Getting to Orlando…and pre-race stuff

Luxury!

I worked until noon on Thursday, then went off to my usual spa for a heavenly 1.5 hour massage. No deep tissue work but it helped to work a few kinks out of my muscles. It was a great way to start my vacation! Just as I was leaving the spa snow started flying. Quite a bit of snow. I started having visions of delayed planes, but when I checked my flight status everything was looking okay. I finished my packing, loaded up the car and took off. I managed to score two of my flights in executive class, including my outbound flight from Calgary. It was so nice to settle in to a roomy seat and dinner on the plane wasn’t half bad either.

“You know there is a free shuttle, right?”

We landed in Montreal just before midnight. My flight didn’t leave until 8:30 am on Friday so I’d booked a hotel near the airport that was supposed to have a free 24 hour shuttle. After I picked up my bags I called the hotel to find out about getting a shuttle pick up, but there was no answer. I didn’t want to wait around for a shuttle that might not come, especially since it was now well after midnight and I needed to be back at the airport at 6:30 am. I figured I’d just hop in a cab since the hotel wasn’t too far. Once I told the cab driver where I was off to, his first response was, “You know there is a free shuttle, right?” Yes…but I didn’t want to wait around for it. We drove to the hotel and 5 minutes later we arrived. I asked how much it was, and the response? $20! I guess there is a minimum $17 charge leaving the airport… I checked in and asked what time I’d need to be down in the lobby to catch the shuttle in the morning. 6:25 am.

In the morning I hurried to get ready and just as I was rolling into the lobby I saw the shuttle pull away. Bugger… I couldn’t wait half an hour for the shuttle to come back so I asked if the hotel could call me a taxi. In a few minutes the taxi was there and the driver asked where we were going. “To the airport please.” His response? “You know there is a free shuttle from the hotel, right?”

Luxury, Part II

I got into the check in line and there were a couple of ladies in front of me with their Boston Marathon and running club jackets on. We started chatting and they were flying down for the Goofy Challenge. There were Boston Marathon jackets everywhere in the check in line. My ticket was in economy for the flight from Montreal to Orlando, but I asked for a bump up if possible when I checked in. The bump came through, so it was a nice flight down to Orlando as well.

Burrito Bowls and the Expo

First things first, upon arrival in Orlando it was time to eat. I had been having a craving for a burrito bowl from Chipotle for awhile. My parents were kind enough to indulge me in my fast food craving. It was so tasty… From there we went to the expo right away. Number pick up was super fast as it wasn’t too busy, but it was pretty busy around the vendors. The marathon logo merchandise wasn’t too exciting, but I did manage to find a jacket that I liked. Probably the best deal at the expo was the 15% off of everything that Track Shack was offering. I managed to pick up a new pair of Asics Kayano 15s for a half decent price. I also managed to meet up with Angry, Claire and Cranky at the expo. I’ve been reading Claire and Cranky’s blogs for ages and it was great to finally meet them in person.

And Other Thoughts

I went out for a quick 2 miler today, just to loosen up my legs and work some nerves out. It is definitely more humid here than I’m used to, and it looks like it is going to be somewhat warm tomorrow. We’ll see how the weather plays out in the race tomorrow, but regardless, I’m feeling ready! Today I just have to work hard on relaxing and staying off of my feet.

Thanks for all of your well wishes! I’ll be sure to check in and let you know how it goes.