Boston Day 2

It's ridiculous how long it's taken me to post this stuff. I guess I've been in denial that it's over. It's a long come down, coming down from a dream come true.

I woke Saturday April 17, early enough. We were all so tired from traveling. I texted my Dad and asked if he wanted to go for a jog with me. He was ready and waiting within a few minutes.

We set out on the cold and wet morning. We tried to recall where our shuttle had taken us the night before. But it all looked so different in the daylight.

With intentions of finding the expo, we ran in that general direction.

I pulled out my phone and used GPS. A few short turns and we were there.

There were lots of people coming and going from the expo, but we weren't planning on going in just yet. It was all so surreal. "The Expo" was taking place. "The Jackets" were being sold. Plenty of veteran Boston runners were swarming the area. You knew them by their jackets. Lots of past years were being represented. I was nervous as heck, but starting to get excited.
We ran back with our mouths wide open the whole time. Everything is so beautiful in Boston. We'd stop and say, "look at that" or "oh, wow, what's that sculpture say?" We were even stopped for directions. "Is Fenway down this way?" Not realizing that it was just around the bend, we showed our mid-west ignorance and said, "I dunno." (Basically... we were so self conscience about sounding like hayseeds)
We showered and went as a complete family on our first of many T rides.

We got off at Copley. (Pronounced COP-Lee, not 'cope-lee' as we quickly discovered) As we climbed out of the subway, we walked right into the finish line. THE FINISH LINE. It was raining and it was crowded. I wasn't expecting to be surprised by such a sight. I walked in a line following my family, but I was crying. Ugly face crying. "I'm here, I'm really here."
My 'team mates" had to stop for a pretzel. We knew we'd love this city!
First stop once inside, was the 5K bib pick up. My Dad and I decided to run this for fun weeks prior. The 5K pick-up was off separate from the rest of the expo, it was still quiet in this area. Little did we know we were about to enter a jungle.
I walked into a huge door way with my pick-up card and ID. The man at the "wave 1, 'H' line" paid me a nice complement. "Wow, you're up here? You must be pretty fast then." I was quiet pleased to show off my 3:19 BQ for him. He handed me my packet and wished me luck. I was holding back tears as I turned for the next room. When I looked back, my Dad was standing there with a camera. This was more intense than graduations. We were all a little emotional.
I walked on and got my shirt and my check bag. I felt like I was officially "in" now. I could proudly walk the expo with my bright yellow bag strung across my back and let it be known, I came to run the Boston Marathon.
The next room was "The Expo"
The only thing I had to get was a celebration jacket. I thought I could wait on everything else. My savvy running buddy back in Wichita always sends the link to the clearance Boston merchandise out every May. So, I knew I didn't have to pay for everything that day. But I had to get a jacket. They were out of smalls and I had to try on a medium. Kenton snapped a camera phone pic so I could see if it fit. I quickly took it off. It's so not cool to wear the jacket if you haven't run. I did not want to be spotted out as a newbie, so I resisted the urge to snuggle up in my coveted new wooby.
We walked the expo and saw some of the awesome stuff. But man, it was crowded. The only other item I was after was a "future qualifier" shirt for Judah. They were out of his size. I was told maybe I could check the website, but I wasn't given a lot of promise. So, I began to re-think my plan to wait until items went on clearance. It was so stinkin' crowded, we all had to get out though.
We ended up walking back because we were still a little ignorant on where all the T stations and stops were. (Soon, Kenton owned that sucker, but the first few days, not so much)

That's okay. We ended up seeing so many awesome things along the way. The fire station, Engine Company 33/ Ladder Company 15, has been opened and operating since 1888. It's right at the corner of Hereford and Boylston, the final turn in the Boston Marathon.
We also walked right past The Museum of Fine Arts. Judah took the opportunity to "interact" with the art.

We were picked up that night by our brother in law and driven from Boston to Belmont. Kenton's step sister and her husband live just outside Cambridge. We got to visit our niece and they treated us to a great B.A.A. 5K pre-race meal of chicken and brown rice.