Boston Marathon

I had to wait a few days before posting this, so that I could let the “moment” sink in.

I DID IT!  I ran the Boston Marathon!

Well, I use the term “ran” very loosely, but I did it.  5 hours, 21 minutes, 46 seconds in 87 degree heat.  With temperatures that hot, I did a lot of walking.

The experience was overwhelming right from the start.  I’ve been in big races, but this was unbelievable.  From the “Runners’ Village” to the starting corrals was about three quarters of a mile.  A nice walk to warm up, then at 10:00 AM the gun went off.  The elite runners and wave 1 went first, followed by wave 2 at 10:20, and finally they called for those of us in wave 3.  Gradually the corrals started moving, and I was in the last wave, and last corral.  I crossed the start line around 10:50 AM, and away we went!

The crowds were amazing.  Almost every step of the way there were people cheering.  For as many people as there were running, there wasn’t that much bumping into others.  The first couple of water stops were congested to say the least, but by the four mile point, things started spacing out nicely.  Now it was time to start into a nice rhythm.  

I walked through most of the water stops while running in between them, and at about 11.5 miles, I stopped for a photo op, water, and an ice-cold rag (Thanks to Amanda from work!)  This helped carry me into Wellesley, and was that amazing!!  Wellesley College is now my FAVORITE college in the world.  There were so many young ladies cheering, screaming, high-fiving, and collecting kisses.  I high-fived as many as I could, had this been 25 years ago, I would have been giving out the kisses!  The excitement in this area gave you a boost of energy, and next thing you knew, it was half way complete.

The second half was another story.  Even though there were lots of spectators along the course, cheering each and every one of us on, you could tell that the weather was getting to us all.  There were more and more people walking, and the pace was gradually getting slower.  To keep my mind occupied, I now started counting down the miles.

Soon enough we were past the Newton hills (heartbreak hill included), down into Cleveland Circle, and our first view of the Hancock Building.  One of the highlights of my day came at mile 24, when I was running side-by-side with Tedy Bruschi of the New England Patriots.  Next thing you knew I could see the Citgo sign & Fenway Park… ALMOST THERE!

I made it through the final two turns, and there’s just about a half mile remaining.  This is where it was hard to hold back the emotions.  Once I saw the 26 mile mark, I knew I had to run the last two tenths.  Finally… I did it…  5:21:46.