20 hours ago
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Baltimore Half Marathon - Run for Vic
I went into this race with no expectations. I was hoping to finish with a decent time, but I did not know what the day would bring. The Saturday prior, I came home from a long training run and found out that my father passed away. While it was not unexpected, it was still a very hard time for me and my family.
I headed up to New Jersey Sunday morning to be with my family. I knew it was going to be a hectic week with little sleep and not a lot of running. I planned a run for Monday afternoon to give my relatives time to get in from out of state. We met at my sisters house and ran on a trail that led to the neighborhood where we grew up. We then ran by our old house and the firehouse where the flags were at half-mast to honor my father's 50+ years as a volunteer. Finally we ended at Ted's bar, my father's favorite watering hole. My non-running relatives met up there and we toasted my dad.
The next two days were busy with viewings and the funeral and I did not feel like running. Thursday I was not feeling it either. By Friday, I was back in Baltimore and ran two miles with one of the BOMF teams. After that, I headed out on my own because I felt like I needed some miles. This wasn't a great run as I had time by myself and time to think. The run itself wasn't bad, but it felt draining.
Saturday morning the entire BOMF crew met up at Camden Yards. We had members running in all races of the festival and it was hard not to get caught up in everyone's excitement. First the marathon went off. We cheered on our runners at the start as the masses passed us. After that, the 5K started. We had a lot of our newer members run this event. It was fun to watch the first-timers out there. After that was done, I made my way over a few blocks to the start of the half marathon. Along the way, I was able to cheer for more of my friends at mile 9 and again at mile 13 - where the half starts.
Because of the busy morning I had cheering, I didn't really have time to think about my race. I went over to the start about 5 minutes early and the gun went off at 9:45. They added more waves this year and I certainly felt the difference since I was in the first wave. I did not spend a lot of time weaving through crowds like I have in years past. Of course I went out too fast. My first mile was 7:29. I refocused and pulled it back. I was back to just under 8's by the 4th mile. It was cloudy with a little humidity and a bit of rain began to fall. Perfect for me except when the wind kicked up at times.
I was running up one of the long inclines when I had time to think. I almost talked myself into slowing down and just using it as a long run. Instead I said a little prayer and asked my Dad to help me run up the series of hills I was approaching. At the end of one hill, was the hand-off point for the third relay leg. I saw a few of our members there and they cheered me on. I was off to another hill when I saw another friend. He was having a bad race (running the full, he was approaching mile 20). I tried to encourage him, but I know the feeling when you just want to be left alone so I moved along.
The next mile is flat around the lake. I picked it up here a bit since I knew I had some hills in front of me and I was now determined to finish strong. The next mile and a half is rolling hills with a turn up yet another hill. Here, my friend Nate, dressed in a tiger costume was playing "eye of the tiger" on repeat and encouraging all runners. This is also the famous gummy-bear area. I took a few and went on my way. At mile 10, I was at 1:19 and feeling good. I gave myself another mile to make sure, and then picked it for the last two. I was tired, but again, I had a little "talk" with my Dad and decided that I was going to PR for him.
I cruised through the last two miles - where I am usually exhausted - and was so excited to stop my watch at 1:42:51. Last year I ran a 1:44:32, which was my previous PR. I found a bunch of friends that finished around the same time and we headed back to the finish to cheer everyone else in.
Ended up being a great day and a run that I will remember always.
Field Placement: 421 / 7813
Group Placement: 8 / 460
Gender Placement: 83 / 4519
I headed up to New Jersey Sunday morning to be with my family. I knew it was going to be a hectic week with little sleep and not a lot of running. I planned a run for Monday afternoon to give my relatives time to get in from out of state. We met at my sisters house and ran on a trail that led to the neighborhood where we grew up. We then ran by our old house and the firehouse where the flags were at half-mast to honor my father's 50+ years as a volunteer. Finally we ended at Ted's bar, my father's favorite watering hole. My non-running relatives met up there and we toasted my dad.
The next two days were busy with viewings and the funeral and I did not feel like running. Thursday I was not feeling it either. By Friday, I was back in Baltimore and ran two miles with one of the BOMF teams. After that, I headed out on my own because I felt like I needed some miles. This wasn't a great run as I had time by myself and time to think. The run itself wasn't bad, but it felt draining.
