Boilermaker 2012....and the start of Marathon #3 training!!

It has been a while!!  So much to update from Marine Corps Marathon this past October, but I'll get to that another time.  As for right now...I have some Boilermaker 2012 updating to do!! 

Smiling the night before Boilermaker!

This years Boilermaker was an absolute blast because I got to share it with someone very special to me.  Life has thrown a few curve balls over the past few years and now I have a new man in my life who is loving the running world I've introduced to him!  Boilermaker marked his first official road race!!  Whoo Hoo!! 

We got there Saturday, just in time to catch the tail end of the expo and pick up our packets and race bibs.  Once we left the expo, we headed to the hotel, and took in some pool time to just chill out a bit before dinner.  We enjoyed some fabulous carbo loading at the always wonderful Micheal T's in New Hartford, NY.  Kevin enjoyed his first experience with Vodka Chicken Riggies while I feasted on rigatoni and meatballs.  Once we were done with dinner, we headed back to the hotel to prep for the morning and relax watching the Red Sox game!!)

Boilermaker Startline!

Race morning was perfect!  We were up and out of the hotel by 6:15, stopped for coffee at the gas station and zipped over to Whitesboro St. to park and catch the morning shuttle to the start line.  We were both starting to feel our nerves kick in and took some time before the start to take in a bit more water and stretch our legs.

14,000 people waiting for the start!!

We stood patiently with 14,000 of our closest friends as the national anthem was performed and the announcer prepped us for the starting cannon.  8:00am and we are off....well....actually 8 min after the cannon we finally crossed the start line!!  Kevin and I started together and then he went ahead so we could both run our own races (he's a tad bit faster than me...which isn't hard!).  I had one of the best experiences running this race!!  I felt good the entire time, ran the majority of the course (only took a few short walk breaks) and just focused on enjoying myself and taking in the experience. 

Post Race Party!

I saw all the things, people, and animals (we go by the zoo!) that I have seen every year!  The mother daughter team who runs every year in matching sequined running outfits, the Blues Brothers, the donkey, the volunteer on stilts between mile 7 & 8, the band that greets us at the top of the golf course, and the list goes on and on!  I just LOVE this race.  And when all was said and done and I met up with Kevin at the finish, he also had fallen in love with it! 

Once we met up, we headed to the finish party, got some lunch (PB&J...thank you Price Chopper) and met up with some friends of mine who had come in from Rochester.  We celebrated, danced to Nik & the Nice Guys (so much fun to have them back this year!!), watched the military flyover, and just enjoyed our first post race party together! 

Celebrating with the Eagan's

We left the party around 11:30, headed back to the hotel to take a dip in the pool and chill our bodies before we got on the road to head home to Massachusetts.  All in all, it was a fabulous weekend of running!  Now on to MARATHON #3 TRAINING.  Bring it on MCM 2012!