Boston Marathon in Review…

Go Boston go! The day started off great here and continued to build into one big social celebration. Sunny skies and a touch of a tail wind for the runners made for a great day for runners and spectators. After dropping M at the buses, I cruised back to the hotel to have breakfast and get ready for the day – sherpa-ing takes some organization. My only job for the day was to make sure to meet M at our designated meet spot w/his change of clothes and snacks.

Breaking the cardinal rule of denim w/ running shoes…

Luckily, you could sign up for runner alerts to get text messages of where your runners were at during their race. It worked out great! I wish Ironman.com‘s athlete tracker would adopt this. It made it so fun to see M’s progress as well as other friends running the race. The crowds were insane – about 30 people deep (no exaggeration) so it was almost impossible to get a good view of the runners. I lucked out and saw the wheelchair group finish. That was incredible. But alas, I was on the wrong side of the finish line. I needed to cross to the other side if I ever wanted to meet up with M so I had to abandon my killer spot. Good thing to because it took an hour and a half to get around to the other side. I clocked roughly 8 miles of walking yesterday – not a marathon, but at least I got a little exercise…

So cool to see friends run their races…

After attempting a few viewing spots, I gave up and joined friends watching at the bar at the Westin by the finish line. Much better view of elite men and women’s race! And I had a beer, bonus. We were so close so we ran out and watch Meb finish (and by watch I mean jumbotron (sp?) from a block away) which was incredible. The crowd was going nuts.

Andrew + Brian, my viewing buddies (great photo, I know)

Hands down best view of race all day

If you squint, you can see the TV!

M at the finish before the race…little different view then yesterday

M was a trooper. When you train on the weekends with zero week day runs, it’s a bit of a dice roll, but he did great. He was shooting for a finish and wasn’t too concerned about times. Basically, the goal was no walking and to beat his Ironman marathon times. His overall place was 7235 which is pretty darn cool considering roughly 36,000 people ran.

Hotel room recovery…

After a trip to the post run massage in the recovery tent, we hobbled M back to the hotel via China Town. It was a bit lengthy, but we made it. Then rallied for dinner with the best seafood (Seared Tuna Wonton nachos and super delicious mussels) yum!

Today we are hitting the freedom trail, Beacon Hill and Bunker Hill. But I’ll probably spare you the dorky tourist photos. Overall, well done Boston. You are a bright, shining city with some of the nicest, most genuine people you’ll ever meet. And I’m so grateful for the opportunity to be here and be a part of it all.

If you don’t believe this, go to Boston.

Boston Strong – Nothing short of amazing

M is running Boston today. I just dropped him off at the buses in Boston Common. I’m so excited and full of energy – probably because it’s not me that has to slug it out for 26 miles. It’s going to be about 60 and sunny on the course and spirits are high. The people of Boston are nothing short of amazing. They are so friendly, funny and helpful. We got here on Saturday and the feeling of optimism and commraderie is everywhere.

It starts…expo bib pick up

 

M at the finish. Going to look a little different today.

On our walk to Boston Common, everyone walking by on their way to wherever smiled and wished us good luck, have a great race, enjoy yourselves. At the buses, volunteers cracked jokes and eased nerves letting people know where to go and what they could and couldn’t bring. You can’t help but get swept up in the feeling of pride and emotion of the day. No mascara for me today. I’ve already teared up twice as I type! The Bruins won 4-1 yesterday, the Sox had runners from last year out to throw out the first pitch last night (sniff sniff) and the city is glowing.

M & I carb loading in North End Saturday night…yum!

Huge Boston Strong banner, pesky wind. But you can see the guy below for a size reference.

We’ll be here through Wednesday so there will be more time for sight seeing later, but for now…we caught some pretty views on our Easter run yesterday as we cruised along the freedom trail over to Paul Revere park. Then kicked it in our room watching cycling on YouTube – wild and crazy over here…

The view of our hotel, the Inter-Continental

Cycling…almost as soothing and nap inducing as golf

Neither of us got much sleep last night. Too much running through our brains. M said he woke himself up b/c he got so excited he was finally sleeping. I kept waking up to make sure he was asleep. What a pair. But this morning came anyway and we were up in the dark watching the news live from the race start. Kudos to the news team, it looked chilly! So M got on the bus and I came back to the hotel to write this post and kill time before heading back over to the finish.

The volunteers moonlight as comedians. These guys were hilarious offering to sell bananas to the highest bidder

Happy bus ride sweets!