Saturday morning the entire BOMF crew met up at Camden Yards. We had members running in all races of the festival and it was hard not to get caught up in everyone's excitement. First the marathon went off. We cheered on our runners at the start as the masses passed us. After that, the 5K started. We had a lot of our newer members run this event. It was fun to watch the first-timers out there. After that was done, I made my way over a few blocks to the start of the half marathon. Along the way, I was able to cheer for more of my friends at mile 9 and again at mile 13 - where the half starts.
Because of the busy morning I had cheering, I didn't really have time to think about my race. I went over to the start about 5 minutes early and the gun went off at 9:45. They added more waves this year and I certainly felt the difference since I was in the first wave. I did not spend a lot of time weaving through crowds like I have in years past. Of course I went out too fast. My first mile was 7:29. I refocused and pulled it back. I was back to just under 8's by the 4th mile. It was cloudy with a little humidity and a bit of rain began to fall. Perfect for me except when the wind kicked up at times.
I was running up one of the long inclines when I had time to think. I almost talked myself into slowing down and just using it as a long run. Instead I said a little prayer and asked my Dad to help me run up the series of hills I was approaching. At the end of one hill, was the hand-off point for the third relay leg. I saw a few of our members there and they cheered me on. I was off to another hill when I saw another friend. He was having a bad race (running the full, he was approaching mile 20). I tried to encourage him, but I know the feeling when you just want to be left alone so I moved along.
The next mile is flat around the lake. I picked it up here a bit since I knew I had some hills in front of me and I was now determined to finish strong. The next mile and a half is rolling hills with a turn up yet another hill. Here, my friend Nate, dressed in a tiger costume was playing "eye of the tiger" on repeat and encouraging all runners. This is also the famous gummy-bear area. I took a few and went on my way. At mile 10, I was at 1:19 and feeling good. I gave myself another mile to make sure, and then picked it for the last two. I was tired, but again, I had a little "talk" with my Dad and decided that I was going to PR for him.
I cruised through the last two miles - where I am usually exhausted - and was so excited to stop my watch at 1:42:51. Last year I ran a 1:44:32, which was my previous PR. I found a bunch of friends that finished around the same time and we headed back to the finish to cheer everyone else in.
Ended up being a great day and a run that I will remember always.
Field Placement: 421 / 7813
Group Placement: 8 / 460
Gender Placement: 83 / 4519
Monday, June 22, 2009
Thank You for Your Support
The rain couldn't dampen the spirit of the Back On My Feet team participating in the Baltimore 10 Miler this past weekend. Both Philadelphia and Baltimore chapters were represented and every member that started the race came across the finish line.
I wanted to thank all of my friends that supported me during this run. You helped me raise $765 for BOMF. You are all amazing and all of the people in this picture, taken post race, are grateful for your support.
So thank you,
Dave Acup
Chris Edge
Dawne Hanlin
Mike Thomas
Luke & Sherri Greeves
Colleen McCarthy
Victor Bayers
Joanna Lawson-Matthew
Lori Painter
Melissa Daub
Mary Ann Fortunato
Lisa & John White
Candi McDowell
Carol Deere
Dare, Mark & Nina Wenzler
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Baltimore 10 Miler Review
Yesterday I ran the second running of the Baltimore 10 Miler. My day started at the Back On My Feet tent. BOMF was an official charity of the race and we had a large number of residents, volunteers, and fundraisers present. We formed a circle, like we do every morning before our runs, but the size of this circle was massive. We had representatives from all three shelters in Baltimore as well as a large showing from our home base in Philadelphia. The circle was moving as residents from Philadelphia shared their stories. After our prayer, we headed to the starting line. In the crowd of about 3,000 people, I saw my friend Thomas. He was running and videotaping the race. You can view it here.
The skies opened up as soon as the race started. I am fine with running in the rain, but the threat of lightening had me a little on edge. The thunder stopped by mile one and the rain came and went for the entire morning. I felt great at the beginning of the race. My first mile was too fast as usual and I pulled it back some. At mile four, members of the McVets shelter were manning the water station. I may be biased, but I think it was the best water station on the course. They were so enthusiastic and cheered every runner on. I saw a lot of BOMF members running for the next three miles and shouted out to all of them. It was fun to see so many of us out on the course.
