Boston Marathon 2013 Recap

Brent and I at the finish. I'm barely standing upright.

My signature on the sign at the Expo.

At the Expo, after a red-eye, waiting to check into our hotel and crash!

I think I was supposed to be carb-loading, but I just had to sneak in a dark chocolate tart with raspberries. There's fruit on it, at least, right?

Looking like I haven't slept in weeks, but actually feeling pretty rested at the loading zone at Boston Common.

Loading zone. It was organized but it was unbelievable how many runners there were.

Brent bought this crate from a homeless guy for $10 so he could stand on it for 5 hours and stake out a good spot at the finish line. He claims he could see much better after his purchase. True love for sure!

At the finish, looking less tired than I felt. 

On our way home from dinner on the evening of the race.

I know this is so late and I'm so far behind but I'm determined to get caught up on this old blog. I'm not quite sure where to begin to describe our weekend in Boston because the bombings put a huge, black cloud around the whole experience. We were so grateful to be safe, but so horrified for those who weren't. Brent was standing feet from where the second blast erupted just an hour before it went off. We just kept feeling so grateful to be safe as we were holed up in our hotel room, glued to the news and frantically responding to texts, emails and calls to let everyone know we were safe.

For the purposes of this post, let's rewind and I'll walk you through Marathon Monday prior to the tragic bombings. Because before the explosions, it was a pretty perfect day. 

Brent and I took the "T" one stop from MGH to Park Street around 6:30 AM. I didn't want to waste any energy, even if it was walking across the Common. We said goodbye and I waited with the 27,000 or so other runners to board the buses out to Hopkinton. I've never seen so many runners in one spot. I felt like everyone was running in the marathon. It was a city of marathoners. It was pretty cool. It took over an hour to load and almost an hour on the bus. I chatted with the runner sitting next to me because she was nice and also because I needed something to take my mind off the fact that I needed a port-a-potty--fast. I was obviously trying to stay well-hydrated for the race and two hours between pit stops was not going to cut it, especially when we arrived in Hopkinton and the lines were 30 people long for the restrooms. So, I did what any classy lady would do and ran for the nearby trees. Trust me, I was not the only one out there. I tried to wait in line, but it wasn't happening. Sorry, Mom. I know you raised me to be a lady but seriously, sometimes it can't be helped. So, anyway, after that I felt much better, and I started making my way to the athlete village. It was here that I was wishing I had a friend running with me! I needed to do something to pass the time since I still had a solid hour and a half until my wave started at 10:20. I had a banana and an energy bar and then broke out my electric green nail polish (for Keith) and painted my nails. Thanks Jen!!! I knew I was going to need something to concentrate on to calm my nerves and painting my nails was the perfect thing. People probably thought I was nuts, but whatever. We've already established that I have no shame.  By the time my nails were dry, I knew I needed to get in line again for the Port-a-potties. Timing your bathroom trip before a race is critical. I won't go into the details but it's a very tricky thing. I ended up waiting a little too long to get in line and started in a later corral than I was supposed to start in. It wasn't a huge deal because of the chip timing, but it was pretty stressful the first few miles because everyone around me was going 20-30 seconds per mile slower than I needed to be going. And there is literally zero wiggle room those first few miles. It's runners, shoulder to shoulder and toe to heel.

Let me back up a hair and just say also that the start line was pretty crazy. News cameras everywhere and thousands of spectators lining the streets. I wasn't even sure where the start line was for a solid quarter mile because we were all running and people were cheering but technically, we hadn't even started yet. It was just a mass of runners jogging to the start. Runners stretching as far back and as far forward as I could see. 

So, anyway, I spent the first few miles stressing about how slow I was going but couldn't do much about it because there were runners everywhere! Somewhere around Mile 4, I got a little wiggle room and started to pick up some speed to try and make up for the slow start. In the end, I think it was good. The crowd helped me not go out too fast. I felt better for longer than I had in my 2 previous marathons and this course was a lot hillier. 

Highlights of the course were reading all the funny signs people held up. It was a fun distraction to read what people wrote. Things like, "Run like Ryan Gosling is waiting for you at the finish." And other stuff that seemed a lot more funny at the time and now that I'm typing it, seem a lot less funny. So, I'll just stop there. But anyway, Wellesley was pretty awesome. It was so LOUD! I had one headphone in and didn't really even need it. The crowds were so loud and fun, that it wasn't really necessary. I never knew a race could go by so quickly. The 3+ hours felt like 1 hour, almost.

