Meggie Smith is a Oiselle racing team member. When she's not running she's blogging about it (and much more) at her blog, The Thinks I Can Think. Meggie will be running the New York City Marathon tomorrow! She's going to rock it! Here is her checklist for getting race-day-ready. (written by Meggie Smith)

Read more blogs by Meggie on Oiselle: Meggie's Marathon Checklist

___________________________________________________________________

While I wish I could write a blog for Oiselle outlining the finer points of successful marathoning, there are Oiselle women far more experienced, not to mention much faster, who could do a much better job at that than I. So, instead of giving you a play by play of the NYC Marathon, I’ll tell you about all the cool people I met making the NYC Marathon, truly, an experience of a lifetime.

If you read my personal blog, you’ll know that I’m Picky Bars #1 fan. So, of course, I jumped at the chance to help them with a few events around the city. I like to think they asked me rather than me forcing myself upon them. Either way, I got to meet Lauren and Jesse “in real life,” which was fun since, previously, I had only known them as email addresses in addition to their rock star status landing them on TV and magazines for winning races and such. Helping them also solidified that I know way too much about Picky Bars and am way too enthusiastic about forcing samples upon unsuspecting people.

One party I didn’t crash was an Asics breakfast that I was invited to by a friend who knew the person that did the PR for Asics (or something like that). I got to meet Ryan Hall (sorry, no picture) and Deena Kastor. Deena not only noticed my hair feathers, but she also told me she liked them. Deena just gets it.

Deena also told us about this French toast her husband makes and, man, do I wish I lived in their house. That French toast sounded divine. I should’ve asked her if she needed a babysitter so I could get in on that French toast action. Missed opportunity.

Of course, being the Picky Bar enthusiast that I am, I couldn’t not hang with the other dynamic duo, Steph and Ben, who complete the Picky Package along with Lauren, Jesse, and Jenn. I got some quality time with Steph, who is also my “RC,” which stands for running coach, as well as her fiancé, Ben, who were both in town to run the NYRR Dash to the Finish Line 5K. The abbreviation “RC” isn’t catching on like I envisioned it would, but I’m still hopeful. In addition to being my running brain, Steph knows her caffeine and introduced me to my new favorite drink: grande Americano with 2 pumps of mocha. Try it - you won’t be disappointed. (I did add some milk to mine, in case you’re curious).

Even better, when I was with the RC, I spotted Sally Kipyego. I probably scared the poor girl when I screamed, “Oh My Gosh! It’s the girl from Flotrack! I loved your interview! Congratulations! You are amazing.” I’m really good at playing it cool.

Finally, a few days after the marathon, I got to meet Sally, the inventor of not only rundies, but my favorite shirt on the planet, the “running is elemental” shirt! I was so appreciative that Sally took time out of her busy schedule to meet me for coffee and tell me about all of the awesome stuff Oiselle is scheming up. I’m training my fingers to be ready for clicking action once the goods become available for sale. That way, I won’t miss out on something the first time around (ie Rundies) or something that sells out (orange burke jacket). I’m still not over not having an orange burke jacket, but I guess I’ll get through the winter without it. 

Before I go, I’ll give you a few tips on the NYC marathon or long races in general that do not necessarily pertain to running faster, but that I feel are important:

• Wear the Oiselle distance short for a marathon. I’m partial to the orange. Plenty of room for all of your gels or chews. I also was able to put my ipod shuffle in one of the pockets. I wanted my ipod for the corrals, but not for the actual race. The distance shorts are like Mary Poppin’s magical bag – they will fit everything you need and more.
• If it’s a marathon like NYC, where you have to wait in the corrals for about an hour before the race, bring an old mylar space blanket and toilet paper for emergencies.
• There is a hill at mile 8 when you turn from 4^th Avenue onto Lafayette during the NYC Marathon. No one told me about that one.
• Smile and wave to your friends cheering you on. I’ve found friends take better pictures than Brightroom.

A bientot! (See you soon!)