ING Hartford Marathon Expo

This afternoon, after arriving in Hartford, Amy and I headed over to the XL Center for the ING Hartford Marathon Expo. As we walked towards the expo from the parking deck we saw lots of marathon banners and fun signs along the sidewalks, pointing out tomorrow’s marathon course!

IMG_3114The ING Hartford Marathon and Half Marathon expo was such a pleasure to experience today with Amy and Laura, who we met once we arrived!  Even though we were there during the lunch hour rush, there were still plenty of friendly volunteers and coordinators answering questions and helping all the runners! We may have squealed with excitement when we saw the marathon t-shirts as they are an adorably soft orange creamsicle technical shirt in fitted women’s sizing. I can already tell that it’s going to quickly become a favorite! IMG_3128You know this is a smaller marathon when my number only has 3 digits! How the heck did that happen?

IMG_3120After picking up our bibs and shirts we were finally able to give Danielle a huge hug! Danielle is Amy’s sister-in-law and one of the race coordinators. She was the one who suggested Amy and I make a weekend out of the ING Hartford Half and Marathon! She is kindly hosting us in her home this weekend and has made sure that our experience is nothing but fabulous!

IMG_3124We spent the rest of the time at the expo chatting with the sponsors, including Cabot Cheese, Lara Bars, the Hartford Psyching Team, and the course guides! They were so sweet to answer my nervous questions about the route since I am unfamiliar with Hartford. Supposedly the out and back miles are through a small neighborhood with plenty of foliage and local spectators cheering in their yards! So let’s talk about this psyching team as it is something totally new to me! They literally stand along the sidelines screaming positive words of encouragement and wisdom which has been tested among athletes! They even gave out pieces of the finish line so athletes can pin it to their bibs and “feel close to the finish line” the entire race!

Photo: Coolest concept ever: Hartford Psyching Team of professors and PHDs from Springfield College to provide psych tips and cheer you on to a strong finish!

After exploring the expo we headed to a local deli to grab lunch for ourselves and Danielle! Just like last year, I went with a turkey sandwich on a soft roll, water and Food Should Taste Good chips we were given at the expo!

marathon prepThat was the extent of our afternoon adventures. The rest of our day has consisted of elevated legs on a comfortable couch, Law & Order SVU, Revenge, Grey’s Anatomy, candy corn, pita chips, stretching, a pasta dinner, some time with the foot massager, and lots of water! An 8am start time means plenty of sleep for us this evening in hopes of fresh legs and hearts tomorrow morning! It’s going to be a wonderful day! Strong heart, strong legs!

Thank you everyone for your amazing support and well wishes! The calls, emails, texts, Facebook, Twitter, and blog comments have me so excited and encouraged!

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Are You A Creature of Habit?

Good morning!

Did you all have a good evening? It’s a fabulous Friday as I’m currently on an Amtrak train heading up to Hartford, Connecticut!

IMG_3098Last night after landing I spent the evening relaxing with good friends and food. Theodora was so kind to host me last night so we spent the evening catching up, laughing, giving Bailey belly rubs and spending some time on the foam roller.

IMG_3081We went to a neighborhood favorite, Tappo, for a relaxed dinner. As luck would have it, we ran into Laura and Laura there! The four of us ended up sitting near each other so we spent dinner laughing as I heard stories from the past few months.

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By 9:30pm I had to go to bed as I could barely keep my eyes open. Luckily I slept through the night, only waking up one time, and woke up this morning feeling really good. My legs and back are a bit tight but hopefully it’s nothing I can’t stretch out with some yoga later.

This morning I referenced my post from last year to see what I ate the morning before the marathon. While I am not necessarily a creature of habit in my daily life, I definitely am when it comes to running. Once I find something that works, whether it’s clothing, hydration method, exercise, or food, I stick with it! Therefore, I decided that today I will do my best to have the exact same food I had last year. I had a great marathon last year and felt perfectly fueled the entire time.

I made a few stops in Penn Station in order to put together the same breakfast and snacks that I ate last year as we drove down to Philadelphia!

  • A fresh juice –  Detox (beet, carrots, celery, ginger, and lemon) juice  (Check out this article on the benefits of beets!)
  • Spinach Feta wrap and small latte from Starbucks
  • Banana
  • Water with NUUN

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I am so excited to arrive in Hartford around noon! Amy, who flew in for the weekend from Cincinnati, is picking me up at the train station! We both agreed to have a relaxing afternoon including lunch, picking up our bibs at the expo, a quick Lululemon shopping trip, and relaxing on the couch! We are lucky that her sister-in- law, Danielle, is one of the race organizers! Danielle is allowing us to stay at her home tonight and has been so wonderful coordinating everything! Staying in someone’s home is so much nicer than a sterile hotel!  While Amy is running the half tomorrow, instead of the full, I’m still excited to get to spend the weekend with her and know I’ll have a friendly face to jump in for the last few miles!

