Chicago Day 2

On our second day in Chicago, we were up early so I went for a quick shakeout run before we had a delicious breakfast buffet at the hotel.  From there we headed to the Marathon Expo to pick up my bib.  The runner energy around the city was palpable, but it was undeniable at the expo.  My adrenaline was pumping as I was surrounded by 40,000 other people ready to run 26.2 miles, but I knew I needed to stay off my feet, so we shopped through a few booths and headed back to the hotel.

  

The crew was happy to cuddle in bed while I was out for my run.

 Chicago Marathon Expo, McCormick Place Convention Center, Chicago, IL

 My little sidekick jumped in every picture --he couldn't be more proud of mama!

Chicago is one of six World Major Marathons (the others being: Berlin, Tokyo, London, Boston, and New York).  Hoping to cross them all off the list in my lifetime!

The hotel had tons of perks, but one of our favorites was the tv screen in the bathroom mirror.  I didn't understand why it was necessary at first, but I realized it was great when I was up early on race day and wanted to follow the race coverage without waking my sleeping crew.  Chris is now convinced we need one in our own home.

We ended the day with a brief walk to look for more pasta for dinner and to let the kiddos run around for a bit and then back to the hotel for more swimming!  Thankfully the kids love it and it's a relaxing pre-race activity for me--win-win!

Needless to say the kids give Chicago two thumbs up!