Miles five through 7.5 were fine. I was still feeling good. And then it hit me. I am not sure if my legs were tired from last week's race and the track work out or if I just knew the hills that were coming, but I broke down a bit. I had to struggle to keep going up some of the hills. I even walked through two water stops, which I never do, and took a walking break up a hill. This is so unlike me. I never stop and I am not sure what happened. However, at mile 9.5 I started seeing all of my Back On My Feet friends. Eric, Colleen, Nikia, and Mike totally cheered me up the last hill. Then I saw my nephew's friend, Ryan, and he cheered on "Aunt Jeanne." Finally, I saw my guys that were not ready for the 10 mile race yet, but came out in the pouring rain to cheer on their teammates. I put a huge smile on my face and waved at them while they, along with Pammy Cakes, cheered me in. After all that, I still finished 17 seconds faster than last year and have a new PR at 1:20:27. Good times!
We got a great rain jacket for finishing the race, which I put right on and went to join the BOMF cheering section to wait for the rest of our team to come in. We stayed until the ambulance pulled up after the last runner to make sure everyone was cheered in. Through the rain and the hills, all of our members completed their first 10 mile race. I could not be more proud. The five guys that I run with from Helping Up Mission had an amazing showing. They came in between 1:21:07 and 1:49:10. I am in awe of them. They are making such progress and are really committed to running and turning their lives around.
The volunteers that I run with rocked the race as well. Josh, David, Paul, and Brian had strong times, which makes me remember why I can't keep up with them during the morning runs. Our team leader, Mike, came in 12th overall. He is such a fast runner, even though he hangs back every morning to make sure all of the guys have someone to run with. A true leader. And then our rocking Program Director, Jackie, came in second female...which would have been first (and was chip wise), but she started in the back of the race with a group of the guys running. Again, pure selfless, class acts! I love these people. They make running fun and meaningful!
Overall: 262/2497
Female: 50/1327
Age Group: 4/189
The skies opened up as soon as the race started. I am fine with running in the rain, but the threat of lightening had me a little on edge. The thunder stopped by mile one and the rain came and went for the entire morning. I felt great at the beginning of the race. My first mile was too fast as usual and I pulled it back some. At mile four, members of the McVets shelter were manning the water station. I may be biased, but I think it was the best water station on the course. They were so enthusiastic and cheered every runner on. I saw a lot of BOMF members running for the next three miles and shouted out to all of them. It was fun to see so many of us out on the course.
Miles five through 7.5 were fine. I was still feeling good. And then it hit me. I am not sure if my legs were tired from last week's race and the track work out or if I just knew the hills that were coming, but I broke down a bit. I had to struggle to keep going up some of the hills. I even walked through two water stops, which I never do, and took a walking break up a hill. This is so unlike me. I never stop and I am not sure what happened. However, at mile 9.5 I started seeing all of my Back On My Feet friends. Eric, Colleen, Nikia, and Mike totally cheered me up the last hill. Then I saw my nephew's friend, Ryan, and he cheered on "Aunt Jeanne." Finally, I saw my guys that were not ready for the 10 mile race yet, but came out in the pouring rain to cheer on their teammates. I put a huge smile on my face and waved at them while they, along with Pammy Cakes, cheered me in. After all that, I still finished 17 seconds faster than last year and have a new PR at 1:20:27. Good times!
We got a great rain jacket for finishing the race, which I put right on and went to join the BOMF cheering section to wait for the rest of our team to come in. We stayed until the ambulance pulled up after the last runner to make sure everyone was cheered in. Through the rain and the hills, all of our members completed their first 10 mile race. I could not be more proud. The five guys that I run with from Helping Up Mission had an amazing showing. They came in between 1:21:07 and 1:49:10. I am in awe of them. They are making such progress and are really committed to running and turning their lives around.
The volunteers that I run with rocked the race as well. Josh, David, Paul, and Brian had strong times, which makes me remember why I can't keep up with them during the morning runs. Our team leader, Mike, came in 12th overall. He is such a fast runner, even though he hangs back every morning to make sure all of the guys have someone to run with. A true leader. And then our rocking Program Director, Jackie, came in second female...which would have been first (and was chip wise), but she started in the back of the race with a group of the guys running. Again, pure selfless, class acts! I love these people. They make running fun and meaningful!
Overall: 262/2497
Female: 50/1327
Age Group: 4/189
Monday, June 15, 2009
George Sheehan Classic
This past weekend I headed to my home state of New Jersey for a 5 mile race in Red Bank. I have been doing this race off and on for over 10 years now. It gives me an excuse for a family visit and it really is a nice course through some great small towns.
The day started off better than usual. It was overcast and there was a slight breeze. I was actually a little chilly waiting around for the start. But then, as usual, the clouds disappeared and the humidity came out...pretty much at the sound of the start.
