The Boston Marathon Running Expo & Chris McDougall's Book Signing

This is like the icing on the cake.

I've finished my training. I did some serious carbo-loading this weekend. I tapered. I fundraised. I.AM.READY.

I really got to enjoy myself at the Boston Marathon Expo, one of the biggest running expos in America.

The morning started off with some hearty pancakes made from rye flour and whole wheat flour, both of which were grown locally last year and from the grain CSA I joined in January. They were a little heavy, but kept me full until lunch. I'm not going to share the recipe, because it needs some tweaking. To me, a pancake is a pancake, and I'm not going to discriminate. I love them all.

Full of pancakes, T and I headed to the Hynes Convention Center for the big event.

Can you see the excitement in my eyes? Sometimes I wish I could do a re-do.

After picking up my official bib, we were conveniently corralled into the official Adidas gear shop, where I proceeded to get emotional and excited and spent too much money on official gear. We then walked around the booths, sampling energy gels, Larabars, protein drinks, and scouring shelves for discounted shoes that were my size. Note: Unless you are a shoe size 5 or 12, don't bother squeezing yourself between the throngs of people also looking for a size 9 women's sneaker. The payoff is just not worth the stress.

We poked around and found some great Boston-themed t-shirts, including this one:

And T even made me a sign (hopefully he stands on the right side of the street with that arrow!):

The Runners' Village in Hopkinton:

And the official course route:

After the expo (and $27 in parking!!!) we headed to Cambridge for a book reading. We stopped at the Middle East for some dinner. I never knew the Middle East actually served food; I thought they were only a nightclub. The hummus, stuffed grape leaves, and salad were pretty decent. I would not go back for the falafel, though.

We found ourselves at the Harvard Book Store just in time to swipe two front row seats to Chris McDougall's book signing of Born to Run. Doesn't that title get you amped up and humming Bruce Springsteen lyrics? McDougall is a great, dynamic speaker with a lot to say about barefoot running.

If you're into running at all or are interested in becoming a runner, this book, as my good friend Elizabeth says, "will change your life." One of the most poignant comments that McDougall made was our American perception of running. Most of us say, "Ugh I have to go running" and we focus on the pain and fear of it, instead of focusing on the mind-clearing, physiological and psychological benefits it has on our body and soul. Sure, sometimes it hurts and I'm not going to lie and say I've never had a negative thought about running, but it's time we shift our thinking of running from - to +.

McDougall also talked about the link between compassion and empathy and its connection to running. His comment was that running makes us more compassionate, empathetic individuals, and he used the example of Derartu Tulu dropping back from her lead in the 2009 New York City Marathon to help her competition, Paula Radcliffe when she began to struggle. You can read this amazing story of compassion for your competition here.

So does compassion and empathy make you a better runner? Or vice versa? McDougall argues that in Tulu's case, compassion and empathy carried her to the victorious finish.

McDougall also has strong feelings about barefoot running, and has successfully squelched all of his historical injuries caused from, what he deems, running in cushioned sneakers. The book Born to Run is an account of his feet's journey to freedom and how he relearned to run from a tribe in Mexico called the Tarahumara. The Tarahumara are a tribe of people who live in some of the most rugged and dangerous terrain in the Copper Canyons in Mexico. Not only is the terrain mountainous and cavernous within steps of each other, but it also is prime real estate for the Mexican drug cartel activity. McDougall accounts his story of accidentally stumbling upon this amazing group of runners, and how he got to know them and run with them in rubber tire sandals over the scores of miles they run each day. Even if you aren't a runner, the book is a great anthropological story of a race of humans that have not been influenced by modern day enchantments. Baby we were born to run!

Speaking of running, the BOSTON MARATHON is TOMORROW! And I am ready!

Here are some details for those of you planning on attending:

• My bib # is 25140
• I am in the second wave of runners, and will be taking off at 10:30 a.m.
• I will be wearing my official Melanoma Foundation white tank top.
• I'll try to run on the right side of the road, but I can't guarantee anything.
• You can follow my progress by text by going here.
• If you see me, scream out my name! I'll be so happy for the cheers!
• My cheering section will be at mile 24. Let me know if you'd like details to join them!
• And... I'm off! I'll be sure to give you the FULL recap on Tuesday with all of the glorious details. I can't believe that in about 24 hours from now, I'll be a marathoner!
• Thank you again to all who have donated to my fundraising. I have reached my goal and couldn't have asked for more! Check out how I did here.
• I also have elevated my status to local celebrity! You can check out an article written about me and my quest for marathon madness in the local paper here.

Question of the Day: Will you be in Boston for Marathon Monday?