2008 Boston Marathon- Part 5, The Aftermath

Going into Boston I promised myself that no matter the race outcome I was going to party hard the whole night. 10 weeks where I think I only drank 3 times and danced once, I was more than ready to let loose a bit. I love running and it is obviously a major part of who I am but I can't deny that there is also a big part of me that loves to party and especially loves to dance. Even when I am not training for a major race I don't get to dance often so when the opportunity arises I try to make the most of it.

Knowing that my legs in the state they were in might inhibit my intentions of dancing the night away I planned to also drink plenty of alcohol. Nothing like a bit of liquor to kill the quad pain ;) (Note I don't recommend anyone do this, drinking heavily is probably the last thing you should do for a quick recovery after a marathon, but every now and again a girl has just got to get her party on, responsibly of course. And note that I no longer take any pain killers so I was not worried about getting sick from mixing liquor and meds.) So after I refueled with a smoothie and an ice coffee I was ready to get my drink on. The girls started with some wine while Daisy got ready and then we headed over to McGinty's.

Unfortunately for me I totally spaced when I packed and did not bring any post marathon appropriate shoes for dancing. Big mistake! So I had to wear the heels (short ones) or suffer looking a fool in a cute top and running shoes. I opted for fashion knowing I could ditch the shoes and go barefoot if it got really bad. I usually am not very worried about how I look or what I am wearing, but on the rare occasion I go out I let vanity get in the way and do my best to pass for cute. Even the most tomboyish of girls wants to be girly every now and again I guess.

Made it over to McGinty's which thankfully wasn't too far of a walk. All the girls were dolled up and ready to party but our gimpy walk and medals gave us away as the marathoners we really are. We got plenty of congratulations from drunk passerby. It is such a neat feeling to walk around a city which spent the morning celebrating your accomplishments. What an ego boost ;)

Downed another glass of wine and heard the short tales of every one's races. Most of my clubs runners had fantastic days and I was so proud of them all. What an honor to be a part of such an amazing group. I kept expressing my disappointment in my day but slowly over the night realized I was being a chump and that I should be extremely pleased to come away with a PR when many were forced to walk or jog it in. Regardless I wasn't going to let that affect my mood. I was high on all the running adrenaline and ready to have some fun.

We took a few group photos and slowly made our way to dinner. Our first attempt ended with a 2 hour wait so we continued our trek across the city looking for a suitable dining area. We finally ended at an Irish pub and half of the crew jetted to an exclusive party while the rest of us drank beers and heard about every one's races in more detail. I managed to get down three beers, but the taste of beer was sadly losing its appeal. It was weird as Daisy mentioned the same problem. I guess maybe your body just isn't happy with one flavor the night of the marathon.

After dinner it was off to the official marathon party. I fell behind the group to make sure one of our friends knew the way back and got a chance to call Solar as I walked over to the party. She cracked me up with her message to me, something about how she tracked me all day and mentioning two of our members I beat and calling me hard core, I laughed my ass off.

Got to the party and saw KM. Told him the rest of the group was there somewhere but a good tune came on and I headed straight for the dance floor. Eventually Daisy, Dawn, and Katy found me and we danced for a few hours, stopping for an amaretto sour and a bud light. They had a band that was decent and these dancers to help any poor runners who didn't know how to dance on their own. It was hilarious watching all these gimpy runners following along with the dance moves. I dance to my own beat I guess, I doubt I look good, but I sure have fun!

Eventually the girls were ready to call it a night but I planned to stay until the party ended. Thankfully a few of the guys planned to stay so I was able to party the whole night. Met the people who make the medals for the race and had a few more beers and a dreaded tequila shot. Surprisingly though I still had plenty of energy and was just content to dance the night away, and take lots of goofy photos. (Can I just say I love my new camera?) Headed to one last bar after the party closed and then realized that I didn't have my hotel key. Decided to crash at McGinty's for a few hours until the drunks were off the streets and then head back to my hotel early. Best 2 hours of sleep I have ever had despite being fully clothed and wearing contacts. Apparently running a marathon and partying till 2am will do that for you.

Said goodbye to all my sleepy friends who had to head to their plane at 4am and hiked my butt back to the hotel for another couple of hours sleep.

Woke up early surprisingly and tried to go to the pool with Katy. Water was just too cold for me, so I settled for dipping my body in half way and kicking my legs around (killed my blister, ouch!) My calves which had felt fine were wrecked from a night of walking all around and dancing in heels. Wasn't feeling stellar, exhaustion, and a bit hung over, but we went to the grocery store and got some greasy dunkin donuts for breakfast which seemed to help. We picked out stuff to eat on the train and then prepared for the long trek home.

While the train ride to Boston had been relaxing, the train ride back seemed to drag on. I mostly just slept and read. Blogged a little on the first train, but the internet connection was sketchy. Once I knew we would be in Albany a little before our next train left I called my buddy JP from college and had his family meet me at the train station for a very brief visit. Couldn't believe how big their youngest had gotten. Not nearly enough time to really talk but it was great to see them.

Then it was onto the train home. The train was packed and we didn't manage to get seats next to each other. Tried to get Daisy's seat mate to trade with me but he was having none of it. Too bad because he ended up getting trashed and taking up more than his fair share of the seat that night. Poor Daisy! It was a long ride but eventually we made it home to our hobbling husbands, you'd think they had run the marathon the way they stumbled out of their cars. Gotta admit they are pretty awesome for picking us up so late (4 AM).

It's a week later now and I am still mulling over the whole experience. Boston is just so amazing. I sent in my check to reserve a room for next year. Hopefully next time I will get to start much farther up and see what I can really do! But one things is for sure, we know I will have a blast either way.

Thanks for reading and thanks to everyone who makes my pursuits possible. I am one seriously lucky gal.