Hospital Hill Expo

One day to go and that means it's time to hit the expo for packet pick up!

Liz and I took the day off of work (that's right... a 3-day weekend right after a 4-day weekend... life is rough) and drove to Kansas City in time to hit the expo this afternoon. We went to Liz's parents' house first because her mom, Nancy, is running the 5K tomorrow. We all piled in the car and drove to the Crown Center for the expo.

Tomorrow is the 39th Annual Hospital Hill Half Marathon and this year's theme is "Be a Hill Seeker".

(We're having hills for breakfast tomorrow.)

It was a decent sized expo and we followed the feet on the floor inside (even though it turned out they didn't really lead us to the packet pick up like we thought they would.)

 

(A quick look at the expo.)

We snagged our bib numbers, went over to the table for our t-shirts, and we even got a free pair of technical socks as part of our registration!

(Nancy picking up her bib for the 5K.)

(Our race shirts. The back says

"I Conquered The Hill".)

(A nice pair of socks as an added bonus!)

We walked through the expo and as usual, I wanted to sign up for every-other race that was advertised. There was a table for the Tulsa Marathon and the past few years' medals were on display. They haven't revealed this year's medal yet, but it got me excited for November!

There were some cool products on display but nothing I desperately needed. I would have bought some new Nike Frees but they didn't have my size so I left without purchasing anything. Nancy bought a nice, official Hospital Hill headband.

I have to admit, I was disappointed by the lack of edible samples at the expo. No Powerbar. No Gatorade. Nothing! I snagged a few mini candy bars, but that was it. But we made up for the lack of snacks by heading to dinner.

Tonight, I experienced Five Guys Burgers and Fries for the first time. Yum! My cheeseburger hit the spot, the fries were delicious, and they had free peanuts!!!

(Nancy and Liz looking lovely at Five Guys.)

Even with the tasty food, my favorite part of the meal had to be the soda machines from the future. They were electronic soda fountains with a touch screen. A TOUCH SCREEN!... FOR A SODA FOUNTAIN!!! There were 22 different types of soda to choose from. Then... when you touched the kind you wanted, a new screen pops up with the sub-varieties for you to choose from. You want Coke? Okay... Coke? Diet Coke? Coke Zero? Caffeine Free Coke? Orange Coke? Vanilla Coke? The possibilities are practically endless!

(Kim conquered his fear of technology and had a soda.

That's right... a soda... not a 'pop'.)

(I was expecting kids to ride in on hoverboards

or our burgers to be served in pill form.)

After having my mind blown by the glimpse into the future of beverage dispensers, we went to Orange Leaf for some self-serve frozen yogurt. I had a bowl of the Oreo flavored frozen yogurt with all kinds of toppings: cookie dough, Oreo crumbles, graham cracker crumbles, and a couple of strawberries to keep it healthy. I was very aware of the irony involved since I recently received an email from a friend asking me for advice on running and nutrition. So, Brian... Five Guys and Orange Leaf... probably not the ideal pre-race meal, but it sure was delicious!

Now for a good night's sleep and tomorrow, we race!!!

Friday

Goal For The Day: Rest and Expo.

Distance: 0.00 Miles.

Notes: It was cool and overcast all day today. Tomorrow is supposed to be sunnier but nice and cool. Perfect timing!!!

Daily Miles: 0.00 Miles.

2012 Totals:

  Run - 403.40 Miles.

  Bike - 0.00 Miles.

  Swim - 8,250 meters.