BOSTON 2014 .. Part 1

EPIC..... this is the best word I can use to describe my Boston 2014 experience!  I am breaking this post into a few parts because the whole weekend was so amazing!!

We drove to Connecticut Friday night and stayed about 2 hours away from Boston .. there was this delicious Italian restaurant by our hotel where we ate dinner and then got a good night sleep before heading into all the awesomeness!!  I did have to swing in and checkout the gym ... Taper Madness??

Luckily this broke up the 6+ hour drive and sitting in the car!  On the way to Boston my hubby decided to drive and see some of the course ... we picked up the marathon route just past Framingham ... finally my parents and hubby got to see Wellesley, THE Newton Hills, Boston College and the Citgo sign section!

Right before the Newton Hills .. Boston Strong!

Pulling back on to Exeter Street was emotional for me ... Just seeing how close we were to the bombings and remembering not knowing if my parents and my oldest son were safe made me cry.

But feeling the excitement and seeing the strength on Boylston made me realize that this years race was way bigger then a time on the clock!

We checked into the hotel and were immediately greeted by our "Boston Family" ... Mike, Sid and Pete!

SID!!  He is truly the best!

New Balance sponsors our hotel so the staff all get to wear New Balance gear all weekend and they truly take care of every detail!  Look at our room key!

Our first stop was the expo!  On the walk to the expo there was a group of little kids selling Boston Strong rainbow loom bracelets!!  They were seriously the cutest kids and so enthusiastic about their products .. of course we had to support our future millionaires!!  1 bracelet for $3 or 2 for $5 !!  Genius!

Then it was straight to packet pick-up:

Then I had to scope out the Mizuno booth and chatted with The Shoe Guy Bob.  I absolutely love everything about Mizuno and wish I had more time to spend at their booth but it was crazy crowded!!

I also HAD to swing by the City Sports booth!  My mom was on it and quickly jumped in line for us to meet Oiselle Teammates Kara Goucher and Lauren Fleshman ... AMAZING!

I kinda LOVE these two ladies!!  I was a little star struck and kept it together .. Thank goodness!

Strength, Beauty, Inspiration!!

I made my way through the crowds to find my beloved FEETURES! and chatted with Mary for a little!  If you have not tried Feetures yet you must!

The expo was super crowded and very difficult to get around so we decided to call it a day ... Mom and Dad grabbed a quick lunch and I met up with Jen for a quick 3 mile shakeout run!

My crew!

I also took a peek at the gym:

Still up in the Lenox gym!

After a quick shower and change we went to Solas and I enjoyed a refreshing Samuel Adams 26.2 Brew!

Cheers!!

We went to the North End for dinner and ate at Dolce Vita which was just what I wanted!! MMMMM
After a quick stop at Mike's Pastry we went back to the hotel to relax!

Pistachio cookies!!!

The front desk even sent coffee to our room for us to enjoy with our dessert!  I LOVE THE LENOX!!

WELL that was our Saturday in Boston ... Sunday to follow!

Happy Running!