Grandma's Marathon- the experience

What an incredible experience!  This was such a fun marathon, complete with great people, pretty great weather and great food!

As an elite athlete, I've been treated to varying degrees of hospitality at the races I've run in my career. Grandmas was- hands down- the best!  Everyone was so nice; perhaps it's just that midwestern hospitality.  The race was well run and the volunteers
were plentiful (thanks volunteers!). But the best part was my roomie situation. 

I was lucky enough to receive a comp room from the race coordinator, which of course means that I will be sharing space (not something I always do so well). I was so nervous that I would be paired with some intense chick who would intimidate me with her training log and manic pre-race rituals. 

Instead I walked into the room to find Jen Rock- a super chill, kick ass runner from the Hansons Project. Don't let that fool you; Jen ran a 2:39 marathon debut last year!  In addition to being so nice and fun to chat with, she is a teammate of my coach, Mike Morgan. No one could believe the coincidence!

But there was still another level of small-world connections to discover. After the race, Jen invited me to lunch with her family and coach (lunch with Kevin Hanson!!). I knew that my old coach- Phil Schoensee who I've worked with on and off since moving back to Boise- grew up in Michigan and had some affiliation or at least affection for the Hansons team. I asked Kevin about Phil and the stories began pouring out. For the next 20 mins, I heard highlights from Phil's high school and college career, stories of his family's involvement in running including a sister who would feed the team waffles post long run and drive the guys back to town. No surprise to me that everyone's eyes lit up as they talked about the Schoensees- the family has had an effect on generations of runners!

Basically, it was an incredible weekend and I am thrilled to feel like I belong, once again, at the marathon.