And this is how you run a marathon

Okay, so I can't really instruct you how to successfully run a marathon; however, I can tell you how to enjoy a weekend of marathon preparation and participation when you are not the one running.

This might require driving (or riding rather) - it did in my case, eight hours to be specific. Riding in the car that long turned out to be quite manageable. We did make a few stops - for pee pee breaks. And, I did have the Twilight series to keep me busy (yes, that's right, I am reading them AGAIN - judge me if you wish, I don't care). Now, the scenery was not terribly captivating - flat - but we made it to our hotel in one piece and in pretty good spirits.

After checking in at the hotel, we made our way to St. Charles, and its historic downtown, for a little eating and sightseeing. And, here's something to consider - when you are trying to enjoy a weekend of marathon spectatorship, it is important to get your fill of delicious, high-calorie, locally prepared dessert. I mean, you need to have energy to properly support your marathoner - what better way to get it then a sugar high?

I got mine here - a little place on main street in Historic St. Charles. We partook in ice cream and hand dipped chocolates.

Another key to enjoying a marathon weekend - try to encourage the marathoner in your life to pick a run in a good locale. Now, I must admit, I was a little skeptical when Bradford suggested St. Louis/St. Charles for his marathon debut. But, it turned out to be a great choice. Not only did it turn out to be super convenient for me as far as getting around and being where I needed to be to support Bradford, but it also provided beautiful scenery and plentiful distraction for the downtime (it takes a while for someone to run 26.2 miles).

Marathon day went something like this:

We woke up early (Bradford earlier than me of course). After eating breakfast, we walked to the starting line of the marathon (which turned out to be oh so close to our hotel). There were so many people - 6,000 running the race, with all of their peeps in tow. Before Bradford left me to line up with his pace group, I made sure to snap a picture of him looking happy in front of the starting line.

Then, I waited for the race to start, which it did - promptly - at 7:15 am.

And, they are off!

I then caught the shuttle bus - a school bus commissioned for marathon spectator shuttling - which deposited me and many other folks at the half-way point/finish line (one and the same).

I had some time to spare before Bradford was expected at the half-way point, so I explored the riverfront and the historic main street for an hour or so - the weather was perfection. I enjoyed my alone time (and, of course, took some pictures).

Of course, I did not forget about Bradford and made sure to head back down to the race to cheer for him (and take pictures) as he found himself halfway done with his marathon goal.

And, then, as he completed his goal.

How proud was I? Seriously proud. Bradford worked so hard to train for this race, and he did a great job. Running 26.2 miles isn't easy folks - seriously. Bradford did Lewis & Clark proud also.

After the marathon, Bradford and I headed down the road to St. Louis to take in the sights. We didn't have much time, so we focused on the obvious tourist attraction - the Gateway Arch. I love the arch - really. It was the perfect subject for many many many pictures, as you can see.

Just FYI - the Arch is quite a bit higher than the Washington Monument in D.C. Bradford really wanted to ride to the top of the Arch, something I was hesitant to do. Really, it just makes good sense to question whether a rotund person such as myself should burden the Arch with her ever-increasing weight. But, burden it I did. Luckily, it held strong long enough for me to get to the top, look around, and come back down to earth.

The view from the top was quite impressive - although the viewing windows were a bit small.

Back down on the ground, Bradford and I did a little more sight-seeing before heading to dinner.

[Okay, so maybe I got a little carried away with taking pictures of the Arch. For those of you who haven't figured it out, I am trying to work on my photography skills to prepare for BB's arrival. Hence all the pictures. And, I was seriously impressed with the Arch. Get over it!]

You know what nicely punctuates a marathon weekend? A serious boozefest on the riverfront.

Obviously, I did not get to join the fest, but no reason for Bradford to hold back. After dinner, we visited the park before retiring early. We both were very tired and swollen and achy from a long day. After all, Bradford spent a good portion of the day running a marathon, and I spent all of the day growing a human being.

We left early the next morning, and I am glad we did. Not only did we make it home at a decent hour (and in time to pick up the mutt brigade from doggie daycare), but we also got to see this as we left the city.

I really think my photography skills are developing nicely, if I do say so myself.

[By the way, I know this post is long and full of pictures that you might not care to see - but, if you do care to see

even MORE pictures from our weekend in St. Louis, click HERE.]

And, that, people, is how you run a marathon (or watch someone else do it).