Paris marathon race expo and random musings

So guys, a lot to post today and I think I might do it in bullet points.  Let's get to it.

1.)  On Thursday night late in the evening the rest of our Paris Marathon crew arrived!  You guys remember Dani from posts last year?  Well I hadn't seen her since October when she moved away to California (rude) and our friend Lama I hadn't seen since last year after she moved away to Dubai (ruder!)  Anyways, it was such a fun reunion and we started having a great time with lots of laughs right away.  Also, it's kind of awesome when friends show up with presents from Dubai in the form of super cute tee shirts :) Thank you Lama!

2.)  Yesterday we went to the race expo.  It was a massive affair and so much stuff to look at.  I love these race expos and always look forward to them.  This one was no disappointment and it was exciting to finally be there, surrounded by other runners, and absorbing all the energy.  I kept going back and forth between choking up with emotions and excitement, and wanting to throw up out of nervousness.  At the expos there are always a few things that you will get with every one... lots of opportunities for pictures and there is often a wall where people can write about why they are running or what motivates them.  They get me every time.  There were a few people who had on Boston shirts and seeing them just made me want to cry every time.

3.) Jess and I also ran to the expo yesterday, finishing 2 miles, which was the last of our training runs.  Which means, I COMPLETED TRAINING FOR A MARATHON!  And aside from 2.5 miles that I missed while I was in Romania and didn't have enough time on the treadmill to do a full 8 on a Wednesday (I did 5.5 instead) I seriously did not miss a SINGLE MILE of the training.  I ran through snow, sleet, slush, wind, rain and FREEZING weather.  I seriously need to keep reminding myself of this because it was an insane accomplishment on its own.  I'm really proud of myself for that.

4.)  This morning there was a 5K "Breakfast Run" that runners, friends, and family could participate in.  Jess and I opted not to do a 5K the day before the marathon but Dani and Lama both ran so we went over in the AM to meet them and cheer.  It ended up being a really fun event and everyone was there representing their different countries with flags and cheering.  There was loud music and it was awesome.  I danced a ton and it got rid of some nerves and made me excited for this race tomorrow!  It was also fun because just in our group alone we had a lot of countries represented in our group alone... the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and UAE!

5.)  When I was walking to meet my friends for dinner the other night, I all of a sudden turned around and there was an amazingly beautiful sunset behind me.  Love. It. Here.

6.) Our bags that we got from the race expo had some great stuff in it, including pistachios that I ate almost immediately.  And also a head lamp!  Since we run in the mornings back in Schenectady, head lamps are a MUST and I'm pumped to now have a back up.

We also got a really informative booklet that came with a lot of information about the race tomorrow.  There was a list of important tips to prepare for the race the night before and we've been laughing about one of the items on the list for the past day now.  Hint: prepare your bandages.

7.)  We went to the top of the Eiffel Tower before the race expo as well.  It was amazing!!

8.)  I apparently am really proud of myself for finishing this training plan because I just went to write that down again and then realized that I had written it for #2.  Guys, I COMPLETED TRAINING FOR A MARATHON THROUGH THE WORST WINTER IN AGES!

9.)  This is how you CARB LOAD!

10.)  Throughout Europe these past few weeks I have been wearing these bracelets.  I have a number of different Alex and Ani bracelets and I brought these three because they are special and meaningful to me for this race.  One says "Daughter" one is a "Starfish" and one says, "It's not a sprint, it's a marathon."

11.) These past few weeks have been incredibly amazing.  I cannot believe all the wonderful things I have been able to see and do since I left my apartment at the beginning of March.  I've loved every minute of it.  Over the past 24-48 hours I have started to have some real race anxiety and panic.  I may have cried.  I may have been grouchy.  I may have doubted whether or not I could do this at all.  And by may, yes, yes, I have been totally panicking.  It's been a struggle to get my mind in the right place and I finally think I am there.  I'm really excited and looking forward to the race tomorrow.  As someone posted on my Facebook page, "The marathon is the fun part."  I seriously almost forgot that and as soon as I remembered, I was determined to keep that in my mind.  I did the hard part of the long training runs alone in the cold, so this is it.  This is the fun part!  Happy running people :)

12.) I realized right before posting that I had miscounted, which is why I have 11 items.  There was going to be 10, but then I miscounted.  Then I wanted to do another one so that I could tell you I miscounted.  So... now there is 12.  That is all.