our way and just do 8.5. It sure is nice having a female around to run with! Nice easy 8:19 AP and even got to see a crazy deer right off the side of the road, but it distracted us from Dave honking to say hello on his way to work. Good thing Kelli didn't come with us :)

My last Shaggy Mountain before Boston. Had just enough time to run and then get to my flight. It was nice to have Kelli and Scott with us, a treat we rarely get. Luckily, for me, Kelli wasn't feeling well so I could almost keep up with her...not on the uphill, but the downhill :) 

Got my kids up and dropped off at my moms and got to the airport at just the right time to meet Susie in the security line. It was a wonderful treat to be able to be on the same flight with Lowell, Susie and Terry. I love the flights to Boston! So many runners on their way to running a dream. The flight was uneventful and I started working on Becca's blanket for her beautiful little Naomi coming soon. The blanket had to make a trip to Boston since Becca couldn't be with me this year! 

Got to the hotel and had a good dinner at Chipotle then just settled in for the night. A long day of traveling. Brett (my roommate) comes tomorrow night!

Oh the Expo...the Boston Expo! I spent way too much money, but I was just in love with a lot of the Adidas clothes. Such an incredible experience. Saw Beth and Rossy at the booth and got to sign many things and be apart of picture collages and meet Katherine Switzer...oh heavens. SO much!!!

Oh, I almost forgot!! We went to the 2013 memorial display in the library before hand and it was incredible. So many tears and as I walked past the finish line for the first time I couldn't hold back the tears. SO many emotions. I'm not sure I could even describe them all. 

After the library we went to the Old South church. Kelli had told me about the scarf project and I needed one. I didn't just want it, I knew I needed it! I went straight there and asked for one. There were many volunteers handing them out. I was in tears and thanked them for their sacrifice and told them how much it meant to me to be apart of the love and comfort they were spreading. My scarf had a tag telling me the name and residence of the maker. It was a Bostonian! Someone that attends Old South Church. Oh man! I was beside myself. Later Susie and TJ told me that there were cameras recording my reaction and speaking to the people, but I didn't really notice them. It was very important to me to be wrapped in the love and courage that so many had sent from afar. 

Lunch at the mall after getting our packets, more expo and then a stop at the grocery store to grab a few supplies before heading back to the hotel. A late dinner and then we made a late night trip to the Airport to get Bret. It was SO cold!!  I looked silly in my capris and and beanie and sweatshirt. Lots of laughs as we got abandonded by the buses at the pick up area and then no one would stop for the crazy dressed lady! Then we finally got on a bus and Lowell couldn't tell that the lady chatting with us was a lady...oh dear, it was much too funny to bear!! This kept us up (and the excitement of getting Bret) until 2-3AM. 

Needless to say, I didn't get to the morning shake out run Saturday with Bart Yasso like I'd wanted :/ oh well, sleep was more important.

More Expo, shopping and walking. Wihout looking at pictures the days all kind of run together. But, getting to meet Katherine Switzer at the expo was incredible!!! I also got to hang out with Lisa and mom (Laura) and chat it up and I got my flip flops (Oofos) that I have now decided I love! I went with Bret to get her packet and they had sold out of some of the nicer Boston jackets I'd gotten the day before. I was SO happy I'd sucked it up and paid what I had despite the high price tag. 

Can't remember where we went to dinner, but it had to have been good. I loved all the places! Oh, and we went to the first German pub the first night. SO yummy!! Red cabbage sauerkraut, bratwurst, weisswurst....oh heaven! Since Craig had been in Frankfurt for the 10 days before I came (we passed like ships in the night while I was in Boston and he was in NY flying home) I was really craving German food. It was SO good!!!

I really had an incredible time with Lowell and Terry and Susie and Bret. I made friends for a lifetime that I already knew I had :) Sunday was just a treat to top off the experience....

Okay, I've been horrible about keeping an accurate daily log. It was all just a blur...until Sunday. Suffice to say that we had good food, lots of good friends, shopping and incredible experiences. So, I'm going to now skip to Sunday. Like I'd mentioned before, because of picking Bret up Friday night I didn't run Saturday morning like I'd intended. Sunday...onto Sunday.