Today was a low-key day, as planned. Easy 20 min walk, then breakfast & shower, then a streetcar ride to Fisherman's Wharf/Ghirardelli Square. We bought LOTS of chocolate, a Giants jersey for Loren, and I dropped my camera :(. At first it didn't work at all, because the retractable lens was slightly bent. I managed to get it to work again, and with some finagling it seems to be mostly OK except for some scratches, and the occasional tendency to pause when you zoom in all the way. ARRRGH!
After the camera incident, we ate a light lunch at Boudin's (1/2 turkey sandwich, no mayo, w/lettuce & tomato; spring salad w/apples, walnuts, cranberries & viniagrette) and then took an extremely crowded streetcar back to the hotel. We took a 45 min nap and then it was time to get ready for the pasta party.
The pasta party, briefly, was surprisingly inspirational. I expected it to be pretty over-the-top cheesy, but it wasn't. John Bingham, columnist for Runner's World ("The Penguin"), was the hilarious MC, and he told some terrific stories & jokes and introduced Joan Benoit Samuelson, the 1984 women's Olympic gold medalist in the marathon. She gave a brief but tremendous pep talk to us. John Bingham returned with some more jokes and then turned the podium over to a cancer survivor who told us her very moving story (she continues to fight the disease, and faces and uncertain future; she's a little younger than me and has 2 young children, as I do).
No pictures right now because I need to get some serious sleep. I feel ready, though, and I'm excited to do 26.2!
No comments:
Post a Comment