Sunday

Breakfast

Larry and MaryLyn took me to breakfast.  We went to Pignone's for breakfast in Woburn. https://www.zomato.com/boston/pignones-cafe-stoneham/menu

Church

I had wheat pancakes with blueberries.  I've tried for a month to eat healthier and will be glad when I can just eat a big burger or something after the race.  We went to church next to the Boston temple.

With it being Easter Sunday, there was an extra musical number.  The first number was excellent.  The second was Bach Air with a violin, viola, and a cello.  The rhythmic nature of Bach was very calming (sounds like I know music right, but MaryLyn described it that way).  She was right though.

After church, Larry dropped me off at the technical meeting at the meet hotel (The Fairmont Copley).  I met up with Coach Eyestone, Bob Wood (Jared's agent), and Jared.  The technical meeting is where they tell the elites all the details of race day.  I learned some nice benefits that I would get as a result  of being in the elite category.

• We would have eight places (one every 5k) that we could have personal water bottles out with whatever we wanted to put in them.  I get that in STG too, but this is such a high level race that I wasn't sure if I would get that option.  There are 10 tables for men and ten tables for women.  Only four water bottles will be on each table.  About 20m are between each table.  So, it would be really easy to get out bottles without anyone interfering.  Jared ordered enough water bottles for both of us from one of his sponsors, Glukos.  There was a tracking number saying they would arrive Saturday, but they are delayed until Monday afternoon.  Fortunately, the race had some that were perfect.  I want to order some for STG.  They are medical bottles with straws built in.  They don't spill and are easy to get just the right amount with each squeeze.  I looked at the list of people that get the bottles and wondered if I was supposed to be included.  They included the top younger runners and a few master's runners.  It was fun to be sharing a table with: 

• Since the bombing, runners have not been allowed to bring clothing to the start line and have bags delivered to the finish.  Anything that is brought to the start is left there and donated to homeless shelters.  However, our group will be allowed to use a bag for our own gear that will be brought to the finish for us.
• We will have a church near the start line to rest in once we arrive at the start.
• A police escort will bring us to the start line in our buses.
• There is an elite athlete hospitality room with food in the Fairmont that I can use.
• They also gave us some other info that is not very exciting to write about.

I was able to meet Mike Pieroni there.  He is the one that got me into the race.  So, I thanked him for a while.

Hotel Upgrade

Jared learned that he had an extra room reserved for him by the race in case he wanted to leave his family in one room and stay in the other.  He told me he would rather stay with his family because he would sleep better being with them and offered it to me.  So, I left the Marriott and stayed at the Fairmont which is where our buses would leave on race morning.  The Marriott was 15 miles away.  I keep getting blown away by all the good fortune coming my way.  

After the meeting, I went to pickup my water bottles from the hospitality room and had some food up there.  I found some gingerbread cookies from a local bakery that were made for the race.  The people up there told me to take a few for my family, so I grabbed 5 of them.

I decorated the bottles with some white tape and wrote things on them from Kate, Meghan, Adrienne, and Rebecca.  Since there were eight bottles and I didn't know how to find out from people quick enough what to write, I made up some things that I thought people would say from our family.  I'll have those to inspire me during the race.

Jared told me to call when I was ready and we would go drop off the bottles downstairs so they could be delivered to the right places.  We dropped things off, then visited with some people on the way back up.  Jared is very popular in the running world.  One lady told him, "I'm so grateful you are here.  You are changing the running world for the better!"  I wasn't quite sure what she meant and forgot to ask him, but I think she was focusing on how he has other priorities in his life outside of running.  He lacks arrogance and is always uplifting people around him.  His interviews are always filled with gratitude and thoughts on his family.

SURPRISE!!

