Expo and Hotel (Friday Five Edition)

So it has been a long week.  The day after MCM I came down with a cold.  I really was OK with that cause everyone around me was getting sick and I just wanted it to wait till I was done with the race and it waited till the next morning.  I'm starting to feel like myself again, so I'm jumping into the first of a few posts I have planned to document my weekend.  First up my thoughts on the Expo and the Gaylord National Harbor Hotel in Friday Five style.

In case you missed previous posts from the MCM weekend:

• Highlights

 

1. Traffic was horrendous as you got to the hotel.  Not only was it base camp for the VIP (and others staying at the hotel) it also was the spot for the expo.  We had a hard time finding out where we could check in and drop off our luggage.  Once that was done and we made our way to the parking deck, everything was right there.  Our hotel room had a view of the road in from the highway and the traffic was crazy most of Friday and Saturday.

2. The hotel was really fancy and huge.  It was right by the National Harbor and our view of the harbor was beautiful.  They were able to have another convention and a reception of some sort at the same time as the Expo and MCM events.  We even got lost a couple times trying to find one of the events and our room.  We learned to just go up the elevator that we knew.  They do have an option to watch Netflix and Hulu with your own account, which was really nice to find a movie to watch.  Our room did have issues with the Internet connection and we eventually got $25 off our room service.  And I have to say that room service after the marathon was the best idea ever!

3. The expo was really crowded.   We went Friday around lunch time and talking to some of the volunteers there it was busy all day and there probably really wasn't a good time to go.  Though there were a lot of people there there was really no line to pick up our bibs or shirts.  The shirt is nice.  Looks warm and fits well, I just don't like the shade of green they chose.  It still will be worn a lot on cold winter runs.  On the other hand we waited in line for almost an hour to pay for our official merchandise.  The size of the expo was probably the same as Disney.

4. I liked the official merchandise.  As expected, things were expensive, but they had some cute colors and designs.  I ended up with two jackets.  One being the official running jacket and the other a nice cotton one with a hood.  I really do love me some jackets.  As a last minute thought I did get the grey visor, a magnet, and a sticker (the last two were impulse buys that they displayed right at checkout).  After the race I did get one of the finisher shirts.  They were sold out of the one I really wanted, but I'm happy with the one I got.  The one thing we didn't get was the mylar type jacket that they always give out afterward.  Granted it was so hot that we did not need it at all, but it would have made a great souvenir.

5. The rest of the booths were really standard for most races with a few more themed towards the armed forces.  Nuun was giving out their race themed water bottle with purchase, but I didn't like it much, so I passed.  USAA was taking free pictures when you gave them your contact information.

There was a booth there about the Travis Manion Foundation.  They were giving out great first aid bags and band-aids.  Other booths included Clif Bars - giving out free samples, Geico - giving out a chance to win a massage, we didn't win, but we got a cool reusable bag, Bee Cause Sneaker Charms, and a whole lot of other great booths.  I did enjoy the Expo even though it was crowded.  They had a lot of great things.

I just want to add this in as a side note.  Because I signed up for the Richmond Marathon Training Team, I am entered into the Richmond Marathon next weekend.  I have the chance to switch down to the half, but I keep going back and forth on what I want to do.  On one hand if I do the marathon, then I will be able to do the Marathon Maniacs.  But on the other hand, MCM was a struggle.  But it was a struggle because of the heat.  Also, this may be the only time I do the Richmond Marathon as I don't see myself training for this full again.  Also, it would be nice to run a marathon that is not 70+ degrees out.  Will it make a difference two weeks later?  Will my body be ready for another full so soon?  I really need to be OK with not pushing my body to the limit.  I have to make the decision at the expo on Thursday.  Stay tuned for what I decide to do...

Continue reading about the MCM weekend here. 

Do you like getting the Nuun customized water bottle?  Do you like to get free samples at an expo?  Would you run a second marathon in 2 weeks?

I'm linking up with Fairytales and Fitness and Running on Happy for Friday Five 2.0