Chicago Marathon Expo

Yesterday and today was the Chicago Marathon Expo.  Mike and I went down shortly after it opened yesterday morning to pick up our bibs and shirts.  We also did a little shopping for some of the souvenirs we knew we wanted.  I was excited to find a Christmas ornament, something they haven't had in years past.  Then today we took my parents and Mike's mom to see it.  We spent more time leisurely walking around today and picking up a few more items.  I have been on the fence about what shirt I will wear to run, and I think I might have found a good solution.  The expo is held at McCormick Place, which is a huge convention center on the southern side of downtown.  For all the people that attend, they definitely need the space.  This is always a great expo -- it's like Christmas day for runners!

Welcome to the Expo!

As you enter the expo, there is a huge screen that shows a runner's eye view of the entire course.  It's like running the marathon in five minutes.  I always get a little emotional watching it.  It is so cool to see so much of this city and to have the chance to run through so many different neighborhoods.  Our families really enjoyed it as well.

Watching what I'll be running tomorrow!

Mike and I are ready!

One of the things I love to check out at the expo is the runDisney booth (of course).  They always have the new medals for the upcoming marathon weekend in January.  I had seen pictures of this year's medals, but I thought they were much more impressive in person.  I loved this year's Dopey Challenge medal -- the biggest of all the medals for that weekend!

I'll be ready for this in January!

This has certainly not been an ideal training cycle.  When I convinced Mike to sign up through charity at the beginning of June, I intended for us to train together all summer.  When I got the stress fracture just after he signed up, all that went out the window.  My recovery has been pretty amazing.  I feel strong and more confident in my hip than I did a month ago.  Last year I couldn't imagine running a full marathon this soon after surgery.  This year I can't imagine not doing it.  There are so many factors that made this year's recovery different.

I don't have any real expectations for tomorrow.  I will keep track of our time to make sure we aren't going too fast (or slow), but I'm not trying for a PR.  I just want to be there when my husband crosses the finish line of his first marathon.  I want us to run 26.2 miles together through one of the most amazing cities in the world that we have been fortunate to call home for the last four years.  It is always an emotional experience crossing the finish line, and tomorrow I am anticipating it will be even more so.  Stronger.  Further.  Faster.  We are ready!

Enough said