Wednesday, November 21, 2007
9:06 AM
Prelude to the Marathon
It's been so very long since I've posted! Before I get into my 'prelude to the marathon,' I want to mention one thing: Jon and I decided to run the marathon together. For shorter distances, Jon is definitely faster than me. For very long runs, however, I run about the same pace as he does. Neither of us had a time goal, and running with a partner is more enjoyable :) We did our last two long runs (including the 2nd 20 miler) together so that we'd be prepared to run together at the marathon.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FRIDAY:
Jon and I drove down to Philly on Friday after work. Due to a bad accident on 322, we decided to take I-80 to I-476 which took a little bit longer. Finding the parking lot at the 69th street station was a bit of a fiasco, but we made it into the city a little before 10pm. We stayed with Milo (yay!) Friday night. BTW, his apt is awesome. I was soooo envious of him. It's on 10th St. between Market and South streets. We met a couple of Milo's friends, learned that the the stone roads in Old Town Philly were brought over from Europe on ships, and hit up a Mexican bar. good times. I've always LOVED Old Town Philly. I hope that Jon and I get a chance to visit again when we don't have a race and can enjoy the nightlife! Milo had to leave early in the morning for a wedding in NYC, so we called it an early night; Jon and I were more than happy to get a good night's rest.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SATURDAY:
Of course, we were up pretty early in the morning and hungry for some food. We got breakfast @ an ABP and walked around downtown for a little while. I wanted to see if Brandy's favorite X-Mas light display was up in Macy's. It was, but it wasn't lit :( Oh well. We also walked down South Street. I was sad that we were eating healthy for the marathon the next day and couldn't indulge in a slice of Lorenzo's pizza. Big poopies! Next time...
Race packet pick-up was at the Liacouras Center on the Temple U. campus. After buying a one day SEPTA pass and waiting nearly an hour for a train to the Temple campus, I realized that the SEPTA pass didn't cover regional rails. oops! We hurried to jump off the train. I managed to get off before the doors closed, leaving Jon behind as the train started to pull away. Luckily, the conductor dude or whatev stopped the train and let him off!
Soooo we took the SEPTA train/bus back to the 69th street station and drove into the city to pick-up our race packets. The line was hella long, and I was afraid that I would starve to death while waiting in line, but it moved quickly. The Philly marathon was very well organized. We walked around the expo (yay free stuff!) and purchased a few items. I got a belt to hold my GUs/cell phone/race number. Jon bought shorts and socks (boring, huh?? jp).
At this point, we were both tired and hungry. We drove to the hotel and decided to eat at the Houlihan's across the street. I ordered the mahi tuna tacos; Jon ordered the fish tacos. I know that these sound the same, but mine were better!! HA The options for sides at Houlihan's are excellent. I wanted to try them all! I decided on the Mediterranean orzo and convinced Jon to get the *fluffy* citrus couscous so that we could share. Both were mmmmm mmmm yummy good!
It was great to see my parents! I felt like it had been ages since I was home. We got settled in our respective rooms and planned out everything for the next day (when to leave, where to park, where they'd be standing, etc.). My mom was so cute - she had about 3 different maps of the course printed out, each a different size and color. She had cut and pasted them together to make a montage. classic.
My dad was hell-bent on finding a radio station that was broadcasting the RU-Pitt game. It was, of course, 75% static, but my dad will listen to a game if he can make out at least every 10th word (not kidding). We were able to get better reception near the end of the game by playing with the antenna, and I tried not to gloat when RU won :)
We loaded up on carbs at dinner in the hotel restaurant. The chef was very accommodative with our meals. Jon and I basically got the same meal, penne with vegetables and chicken. Jon skipped the chicken. I also had a glass of wine. I've found that I do better at races when I have a glass of wine or a beer with dinner the night before. The sample size is actually too small to confirm this, but I like the idea!
Early night: in bed around 9pm or so. We watched the beginning of the WVU football game. I really like Pat White. He's probably too small to be an NFL QB, but I could see him as a WR.
