episode 2: the expo

Next on the weekend's frenetic agenda was making the obligatory stop at the 2010 Boston Marathon Expo to pick up my bib for the race. Laura, Erin, and I agreed long before my NYC bus tickets were purchased that hitting the Expo sooner rather than later would be far better for all three of our psyches. Since the Expo was open Friday through Sunday--and since I wouldn't return to Boston until noon on Saturday--it was decided that I'd go straight from getting off the bus to getting on the T in order to meet them for bib pick-up.

Brian, Chris and I stayed out fairly late our last night in the city, catching West Side Story on Broadway (wahoo!) and dinner at a hip/exotic/techno-beat-underwritten Vietnamese restaurant. We returned to the hotel dangerously close to 2 AM--where I set my alarm for 5:30 AM to make absolutely sure I'd find my 7:30 bus. Long day ahead.

By the time my bus rolled into South Station at noon, my body was convinced that it must be time for bed. Lucky for me, I have the greatest friends, period. Erin and Laura both greeted me at the Park Street station with tokens of marathon goodness and the loveliest of sentiments that made even the afternoon drizzle seem sunny. (Yes, I will be that sappy--they turned my nearing-cranky mood completely around!) We traveled together to the Hynes Convention Center, where we waited for a few teammates to join us.

Up until this point in this blog, I don't think I've mentioned that aside from running and fundraising for Boston Partners in Education, I also serve as the team's coordinator. Part of my VISTA position for Boston Partners includes attending BAA meetings, coordinating group runs with the other nonprofit teams in our Coalition, answering our other runners' questions, monitoring fundraising, etc.

Thanks to this position, I've gotten to know Laurelin--our out-of-town runner and a former employee of Boston Partners--quite well via emails back and forth, but I had never actually met her. As Erin, Laura, Todd, and I all waited at the Convention Center, there suddenly appeared a young lady with Jess whose Facebook picture I knew quite well. The spirit of marathon love continued, and Laurelin and I hugged each other as new friends united by this crazy undertaking. (Quick shout-out to her for being so lovely--you rock, Laurelin!)

Together, the six of us braved the crowds of runners who continued to filter into the Hynes. First up and most importantly, we needed our bibs! We navigated through the masses to the appropriate table.


Picking up our numbers felt very much like graduating--finally getting your diploma after months of preparation for such a moment. And to apparently make absolutely sure that such an analogy applied, Jess stood by each of us as we received our bib to photograph the moment with her iPhone. Below is my shot, which she snapped immediately before I snapped about having my picture taken looking like I just got off of a bus from NYC. (Sorry, Jess. I really do love you.) =)


Our number packets (mine pictured below) contained not only our bib, but the ever-important chip that we would lace onto our shoes to track our progress on Marathon Day, as well as illustrated instructions for attaching such chips. I mention this now because such instructions will likely make multiple appearances in my next post. It involves me looking comically foolish--you will be entertained.


Once each of us had a packet in hand, we moved on to pick up our complimentary, official 2010 Boston Marathon shirts--which Laura refused to physically handle because, as she will tell you in her pre-marathon blog post, Laura will not touch any marathon-branded apparel prior to the marathon. Very superstitious...

Number packets, t-shirts, and official Boston Marathon bags all now in hand, we imposed on a passerby to snap a group photo with our newly obtained treasure:

back row from left: me, Erin, Laurelin, Todd
front row from left: Laura, Jess

Adorable. =)

Now, as any Boston Marathoner can tell you, that's only the beginning of the Boston Marathon Expo Experience. There are giant rooms that follow the two required stops our group had just hit--rooms that are full of samples and merchandise and last-minute advice and fellow runners and preachers and cryers and circus clowns and kittens and banana cream pies. I'll bet.

Okay, so I didn't actually go to the rest of the Expo.

Quite exhausted, I excused myself from the group and made my way--for the first time since NYC--back to my apartment. I was tired. And more than any PowerBar samples, free water bottles, or overpriced Adidas merchandise, what I really needed two days before the 2010 Boston Marathon was sleep.

Expo. Check.