The race starts in Red Bank, the town where I was born, and travels through Fair Haven and Little Silver before coming back into Red Bank. It is a relatively flat course with a few small inclines and then one notable hill, Tower Hill, right after the 4 mile mark. It is mostly residential and many families sit on their front lawns to cheer on the runners. A few kind residents even take out their lawn hoses and spray down the runners. That is always a treat. The race is well staffed and well supported.
I felt great the first 2.5 miles and was running about 7:25's. I think that I slowed down a bit then until mile 4 as the pound of potato chips I ate the night before was not agreeing with me. I picked it up after the water stop at the bottom of Tower Hill. I know that I did my last mile, hill and all, in about 7:00.
I finished in 37:02 - course PR by 1:40 and 5 mile PR by 26 seconds. It was a good day and I felt fine afterwards. I came in the top 100 women, #50, which earned me a George Sheehan coffee mug. This year's mug quote from Dr. Sheehan: "So much of life passes without our being in it at all. Make every day count." If you are not familiar with George Sheehan, google him.
While I am very pleased with my time, the highlight of the race for me was watching my niece Lauren finish the race. It was her first 5 mile run, but I do not think it will be her last. We saw her coming up to the finish line and she had a lot of energy and smile on her face when she heard us cheering her on. She is not usually a runner, but finished strong and was quick to say how much she liked it. After the race she was going through the race sheets in her race bag and seeing which race she would run next. I think she got the bug!
End Results:
Time: 37:02
Overall: 228/1549
Gender: 50/669
Age: 9/128
The day started off better than usual. It was overcast and there was a slight breeze. I was actually a little chilly waiting around for the start. But then, as usual, the clouds disappeared and the humidity came out...pretty much at the sound of the start.
The race starts in Red Bank, the town where I was born, and travels through Fair Haven and Little Silver before coming back into Red Bank. It is a relatively flat course with a few small inclines and then one notable hill, Tower Hill, right after the 4 mile mark. It is mostly residential and many families sit on their front lawns to cheer on the runners. A few kind residents even take out their lawn hoses and spray down the runners. That is always a treat. The race is well staffed and well supported.
I felt great the first 2.5 miles and was running about 7:25's. I think that I slowed down a bit then until mile 4 as the pound of potato chips I ate the night before was not agreeing with me. I picked it up after the water stop at the bottom of Tower Hill. I know that I did my last mile, hill and all, in about 7:00.
I finished in 37:02 - course PR by 1:40 and 5 mile PR by 26 seconds. It was a good day and I felt fine afterwards. I came in the top 100 women, #50, which earned me a George Sheehan coffee mug. This year's mug quote from Dr. Sheehan: "So much of life passes without our being in it at all. Make every day count." If you are not familiar with George Sheehan, google him.
While I am very pleased with my time, the highlight of the race for me was watching my niece Lauren finish the race. It was her first 5 mile run, but I do not think it will be her last. We saw her coming up to the finish line and she had a lot of energy and smile on her face when she heard us cheering her on. She is not usually a runner, but finished strong and was quick to say how much she liked it. After the race she was going through the race sheets in her race bag and seeing which race she would run next. I think she got the bug!
End Results:
Time: 37:02
Overall: 228/1549
Gender: 50/669
Age: 9/128
Monday, May 25, 2009
McVets 10K Race Report
It was a hot and humid morning in Baltimore. We met the guys over at Helping Up Mission to walk over to the start. For many of them, it was their first race as members of Back On My Feet; the organization that I volunteer with. Everyone was excited.
This was the 14th year of the McVets race, which holds both 5K and 10K events. The events start an hour apart, which I thought was odd, but it was pretty well organized. The 5K went off at 7:30 followed by the 10K at 8:30.
I had the most fun on Fort Avenue between miles 2 and 4. I was able to cheer on the people ahead of my as they were coming back after the turn around and then do the same for the people behind me as I turned around. The BOMF team had a lot of people running and it was easy to spot everyone in their shirts.
After mile 4 I was on my own. It was a pretty lonely race. I did not see anyone in front of me at times and no one passed me -- which was a nice change :-)
All in all, it was a good race. I ended up with a PR of 47:21, which made me really happy. And the guys, well they crushed it. We had age group winners and amazing times from all of them. I was so proud of them. They rock!
Stats:
Overall: 31/172
Gender: 9/74
Age: 2/15
Note: I ended up with 1st in my age since they had a masters category and a 41 year old won that. They also put me in the 40-49 age group even though I am not turning 40 until September.