I was much calmer before this marathon. I actually was able to sleep. Because I'd finished one before, I knew that I would be able to finish. My only goal was to have a more enjoyable experience during the race (i.e. not feel sick to my stomach the whole time).
Next up: RACE DAY!!!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FRIDAY:
Jon and I drove down to Philly on Friday after work. Due to a bad accident on 322, we decided to take I-80 to I-476 which took a little bit longer. Finding the parking lot at the 69th street station was a bit of a fiasco, but we made it into the city a little before 10pm. We stayed with Milo (yay!) Friday night. BTW, his apt is awesome. I was soooo envious of him. It's on 10th St. between Market and South streets. We met a couple of Milo's friends, learned that the the stone roads in Old Town Philly were brought over from Europe on ships, and hit up a Mexican bar. good times. I've always LOVED Old Town Philly. I hope that Jon and I get a chance to visit again when we don't have a race and can enjoy the nightlife! Milo had to leave early in the morning for a wedding in NYC, so we called it an early night; Jon and I were more than happy to get a good night's rest.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SATURDAY:
Of course, we were up pretty early in the morning and hungry for some food. We got breakfast @ an ABP and walked around downtown for a little while. I wanted to see if Brandy's favorite X-Mas light display was up in Macy's. It was, but it wasn't lit :( Oh well. We also walked down South Street. I was sad that we were eating healthy for the marathon the next day and couldn't indulge in a slice of Lorenzo's pizza. Big poopies! Next time...
Race packet pick-up was at the Liacouras Center on the Temple U. campus. After buying a one day SEPTA pass and waiting nearly an hour for a train to the Temple campus, I realized that the SEPTA pass didn't cover regional rails. oops! We hurried to jump off the train. I managed to get off before the doors closed, leaving Jon behind as the train started to pull away. Luckily, the conductor dude or whatev stopped the train and let him off!
Soooo we took the SEPTA train/bus back to the 69th street station and drove into the city to pick-up our race packets. The line was hella long, and I was afraid that I would starve to death while waiting in line, but it moved quickly. The Philly marathon was very well organized. We walked around the expo (yay free stuff!) and purchased a few items. I got a belt to hold my GUs/cell phone/race number. Jon bought shorts and socks (boring, huh?? jp).
At this point, we were both tired and hungry. We drove to the hotel and decided to eat at the Houlihan's across the street. I ordered the mahi tuna tacos; Jon ordered the fish tacos. I know that these sound the same, but mine were better!! HA The options for sides at Houlihan's are excellent. I wanted to try them all! I decided on the Mediterranean orzo and convinced Jon to get the *fluffy* citrus couscous so that we could share. Both were mmmmm mmmm yummy good!
It was great to see my parents! I felt like it had been ages since I was home. We got settled in our respective rooms and planned out everything for the next day (when to leave, where to park, where they'd be standing, etc.). My mom was so cute - she had about 3 different maps of the course printed out, each a different size and color. She had cut and pasted them together to make a montage. classic.
My dad was hell-bent on finding a radio station that was broadcasting the RU-Pitt game. It was, of course, 75% static, but my dad will listen to a game if he can make out at least every 10th word (not kidding). We were able to get better reception near the end of the game by playing with the antenna, and I tried not to gloat when RU won :)
We loaded up on carbs at dinner in the hotel restaurant. The chef was very accommodative with our meals. Jon and I basically got the same meal, penne with vegetables and chicken. Jon skipped the chicken. I also had a glass of wine. I've found that I do better at races when I have a glass of wine or a beer with dinner the night before. The sample size is actually too small to confirm this, but I like the idea!
Early night: in bed around 9pm or so. We watched the beginning of the WVU football game. I really like Pat White. He's probably too small to be an NFL QB, but I could see him as a WR.
I was much calmer before this marathon. I actually was able to sleep. Because I'd finished one before, I knew that I would be able to finish. My only goal was to have a more enjoyable experience during the race (i.e. not feel sick to my stomach the whole time).
Next up: RACE DAY!!!
