The Boston Marathon is an incredible race. Not only the race, but the entire weekend is full of events, elite runner sightings, and the coolest, newest gear and swag. Talk to people, make friends, attend the events, but make sure not to walk too much. I wore a pedometer on Saturday, and ended up walking over 13miles.

DO - go to a game at Fenway, take a picture under the finish line, run your shakeout along the canal, google tips for your spectators (lots of blogs out there with good recommendations)

DONT - Walk too much, forget to sleep, run with headphones - the crowds are amazing TAKE IT ALL IN!

The race itself is incredible. I was lucky enough to train with Adidas/Fleet Feet Boston Bound Program. They gave us VIP treatment all weekend - room blocks, VIP hotel room all weekend at the Marriot, with the exception of letting us know last minute we would not be able to get into the Competitor Party on Saturday Night. Huge bummer. They did supply our own bus to the start line that held our gear and drove it to the finish for us. AMAZING PERK.

It was a rainy day and really cold. The race starts and is pretty packed. Even with the rain, the crowds were out, and it was amazing. The first few miles consisted of families out grilling and drinking beers cheering on their lawns. The course moves through a few collages and those areas are ROWDY

The entire race is so much fun, there were so many inspiring people on the course - people finishing on crutches, blind runners, etc. The energy is incredible. I planned for the hills to hit and run from around mile 16 - 21. I would be prepared for the entire thing to be hilly. We had small rolling hills once we got into Boston, but by that time the hills and downhills had killed my quads and those seemed more challenging than Heartbreak (Which im still not sure when I hit).

The only bad thing I can say, which is out of the race's control, was the weather. The finish line was cold and rainy. I couldn't feel anything and had to head straight back to the hotel. It would have been nice to spend a bit more time at the finish line soaking in all the excitement.

5 days later, I'm still on a high from this race and the whole experience. Run it if you can!