We officially made it and are in Chicago!

Chicago Collage

I can’t wait to document the whole weekend and share it with you.

Today we have plans to pick my husband’s parents up at the airport first thing, head over to check into our hotel, and then enjoy every minute of the race expo.

Our hotel is located directly beside the expo, which makes it super easy to get to!

One of my favorite parts of a marathon (even if I am not running it) is going to the race expo. Β Today I can’t wait to watch my husband light up like a kid in a candy store and enjoy every moment.

Chicago Expo

There are so many reasons why I love marathon race expos:

1. Samples, Samples, Samples

We stock up on more samples than we know what to do with.

I am pretty sure this replenishes our stash of bars and gels for at least a month.

2. Official Race Gear

The husband and I put money aside throughout the year to make sure we have some money saved so that he can buy things he wants at the expos.

Even though the official race gear is usually not the cheapest, it is always great to look back at!

Here are some goodies I’ve picked up in years past:

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If I had taken a picture of all that Wes had I probably couldn’t have fit it all in one picture!

3. Discounted Running Clothing

Even though there are lots of Brooks, Asics, Nike, and Adidas apparel I prefer to go to the smaller booths and stock up on the discount apparel.

I always find great running clothes for the winter at expos. I can’t wait to see what I discover this year!

4. Fun New Gadgets

We also like to always participate in the various fun things they have to do.

Wes Running

We often like to go to the booths where they actually tape you running from behind so you can really see how you land! I really wish I could have done it this year, but oh well!

I’ve also had my bone density checked one year.

5. Seeing Running Celebrities!

We have seen so many running celebrities in marathon’s past.

Hal Higdon

Josh Cox and Desi Davila

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Ryan Hall

We’ve also seen:

Jill Biden

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Montel

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Both shot the starting gun for the Marine Corps Marathon in years past.

There is always so much to look at. We always go pretty early to avoid the crazy crowds, but lets face it when it is the Chicago Marathon no matter what time you go it is crowded!

I always leave the expo feeling so motivated. I am sure this year will be a bit harder not running Chicago, but I know that it will give me the motivation I need to hit cross training hard when I get back to PA!

I have a really special guest post coming at you tomorrow from a man who is very special to me.

If you want more updates on the race and my travels try one of these social media outlets, as I update them much more frequently:

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/lovingontherun

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