Boston Marathon 2014

I know you are all on edge, anxiously awaiting my story from the Boston Marathon. Well, the story starts a few weeks ago. I started physical therapy in February. My insurance agreed to pay for eight visits. Things went fairly well but at the end of eight, I still wasn't better. My insurance agreed to three more visits. I "graduated" physical therapy better but not well. I was frustrated and had decided to give massage therapy a try. I had a conversation with my sister and she told me her mother-in-law did massage therapy and used other holistic healing. I saw her and could tell this might really help. The first time I talked with her, she asked how long I had had my injury. I told her at least back to the St. George Marathon, but probably further. She made a sarcastic comment about how maybe it went back to nearly being bombed in Boston last year. That thought has been sitting in the back of my mind for weeks now. I saw Suzie, the massage therapist, twice before we lt for Boston.  I am pretty sure Suzie was making a difference. 

We got to Boston late Friday morning. I had been anxious for weeks, especially in the days leading up to our flight out. My emotions were sitting just below the surface and really ridiculous things would set me off. Friday we met our host and spent some time with her family. Saturday was a big day. We went into Boston and went to the expo and picked up our packets. We went to the Old South Church. They had organized a scarf project shortly after the events of last year. They had people all over the world make scarfs and send them to the Old South Church. They wanted enough to give to all the runners this year. We got some made by children, which seemed appropriate. We went to the "Dear Boston" exhibit at the library. That was really emotional. We walked back along the course to where we were stopped last year and then walked it in to the finish line. That was also emotional but I think it was healing too. We called it a day early since the next day was Easter. Sunday we planned to go to the Old South Church for the blessing of the athletes but since it was Easter Sunday, everyone in town wanted to go to church, in a historical place. We ended up going to our own church's worship service. We went to the athlete dinner just as early as we could and then went to our new host's house in Hopkinton. We spent a quiet evening with her and got to bed at a good time. 

Monday. Race day!  We slept in. Staying in Hopkinton has its benefits. We watched the early starts on TV and then walked just over a mile to the starting corrals. It was warmer than the forecast but we had left 80 degree temps when we left for Boston so the heat didn't bother us too much. The first six miles were uneventful. Have I mentioned that the longest run I had done to train for Boston was six miles?  We planned to eat at miles 5, 10, 15, 19, and 23. That worked just fine. I planned to take ibuprofen at 6 and 18 miles. That didn't work. By mile 8 I could tell I needed to change my thinking. I spent the next 4-5 miles trying to decide how to change my thinking. I was hurting and I was worried about how deep I was going to have to dig to finish. I took more pain meds at mile 12. The first set kicked in about mile 13. At mile 15, I found my endurance legs. They were a little rusty but ready to go. By the time we hit the hills of Newton, I really was feeling pretty good, better than anyone who didn't properly train should feel. There wasn't one hill I didn't fly up and it felt good. Throughout the race, the crowds were amazing. You could draw from their energy when you needed it. It was wonderful. Around 19 or 20, I could feel the work in my hips. By 23 they were starting to hurt. By that point, our pace was still great and I knew I didn't want to walk. It hurts to start again and it takes longer. When we got close to the place we were stopped last year, I got emotional. I couldn't help it. But I think I needed that. This year we got to run under Mass Ave. We got to turn right on Hereford St. (That little hill hurts at this point!). We got to turn left onto Boylston St. Wow!  It really is everything we hoped it would be. The crowds were huge and the energy they were putting off was amazing. I won't lie, Boylston is longer when you are running it than when you are simply looking down it. Hand in hand, my husband and I finished the Boston Marathon in 4 hours and 20 minutes. Ironically, in about the same time as we were projected to finish last year. My emotions were back as the volunteers put my finish medal around my neck. My phone rang off the hook with messages of love and support and congratulations from family and friends. Boston 2014 was everything I had hoped Boston 2013 would be only more so. Law enforcement were everywhere and I was so grateful to each one for taking the time to ensure my safety. 

We came home today and I am feeling more whole than I have in so long. More than just emotionally. Physically too. In the last few weeks, the morning after I run, my tendon is stiff. Today it wasn't. My body is. I did run a marathon. But my tendon seems fine. Which leads me back to the question Suzie asked me a few weeks ago. The injury does not go back to Boston last year.  However, I am starting to wonder if my injury was my body's way of saying, "You're not dealing with your emotions. I'm going to make you."  Time will tell.  In the meantime, I am grateful. I'm grateful to have finished.  I'm grateful for the dhance to get to.  I'm grateful to the BAA for all of their work in facilitaing the marathon. I'm grateful to all the law enforement for their presence and protection. I'm grateful for anyone who ever asked how I was doing, offered their love, support, and prayers. I'm grateful to my husband, my favorite running partner, for his support and belief in me and generally being simply amazing. I'm grateful to my God. If not for my belief in Him and His tender mercies, I don't know if I would have had the courage to go back and finish what we started. 

Thanks for checking in with me. Come back again soon.  If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them here. Thanks again!

Today, this is a soapbox

It's important to state here that I don't usually use my blog as a forum to vent but I have decided that it is completely appropriate  and probably beneficial. Everyone could occasionally use a reminder.

So I was out running yesterday (I know! I was happy too!) and several times felt like I was taking my life  in my hands to be outside running. I realize that people are in a hurry and that time is precious. I get it, I really do. All I ask is that you acknowledge that my LIFE is important and precious too. So this is what happens far too often. A driver comes to an intersection, preparing to turn right. They come to the intersection and slow into the cross walk, looking only at the traffic to the left as they prepare to merge. They see no traffic and never really stopped so they start to merge. It's at about this point when I have the walk sign on and have entered the cross walk that my life flashes before my eyes and I'm starting to think my children will be orphans. The driver never even bothered to consider pedestrian traffic.

When I'm out running, I follow all traffic laws. I check, double check, and often triple check before crossing a street. I try to make eye contact with drivers. I can't tell you how many times I have nearly been hit by a car (once nearly a garbage truck) in a cross walk with the walk sign on. I promise no where that anyone needs to go is ever so important or pressing that it's worth risking the life of another person. Even if it didn't kill the pedestrian, it could cause an injury that could change their quality of life. Hitting a runner could make it so they could never run again. That would devastate me, likewise for many other runners I know. I don't know how you could ever live with yourself if you hurt or killed someone because you didn't take the time to look.

My advice, unsolicited I know, is simple. As you approach an intersection, don't just look at automobile traffic. Look for pedestrian traffic too. Double check sidewalks and cross walks. If you see foot traffic approaching a cross walk, don't park in it. Pull back and wait. You may earn yourself a grateful wave from a tired runner.

Alright, I'm done now. I have seen too many close calls and experienced too many myself that I felt like it was important enough to merit a blog post. Thanks for checking in with me. I hope you are experiencing success in your fitness goals. Check back in again soon. I may get one more post in before Boston. We'll see. Best of luck!