Marathon Memoir Part 1

I am told there will never be another Marathon like the first. As a result, it seems only fitting that I try and capture all the amazing memories and moments of the Marathon weekend in Burlington that I can. To help prevent boredom, this memoir is in three parts. . .

Marathon Weekend Part 1: Saturday

Saturday morning I woke up and took Otis on an easy jog for just under 2 miles. I am not sure the distance, I didn’t wear my watch—heaven forbid I unpack it and not repack it or something. Plus, the purpose for Saturday was to just get the legs moving and get some exercise in. Then, we loaded the car, yes I double checked that the running bag was packed twice, and were off to Burlington—the new car’s second trip to Vermont almost exactly one year later. I was quickly reminded of how I always love the drive through New Hampshire with the rolling hills and green everywhere. I felt calm and relaxed.

We went straight to the hotel with the marathon expo and packets for the runners. I grabbed my t-shirt, timing chip, and official runner’s bag. I got number 146—whew can you say early registration? There are over 3,000 marathoners! We wandered through the exhibitor area and grabbed our first nibble of some Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. Ben and Jerry’s factory is in Burlington so you will see that name come up a lot throughout this monologue. Then, off we went to find some food. We hit Burlington’s downtown area and Farmer’s market where we snagged some great food and checked out all the dogs and people (we are more dog watchers I think). I understand from our friends that my husband was on dog watch all weekend and pet almost every pup he saw. We grabbed some more food at our first Brewery stop—the Vermont Pub and Brewery. Here we met my training partner and her husband. We wandered around downtown—made an official stop at the Ben and Jerry’s ice cream store downtown (we would visit here again Sunday) and then checked into the hotel. I instantly fell asleep for an hour while Justin watched t.v.—nerves, what nerves? Then, off to Stowe with some friends—our running pal from the Carlisle run and her partner, another friend from Somerville (who had just run the Boston marathon 1 month earlier!), and the four of us. Stowe was beautiful and the Pie in the Sky pizza place was great. I had a big bowl of spaghetti with meatballs and ate it all—clean plate club!

After dinner, I laid out every item I would need for the next day and pinned my number to my shirt. I had this nice little row of all the items I would need—vaseline, body glide, sun screen, filled fuel belt (potable water), clothes, socks, shoes, and a bag for after with dry clothes, band aids, advil, etc. Then off to bed.