We finally made it up to my room and I needed to give him some Glukos Gel that was in my room for race morning.  I went in and grabbed it and walked back out.  I told him I would just relax in my room for a while until dinner.  We had two of his children, Paul and Ellie, with us.  They went down to his room to be with Erica and Julia (wife and baby).  I walked back into my room and Adrienne was standing in the bathroom filming me with her phone.  I was completely clueless that she would be there, but Jared and Erica were in on it all along.  Jared was timing when to come up based upon some texts.  I don't remember what I said, but just ran up and hugged her.  She said something about how she got there and I couldn't even talk because I was choked up.  It took me a while to realize she was really there.  I thought, "This is like being in some romantic comedy where it all works out in the end."  Fortunately, we got to skip all the bad drama that leads up to the magical reunion.  Turns out Erica did that to Jared in high school when he qualified for the Foot Locker Nationals.  Only she had to stay with her parents instead of Jared on that trip.  We hung out in the room for a while while I learned how it all came about.

Larry called on Wednesday to figure out meeting me in Boston and learning what I would need.  He said, "Why isn't Adrienne coming?"  He started looking up flights and said, "Heck! I'll buy her a flight if she's worried about the cost."  I told him I'd talk to her about it and let him know.  I mentioned it that evening, but had never thought about it prior.  She supports me so much in all the running I like to do and I just saw this trip as something she was supporting me in because I wanted to do it with Jared.  Having her come with me had never crossed my mind.

On Friday, I was at school in the morning working as hard as I always do.  Adrienne called and said she felt really bad about not going with me.  I tried to let her know as best as I could that I was completely happy with the trip and had everything I needed taken care of and would feel her support no matter where she would be.  Later that day, she told me she was feeling better and thanked me for talking to her.

Turns out, she went to work after we talked and Jackie (her boss) asked why she wasn't going.  Jackie said, "You need to go! It's a once in a lifetime opportunity."  She talked Adrienne into getting flights reserved, dropping the kids with Grandma and Grandpa and leaving on Sunday.

From there, I think Gma, Gpa, Rebecca, and Jared were in on it.  There may be others that knew, but I wasn't one of them.  Grandma texted me asking for Jared's contact info so that she could congratulate him after the race.  I sent it to her thinking how kind that was.  Jared knows a lot about my families and Grandma knows a lot about Jared, but I'm not sure they've ever met.  So, he would be happy to hear from her.  The real reason she wanted it was to coordinate this plan without me knowing.  I didn't know Grandma had it in her to trick someone like that.  Thankfully, it was for a great cause.

I think what got me so amazed and choked up when Adrienne arrived is how I know she has no idea how to navigate traveling by plane and subway, but she did it anyway all by herself.  I obviously felt a great deal of love from her for what I imagined she had gone through.  I think Grandpa dropped her of at the airport.  All she had was a backpack filled with snacks, a sandwich, some clothes, and love in her heart (I made that bit up, but I think it's true).  She must have been so scared.  When she landed, she went to ground transportation and tried to figure out how to get to the Fairmont.  She asked a man that didn't really know.  Then a lady said she was going that way and helped her get through figuring out the subway with one exchange to get off at Copley Square.  Erica met her, got her a key, and told her the room.  After the long flight and subway, there she was.

After settling in, we met the Wards for dinner in a hospitality suite where there was a great buffet for every meal while we were there.  We would be eating and visiting with Olympic medalists, coaches, and even world record holders.  It was quite the experience for me.  I think Adrienne felt some of that too.

We go organized for the race and had everything laid out for the next morning.  I had to load a bus at 6:45 am.  It was wonderful having Adrienne there to help get things in place so that I wouldn't forget anything and had someone to have things for me at the finish if I needed it.

Sore Foot and Leg

I've had a sore flexor hallicus longus insertion on under the distal first metatarsal of my right foot since our last Saturday run.  It had me favoring the outside of my foot while walking and running.  So, now my peroneal tendons and muscles are a little sore on the side of my lower leg.  Erica is an Exercise Science grad and massage therapist, so she worked on that for me for a while before bed.  It loosened it up and I felt better about everything.