Have a great Friday and good luck to everyone running this weekend, especially those people hitting the asphalt in Chicago and Hartford! Luckily the weather looks perfect for both cities!

Your turn: Are you a creature of habit when it comes to running or workouts? Do you stick to the same fuel or same rituals before a race?

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Travel Tips from the Friendly Skies

Greetings from the friendly skies! I’m typing this during my second and last flight of the day, Paris to Newark!

IMG_3054Last night I stayed up working until around midnight which was of course far later than I wanted. But, luckily I was able to work in my compression socks while sitting indian style at my desk. When I’m working from home in the evening I find that lighting a few candles and changing into my favorite sweats, now that the weather is cooler, is the perfect way to make it more bearable. I knew that “turning off” my brain would be tough and potentially keep me up, so I sipped on some Celestial Seasons Sleepy Time tea during the last hour of number crunching.

The tea worked wonders as I didn’t move a single time during my 7 hours of sleep! I didn’t even hear the phone ring when Delta called 3 times! Ooops! I woke up to news that my Paris – JFK flight was delayed 3.5 hours due to mechanical issues. Luckily Delta was able to move me over to their Paris – Newark flight which was on time and still had an exit row aisle seat available! If you travel a lot, please make sure you take advantage of airline loyalty programs. It amazes me when I talk to bloggers or co-workers who simply don’t opt in. The level of service I receive from Delta due to my status in amazing in comparison to my experience on Swiss Air where I am still building status.

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In order to get my body on Eastern Time as quickly as possible, I reset my watch and computer clock as soon as I arrived at the Geneva airport. Instead of thinking of my flight as a 10:30 departure, I thought of it as a 4:30am early flight. I waited to eat breakfast until my connection in Paris and delayed lunch on my flight as much as possible. Gia and I discussed the benefits of me bringing my own food, as airplane food can be unreliable, filled with sodium and unhealthy. Due to a shorter than expected connection in Paris I wasn’t able to buy a lot of food.

IMG_3060But, I did hit jackpot in the little cafe near my gate which I dashed before boarding. I grabbed yogurt, two salads (one green salad with chicken and one caprese salad), coconut water and 2 bananas for the 8 hour flight. This, along with the chicken and rice they served in flight, should be enough to keep me fueled during the flight. I also asked the stewardess, while explaining my upcoming marathon, for a liter of water versus small cups!

After years of travel, I think I finally have the routine down to an art! Here are a few travel tips!

  • Always wear or bring socks so you can take off your shoes during the flight. Due to swelling which occurs during flight, this tends to be a LOT more comfortable!
  • Invest in a good neck pillow! I’ve had mine for 3 years and use it for not only my neck but sometimes my lower back, depending on the flight. I snap it on my carry-on bag strap instead of trying to stuff it in the bag.
  • Carry a “travel essential” pouch filled with toothbrush, mouthwash, face wash, moisturizer, eye pillow, ear plugs, extra phone charger or USB adapter, $10 or equivalent in foreign money, hair rubber band, and lip balm. These little things can help keep you refreshed on flight and save you from finding yourself with a dead phone or no cash for water or a snack.
  • While it’s often important to look presentable, especially if traveling with colleagues, make sure that you choose comfortable clothing. I love wearing a wrap sweater which can be removed on a hot plane or wrapped tight on a cold plane along with black leggings when I’m traveling for work.
  • Even in the most stressful of situations, kindness goes a long way. Today I watched two travelers treat the Delta associates in totally different manners and in return get very different service.
  • Last but not least, especially if you have status, pick up the phone and call the airline WHILE you are waiting in the customer service or help line. Sometimes you’ll get someone on the phone before you move two feet in the line. The time between when a flight is delayed or cancelled is valuable as every passenger is vying for a different seat. But, do not get out of line until you have a new confirmation and ticket issued. Sometimes the phone support can’t make all the changes necessary and you never want to lose your place in line!

What is your favorite airline? Are you loyal to one or do you follow the cheapest ticket deal? Until moving to Europe Bo and i were both devout Delta customers. Unfortunately Delta and their partner airlines don’t cover Europe the way they cover the US. Therefore we are slowly building miles on Star Alliance since SWISS and UNITED are both part of this alliance and have direct flights between Geneva, London and NYC.

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