Boston Marathon Weekend (Friday): Expo & Runkeeper Party
/You probably are thinking to yourself - Boston Marathon - that old event was like 3 weeks ago... ... and you would be right!
Well I got a little dose of reality from my dad yesterday who was taken aback that I hadn't recapped the weekend yet. Now this coming from the man who doesn't really understand my blog nor read it. But, it lit a little fire under my big butt to get a move on.
So let's get this recap party started.
I like to set the scene so we are kicking it day by day style up in here. Why? Because it is my blog and I said so. So there. :)
On Thursday, April 17, my dear boo Linzie from See Sharp Run arrived in town from Cali. Of course I jumped in the car to go meet him and Adam and Katie (hi twitter friends) for a brew ... or two.
Reunited and it feels soooo good! Sometimes you meet a person and you just click. For those that don't know Linzie and I first met in October 2013 and ended up running a 10k trail run together through the Hollywood Hills that night sharing his one headlamp - yeah that can bond two people together - plus the convo was great! :)
But I digress ... as we were enjoying some beer and food we were joined by Angry Julie. I was so excited to finally meet her after years of chatting online. Blogger fail for not getting a photo with her that night, but there will be one at some point in the weekend.
After a great night, it was time to head home and rest up for one of my favorite days of race weekend ... the Expo!
Now, I had to knock out four hours of work before I let loose on the Expo and it felt like 20 hours. :P But the clock finally hit noon and I was out the door.
Many folks are not a fan of the Expo - it is a get in, get the number and get out.
Maybe it is because I am connected to a lot of companies and folks through social media that the Expo turns into a social party for me!
You can imagine what is coming next ... pictures!! :P
I arrived at the Expo just before 12:30 on Friday and immediately got in line to get my number.
Thankfully I ran into a friend Stephanie (who was running her first marathon) and was able to sneak in with her. The line was RIDICULOUS when I got there. Doors opened at Noon. I know there were about 10k extra runners, but the line was about 3 times the length from last year at the same time.
Thankfully the line moved at a good clip and before we knew it was the magic moment - the pic we had been waiting for - you and the bib!
After sweeping up my number, it was off to get the official t-shirt (loved it this year) and finally hit up the Expo floor.
Ahhh a great sight. Occasionally I still question whether I can call myself a runner - I don't know what the hold up in my brain is - but I still love seeing the sign.
First and foremost I had the sign the big runner wall.
I had an Expo game plan: I was going to hit the booths of my favorite products first! And in no particular order...
Sparkly Soul
It is always a pleasure seeing Pamela, half of the dynamic sister duo behind Sparkly Soul headbands.
ENERGYBITS
It was awesome picking up the free bags of Bits I earned as an ENERGYBits ambassador right before a huge race weekend.
KT Tape
I always hit up the KT Tape booth if they are at an expo. While I am confident in applying the KT Tape myself, I never pass up the chance for a professional to do it. PLUS sometimes they tape it in a way you would've never imagined. Like on my foot above. I had never seen that style before, but was open to giving it a try for the BAA 5k the next morning.
After hitting up my Top Three booths and making a quick lap of the whole floor (two large rooms), it was time to sneak away to the Old South Church.
Thank you Diane for my scarf!! It was made with love by Jean in Hollis, NH!! The knitters were told to make the scarves with 1) blue & yellow and 2) love & courage. Then I started crying!!
I popped into Dunkins for a healthy lunch of iced coffee and munchkins. Hey a healthy lifestyle is full of balance, right? :) Then headed back to the Expo to see friends. And see friends I did. While I didn't get a pic with everyone here are a few:
Kelly, a fellow Weight Watchers and a current Chicago resident (she has my leader I had when I was in Chicago)
The amazing Kimberly stopped by the Expo to spread some good hugs and cheer to Linzie and I for the race
More RunDisney love with Linzie, Kelsey and Kristin
What I absolutely love about the whole Expo??? Is that everyone I interacted with, saw, loved, hugged and laughed with ... I met online! Thanks Twitter and Facebook! :)
Thanks for the pic Adam
Before heading out with the crew to the Runkeeper Marathon party, Linzie and I needed to take a quick break with the power supply. #BloggerProblems
Since it was a nice day out, we took the opportunity to get some steps on the ol FitBit and take the walk from the Expo to Runkeeper, which really was only about a mile or so.
I was wicked excited to finally see the Runkeeper HQ. The event was from 3-5:30 and included a scavenger hunt. I was having too much Expo fun to pull away for the Scavenger Hunt portion, but made it in time to meet some Runkeeper folks I speak to online often and see the power duo behind Notch Brewing.
Notch was providing refreshments for the soiree. I love Notch and the folks behind it. It is great to find a cool local brewery you can support. I often see Notch at the Cambridge 5k races while captaining the Team Slumbrew running team. But as Chris said "friendly competition" here. :)
But, it was nice to have some time to chat with Chris and Mary Ellen at Runkeeper. As I chatted with friends and the Runkeeper staff, I realized it was bathroom time. So I excused myself, took care of business and came back to an empty room. I'm not sure if everyone got invited to a party that I wasn't or what but all of a sudden everyone was gone.
So I took the opportunity to snap a quick selfie with the Runkeeper treadmill, ask my way into a Runkeeper HQ tour and then head on my way.
It was a great way to kick off the Boston Marathon weekend ... and I hadn't even done any running yet! :P
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Are you an Expo lover?
