Cruisers’ Road Trip… The 2010 BAA 5K

At the 2009 Marine Corps Marathon, three Cruisers qualified for Boston:  Alan, Candy, and I.  Alan and Candy flew to Boston, but I rode in the first ever “Cruisers Road Trip” with fellow Cruisers Jerome, Chuck, and Sal.  The following is part one of an excerpt of my recap that I wrote when we got home. Yes, it’s an excerpt, can you imagine how long the original recap was!

Early Saturday morning, April 17, 2010, Chuck provided curb side pick-up for Sal, Jerome, and me. We started our morning within 15 minutes of the scheduled 5:45 departure time, not bad for that early in the morning.  We were all stoked and in great spirits as we headed out for our first ever “official” Cruisers Road Trip on our way to Boston to run in the B.A.A. 5K and Boston Marathon.

Not surprisingly, I was well hydrated and had to go to the bathroom early on and started spotting highway construction porta potties along the road. Don’t all runners?  About that time Bill called to see how we were doing and I told him that Chuck was driving, Sal was keeping track of all of our expenses to divvy up later, Jerome was writing down funny things we’d said, and I….. I couldn’t really think of anything useful that I was doing so I said, “And I’m the princess.” The guys loved it and that name stuck for the rest of the weekend.

We arrived in Boston around 4:30 and went straight to the Expo so the guys could pick up their 5K race packets for the race the next morning. We also took a quick look around the Expo before heading to the hotel.

Packet Pick-up Complete

As we were checking into the Hyatt Regency, I inquired about getting another roll-away bed for our Lafayette Suite. The girl behind the counter peered at her computer screen and said to me, “Oh, I see we’ve upgraded you to the Presidential Suite. I think you’ll be very happy with your accommodations.” I’m like, cool, thank you so much, not really paying attention to the word “presidential.”

The four of us hopped on the elevator and headed up to the room.  On the way up, I told the guys that we’ve been upgraded to the Presidential Suite and they decide that’s only appropriate for a princess.

We made our way to the 22nd floor and stepped into our Presidential Suite. We estimated that it was at least 1,300 square feet. It had a marble foyer with a powder room off it. The main room had three sitting areas with a dining room to its right. The dining room table sat eight and was complete with china. There was a full kitchen off the dining room. On the opposite end of the main room there was an office and beyond that was the bedroom. Next to the bedroom, there was a dressing room with a sink and two sets of mirrors for make-up, etc. The bathroom was beyond the dressing area and had a large shower and a separate Jacuzzi tub. We had a balcony the full length of the main room.

Chuck even brought a framed photo that was taken last summer of many of the Cruisers at a party.  He set it on a table to make our suite feel like home sweet home!

Home Sweet Home

Next we headed out to meet the other Cruisers for dinner at Legal Sea Foods.  We had a great evening taking photos and talking about the two races we would be running the next two days!

Cruisers Enjoying Boston Sea Foods

Sunday morning we got up early and headed to Copley Square for the 2nd Annual B.A.A. 5K. We had a slight drizzle off and on, but nothing heavy. Chuck, Sal, and Jerome were set to run and I promised to take photos and hold their stuff. Alan met me and we stood in the grand stands while watching for them. We watched Joan Benoit-Samuelson finish (“In front of her husband as usual,” the announcer pointed out).

5K Cruisers

Our next stop after a little rest, was lunch and then an afternoon at the Expo. While at the Expo we bought a wide variety of items from GU to official Boston Marathon gear to books and of course running shoes. We had the pleasure of meeting Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to sign up for (using K.V. Switzer) and run the Boston Marathon back in 1967. Race officials attempted to push her off the course when they realized she was a woman. I thanked her for paving the way for female runners and probably babbled on too much. She gave each of us big hugs, wished us good luck, and thanked us for coming.

Katherine Switzer and Deb

While at the Runner’s World booth we got to meet Bart Yasso, David Willey (editor-in-chief), John Brant, and Mark Remy.

David Willey (editor-in-chief of Runner’s World Magazine) and John Brant signing “Going Long”

Sunday evening we attended the official Boston Marathon Pre-Race Pasta Party. Bill and I had attended it twelve years ago and really enjoyed ourselves, so I pretty much insisted we go. Big mistake. We got there and clowns from The Big Apple Circus entertained us as we waited in a long line to get inside. It was pretty cold with a threat of rain, but fortunately, the rain held off.

We heard them announce that Bill Rogers was there and serving food to the runners. So far, so good, it would be worth the wait… When we got to the front of the line, we were sent to a different serving area and didn’t get to meet Bill Rogers. After we got our food, water bottle, and tiny glass of wine, we were sent back outside to eat. We were so cold that Alan and I ate with our gloves on.

Deb and Alan

Tomorrow will be part two of the Cruisers’ Road Trip… The Boston Marathon.

• Questions:
• What’s your best road trip memory?
• Do you usually spend much time at the race expo?
• Have you ever participated in the pre-race dinner?