The rolling hills started around Mile 17 and I was anxious to see so many of my friends from Arlington Ward that I knew were waiting for me at Mile 19, just before Heartbreak Hill. I was so excited to see them! I saw Ellen P. first and then I saw little Emmett in his Lion Costume. That gave me such a lift. Thank you Katy for bringing him! 

(Brief interjection: Emmett is the nephew/grandson of a family from our ward in Arlington. He was diagnosed with cancer one year after Keith. Completely different kind of cancer, but we feel like the boys have some similarities (ie: feeding tube, no appetite, a shunt and some facial expressions). We were able to meet Emmett and his parents for the first time on Sunday at church, after being pen-pals over the last several months. We were so honored to meet them.)

Getting a lift from my friends helped carry me through Heartbreak Hill. Honestly, there were two hills after Mile 19 and I wasn't really sure which one was Heartbreak. It didn't matter. A hill is a hill. And I have to say, they weren't as bad as the hype. Although the last 10K which was supposedly "all down hill" didn't feel that way at all. I felt pretty good until Mile 24. Coming into Brookline was so loud again. It was amazing! People packed the streets. It was crazy. But at some point, even the crowd can't distract you from cramping calves and overall fatigue. I felt done at Mile 24. Once I got to Mile 25 though, I started to rally again, knowing I was so close to the finish. I could feel my face scrunching up in pain though. But I couldn't do anything about it. You just have to gut out those last few miles. I could feel myself slipping off pace a bit but it was all I could do to just make myself keep running. I knew I was going to finish but I really wanted to push for a good time. But there comes a time in every race where you just don't care about your time, you just want to be done! Luckily, by Mile 25 I was close enough to just start willing myself to the finish. I tried to take Brent's advice and "just enjoy the whole experience." I was trying my best, even though it was a little hard to ignore my screaming calves. I know it was from dehydration. I didn't drink enough during the last several miles. I didn't want to have to take a bathroom break, so I was afraid to drink too much. Like I said, a delicate balance. :)

So, anyway, the finish. 

The longest part of the race was the last .2 miles. I could see the finish line but I wasn't getting any closer to it! And I felt like I was running so fast, but my head knew that I wasn't really running that fast. It felt so amazing to cross the finish line, even if there were still crowds of people running next to me. I had no idea where Brent was, but I knew he was there somewhere. I felt good about my time. I was really hoping for 3:25 but 3:27:52 was still a personal best for me and Boston is not an easy course, so I felt pretty good.

I hobbled through the finishing chute and grabbed snacks and water and my medal. It took awhile to collect my checked bag from the bus. Amazingly, Brent found me coming out of the finish area before I  headed towards the family meeting area. He was patient with me as we walked s-l-o-w-l-y back to our hotel, about a mile away. 

Below is where I will inundate you with official race photos. Partly because they are decent, but mostly because they cost the same price as a new pair of running shoes and I want to get my money's worth out of them.

After the finish!

Notice the grimace? I'm struggling here.

You would not believe the amount of cups on the course. I saw people trip over them. They were everywhere! There were a few spots that I had to concentrate so I wouldn't slip.

Feeling the burn here.

So happy to cross the finish, even if it's between two very old  guys and one, way too enthusiastic girl.

Concentrating

Hurting

Looking for the finish line.

I love this shot because you can see Keith's logo on my shirt so clearly. I ran by a few people throughout the race who were running for a children's cancer charity. I thanked each one of them and got all teary every time.  I was moved by this team of runners who would go to all the trouble to raise money and to train for a cause that is so close to my heart. One guy put his arm around me and you could just feel his compassion for me and our loss. It was really sweet. Despite crazy bombings and who knows what else crazy that goes on, I still believe most people are really, really good.

Seeing Emmett in his Lion costume and the Arlington crowd. Thanks Ellen for the photo!

The Lillroses and us at church. Thanks again, Ellen!

It was fun to see old friends at church. Thank you Shawna and Lafkas's for rides! And thanks to little Caroline for her sweet "good luck" card! It was so great to meet up with Erin and Doug and their adorable little boy Ryan who came all the way down to our hotel to see us. I'm kicking myself for not taking a photo! What was I thinking?!!!

The race was a pretty awesome experience, as far as races go, but it was so sad that it was ruined by some heartless fools.

Thanks to everyone for your uplifting words of encouragement prior to and after the race. I know it was just a race, but it meant a lot to me to do it. I appreciate so many of you who have gone out of your way to show your love and support for me and my family. Thank you.