I felt like my baby was going off to school for the first time or something. Kind of silly. Pride, a little bit of nerves hoping he has a good, relatively painless race. And, of course, hoping that he and everyone else running is safe and sound.

Time to hop in the shower and get ready to spectate. I’ll be cruising over to the finish early to see if I can watch the elites come in. I’ll be looking for friends running their first, 5th and 10th marathons. I will take my job seriously and scream my head off for everyone running. Happy Patriot’s Day!!!

Two Trends to Try…

If you’re an avid reader of blogs (and FB), you’ve probably noticed a few trends popping up regularly. After seeing these two little beauties consistently, I decided to give them a shot to see if they were any good. Drumroll please, the reviews are in.

1.  Oil Pulling – (using Coconut Oil). For a full description of oil pulling, Free People did a great job summarizing it here. But the quick and dirty is as follows…first thing in the morning, take a tablespoon of coconut oil and put it in your mouth (I know, stay with me). Slosh it around like mouthwash for 5 minutes each morning. Work your way up to 10-15 minutes if you can stand it. The benefits? Lots of claims. Everything from reducing headaches to pulling out toxins to teeth whitening and healthier gums. The last two caught my attention so that’s why I decided to try it. I did a little research and overall, it looks like there isn’t much to “scientifically” support oil pulling claims, but Dr. Weil put it best…”Oil pulling won’t hurt you, but I wouldn’t depend on it to help you improve your overall health or treat significant medical problems“. See his Q&A here. With that in mind, I figured why not.

Organic Virgin Coconut Oil

The process was easy. Pop it in your mouth, hop in the shower and, voila, 10 minutes goes by in a flash. Once I got past the initial ickiness, I’m actually enjoying the ritual of it. And the coconut oil taste is kind of nice once you get used to it. You mouth does feel really clean afterward. My gums definitely look better, but I’m not sure about the whitening yet. Overall, I would say if you’re curious, give it a try. It’s been 10 days and I’m going to keep it up. Upside…if you can’t stand the process, you can always use your coconut oil as body lotion, to cook up a mean shrimp/veggie stir fry or a deliciously effective hair mask. See my favorite mask recipe here.

Slather on the oil for bright, shiny hair…

2.  Frank Body – Check out Frank here. One of the more clever social media campaigns I’ve seen in a long time. I got woo’d by cute packaging and raving, near fanatic, reviews of the product. Go to the website and take the time to read the copy. It’s hilarious. Then check Frank out on Instagram too. So what is Frank exactly? “He’s” a coffee scrub who claims to smooth lumps and bumps while getting rid of unsightly cellulite. At $14.95 plus free shipping, it’s significantly cheaper than my beloved Lalicious. Bikini season is hot on my heels and I’m still kicking bad habits from urban living so  I really had to give it a whirl.

Frank comes in coffee and coconut so I had to grab both – twins!

Not going to lie, I didn’t have high hopes for Frank. But I completely underestimated him. He arrived promptly at my doorstep (maybe even early), looked dashing perched on the ledge of my tub and smelled like freshly roasted coffee. But when I actually used Frank this morning after a long run with the girls that’s when the real impression took hold. Holy smokes mister, I am completely smitten. All joking aside, it’s a fantastic product!

Instagramage Galore…Oh Frank messy, but worth it!

I mean really fantastic. And fun. Warning, your tub will be instantly covered in grounds, but in a fun kid in the sand kind of way. Step in the tub (keep the water off), grab two handfuls of the scrub (which looks like potting soil from Home Depot) and get to work slathering it everywhere, especially the afore-mentioned lumpy, bumpy places. It feels a bit rough, like you’re rubbing broken seashells on your body. But the mild discomfort and friction make you think it might actually work. Once you’ve covered yourself, plunk down in the tub for 10 minutes to let Frank dry. It got a little chilly, but I had the new Free People catalogue handy to pass the time. He vastly exceeded my expectations. My skin is sooooo dang soft and even after one use, I cautiously optimistic he could be “the one”. As of now, I am all in. If I were you, I would order him asap. Can’t wait to keep up the weekly Sunday ritual with Frank in my tub.

Beauty rituals are fun. Especially in the evening or on the weekends when you have a little more time to splurge on yourself. It’s fun to test out new things and see what works best for you. Aquaphor as eye cream, vitamin E oil to reduce wrinkles, castor oil + tea tree oil to ward off cavities. This stuff keeps us girly and feeling pampered. It’s fun to share trade secrets and see what works. Pinterest is great for idea gathering. If oil pulling and Frank failed to catch your eye, head over there for some inspiration. Until next time have a beautiful, ritualistic Sunday…♥