Each Day Is a Gift

One week till Boston!  Easy conversational run with Wendy to MCT west. Nice weather, wore shorts!
 

Left the house at 9:50 after hubby's lab results came in.  Did 4X800s on the MCT.  AP: 10:00 (11:05, 9:41, 9:15, 9:14, 10:14, 10:41).  Man, I'm SO slow! 

Short easy run with Wendy before visiting teaching, then doctor visit, then shopping.
 

Easy run with Wendy to MCT west.  We beat the rain/wind storm.

No running today.  Lab draw for hubby.  Laundry and pack for Boston.  Flying out tonight on a red-eye to Boston via JFK.

Zero sleep on the flight to Boston arriving at 10:30.  The only great thing about this was that Kelli and her running buddy Amy were on the same flights. 

Really wanted to take the Logan express shuttle to the hotel.  But nope, hubby is such a creature of habbit that not only did he want to fly the same 'ole red-eye flight, but take the same out public transportation.  But of course this being our 7th time to Boston (albeit that the last time was two years ago in 2013), we know the drill.  So we bought a 7-day T pass for $19.  Got on airport shuttle to the Blue T-station.  The cars on the Blue line are nice, handicap accessible.  Changed train at Government Center to the Green line which are not as nice and accessible.  We squeezed onto a two-cars Green line which was so crowded that we were standing on the steps with me holding our suitcase precariously.  Did I mention that hubby cannot lift anything more than 15 lbs (per doctor's order).  We got off at the Hynes Convention Center station, walked up the stairs, that station is not handicap accessible.  On the last four steps, the handle of the suitcase popped up and I had a hard time lifting it up.  A nice young man going down stopped to help me lift it up the last few steps!  We walked to our hotel, Hilton Boston Back Bay, crossing Boylston onto Dalton.  It was so crowded and the motorists were a bit impatient.

We arrived at the hotel at 11:30 and there was a long line at the lobby/counter.  Of course our room was not ready as check-in time was 3pm.  We were told that they will call me when the room is ready and we had the bell-boy stowe our luggage.  We walked over to the Expo meeting Gary and Lily at the entrance.  After getting my bib and packet/bag, I texted Marcie so she could meet us and I could give her the pre-race dinner ticket.  It was so crowded and noisy that she could not even hear me talk.  Anyhow, it was great to see her and her son Michael. 

We made our way into the Adidas booth, SO CRAZY CROWDED, hubby found an empty bench so he and Gary sat down while Lily directed me to the racks of jackets and shirts.  It was such a mad house that I didn't even try on anything.  I bought the jacket and a shirt that I will wear on Monday.  I still needed to get some Glide but I just wanted to get out of there.  By now, Maddi had contacted Lily so we went out of the Expo and met David and Lily who have driven four hours from New York to spend the weekend with us.  It's now 1:30, we were starving, so we walked all over the Prudential Center looking for a place to grab lunch.  There was 35-40 min waiting.  So we walked back to the hotel and grabbed sandwitches from the hotel's deli/coffee shop as their restaurant was closed.  After lining up in the long line for the third time at 3:30pm and was told that our room was still not ready, I was exacerbated.  I was stressed for hubby because of the crowds and having no rest the last 15 hours.  Maddi charmed the hotel staff and he got us a room on a lower floor.  Still we waited 30 min. before the luggages were brought in. 

Lowell called and wanted to meet me at the Expo.  I told him I was totally bushed and the Expo is too crowded and we'll just meet tomorrow.  He said he would pick up the Glide for me!  Such a GREAT friend.  We tried taking a little nap before heading to dinner.

Hubby made reservation for the six of us at Legal Seafood at Park Place at 6:30pm.  We should've taken the T, but David and Maddi hadn't gotten their pass and thought the restaurant was at Copley which would've been less than half mile away.  Well, we walked a mile in the cold wind.  But the dinner was well worth the walk and the wait.  Boston will not be right without having a seafood feast at Legal Seafood! :)  Hubby had his favorite lobser bake and I had king crab legs, and of course their famous New England clam chowder.  After dinner we took the T to Copley and walked to Newbury St. and found Lily's favorite eMack for ice-cream...yum!!!  Then we walked back to our hotels.  Gary had run the 5K earlier this morning and walked umpteen miles all day.  He's amazing!