Boston Marathon Recap

I wrote about the horrific events that followed my race on April 15th, but I wanted to share that there were many amazing moments during my first Boston Marathon!

The morning started bright and early at 6am.  The sun was out, the air was crisp, and I was beyond excited for the day ahead. Jake, being the amazing husband he is, went downstairs to Starbucks and got one decaf coffee (for me - I don’t do caffeine) and one regular coffee.  Note to self: Make sure your husband marks which is decaf and which is caffeinated.  He got back up to the room and said, "Well I have good news and bad news.  I got you a nice cup of steaming hot coffee but.... I forgot which one is yours.” Luckily he got a shot of espresso in his and I was able to tell the difference.  Always a fun start to the morning!

We walked the mile from our hotel to Boston Commons where the buses leave from.  From there, you ride an hour to Hopkinton where the race starts.  

So excited!

Lines to get on the bus!

I loaded onto the bus, and waved goodbye to my biggest cheerleader, Jake!  

Here we go! Decaf (hopefully) coffee in hand!

Before the breakdown...

After our minor setback with a broken down bus... we hopped on a new bus and drove out to Hopkinton!

Broken down bus.
More interesting part of this picture is the underwear on his head.
Fascinating.

When you arrive in Hopkinton, you feel like you’ve been transported to a Runner’s Planet.  Track Jackets and running clothes everywhere, conversations about training, favorite races, & racing strategy, gatorade bottles in every hand, and banana peels overflowing out of trash cans.  If I could choose one place to stay, it would be Athlete’s Village in Hopkinton.  It is my kind of world. 

Potty Break!

To the starting line we go!

As I wrote about before, I may have almost missed the start.  Clearly I am a newbie.  Luckily, I was able to sprint to the start and had 2 minutes to spare.  Just enough time for a picture or two :)

1 minute before the start!

Ready to rock!

Wave 1, Corral 9

You run through many towns outside of Boston, ultimately leading to an incredible finish in downtown Boston.  Hopkinton - Ashland - Framingham - Natick - Wellesley - Newton - Brookline - Boston! Each town is lined with thousands of spectators, cheering, offering water, oranges, and in many towns... beer!  

 Can you believe how many people were there to cheer?

Run, run, run!

The sounds are incredible.  From the sound at the water stations of paper cups dropping to the pavement, to the gentle rumble of runner’s feet hitting the ground, to the clap of your hand against a small child’s on the sideline, to the yelling and screaming fans cheering you towards the finish.  It is incredible.  I think I smiled for 26.2 miles straight.  

High Five!

Sounds of green cups...

My favorite person cheering said, “You’re almost there!  You can practically see the finish line!”  We were at mile 1.75  

Aside from the first 2 miles of typical warm-up aches and the last few miles of typical screaming/aching/cramping muscles, it felt amazing.  My hamstring that has been an issue and my new groin strain didn’t cause any problems whatsoever.  I didn’t have to walk once, instead I sped up by almost 14 minutes the second half of the marathon. And today, 3 days later, I still am pain free!!  

Half way mark!

The only problem I had during the race was a little thing I like to call... obsession with taking pictures.  I may have used up my entire cell phone battery by taking moving photos.  Oops!  

Love this city.

So everyone asks, how was Heartbreak hill?  Was it really that bad?  

You know what?  It really wasn't!  I think the reason it has such a bad reputation is because it is at mile 20.  By that time, your legs are demolished, your body aches and the last thing you want to do is run up a hill.  But in all honesty, I didn't even know I had run up heartbreak hill until I reached this sign...

It's over!

The Boston Marathon is the culmination of many months of training, sacrifice, and passion for something bigger than running.  It is 26.2 miles of 27,000 new friends fighting towards one goal.  It is 26.2 miles of strangers cheering and filling your heart with joy.  It is the race of a lifetime that I now call my favorite race, even given the horrendous circumstances that occurred. I know many would give anything to run the race, and I am so grateful to have been a part. It was incredible.

Yes the runners are coming.  Every year.   

The terrorists picked the wrong city.  The wrong race.  We will all be back next year and every year to come with more spirit, pride, and passion than ever before.  I can't wait until next year!