This was the 14th year of the McVets race, which holds both 5K and 10K events. The events start an hour apart, which I thought was odd, but it was pretty well organized. The 5K went off at 7:30 followed by the 10K at 8:30.
After cheering on some guys and a lot of BOMF volunteers in the 5K, I was ready to line up for the start of the 10K. The first quarter mile was pretty cramped, but by first mile I was pretty much running on my own. The field was small so I ended up running alone for most of the race.
I had the most fun on Fort Avenue between miles 2 and 4. I was able to cheer on the people ahead of my as they were coming back after the turn around and then do the same for the people behind me as I turned around. The BOMF team had a lot of people running and it was easy to spot everyone in their shirts.
After mile 4 I was on my own. It was a pretty lonely race. I did not see anyone in front of me at times and no one passed me -- which was a nice change :-)
All in all, it was a good race. I ended up with a PR of 47:21, which made me really happy. And the guys, well they crushed it. We had age group winners and amazing times from all of them. I was so proud of them. They rock!
Stats:
Overall: 31/172
Gender: 9/74
Age: 2/15
Note: I ended up with 1st in my age since they had a masters category and a 41 year old won that. They also put me in the 40-49 age group even though I am not turning 40 until September.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Boston Marathon Race Report
Last Monday I ran my first Boston Marathon. With the official time of 3:42:34, I re-qualified for next year and hit my unofficial goal of coming in under 4 hours. I set out thinking that I would just have fun and take it all in, but I made the rookie mistake of going out too fast and suffered a bit along the way.
Pre-race was better than and worse than my NYC experience in November. It was better because it was not as long of a wait for the race, but worse because of the wait for the bathrooms. I basically got off the bus and got on line where I waited for about 45 minutes to use the bathroom. After that I only had time for a quick change of clothes and headed down to the start.
I was in the 3rd corral of the second wave, which meant there were 2,000+ people starting ahead of me in the wave. Once the race started, it felt like I was crawling. It is a narrow road and I really did feel like I was jogging. I was amazed when I reached the first mile in 8:08. I thought for sure it would be over 9 minutes. I tried to relax and thought about slowing down, but it was impossible. I reached the 5K mark averaging 7:59 miles. That is just too fast for me in a marathon. I was a little stressed out but still had a hard time pulling back.
Right before I hit mile four, I saw a guy ahead of me with "RODGERS" on his back. Yep. It was Boston Billy. I was pretty excited and picked up the pace to get closer to him. Everyone around was excited to be running near him on HIS course. Seriously, how cool is that? I ran next to Bill Rodgers in the Boston Marathon. Highlight! The crowds were cheering him on and even young kids started cheering for him when they saw that he was coming. I thought that was amazing.
The crowds along the route are as big as everyone says they will be and they are cheering for you the entire way. You could not ask for more. The next few miles I slow down a little, but am still on pace for a faster marathon than I anticipated. I got a side stitch around mile six, but recovered from that quickly. I was taking in the crowd, but still looking at my watch. Mile 10 is that last time I checked my watch until mile 26. I was trying to just enjoy myself and take it all in.
Wellesley College, right before the half, is deafening. The girls can be heard about a half mile before you even see them. Amazing. Once we hit crowd, the girls are all holding signs: "Kiss me I'm a Freshman," "Kiss me I'm from California," "Kiss me I'm Pre-Med." Plenty of guys are reading the signs and going over for a kiss. After passing the screaming college students, I see two more girls standing on a bit past the main cheering section. Their sign reads: "Kisses for the Lesbians?" They, too, are getting cheers and kisses. Hysterical.
Around mile 14 I am starting to feel tired. My legs are heavy. I also see a bunch of people starting to drop out. I overhear a guy telling his running partner that this is where he dropped out in 1969. Forty years later he is still qualifying for Boston. Incredible. At mile 15 I see Dick Hoyt pushing his son Rick along the course. He is such an inspiration. I am in awe of what he does.
Mile 17 - welcome to Newton. Ouch! That first hill is killer. After 17 miles of mostly downhill running, getting up this first hill is a bitch. At the top of the hill my quads are on fire and I am not sure I can move them to go downhill. I start to panic thinking that I still have some hills before getting to Heartbreak. Crap. Time to run up the next hill and I see a guy starting to walk. The back of his shirt says, "If you see me slowing down, tell me to pick it up Robert." I ask Robert to run to the top of the hill with me. He does. Running together helped us both get up the hill. I am feeling much better. Heartbreak Hill is not bad at all. It's on the longer side, but I made it up that one without a problem.
Immediately after the hills, you hit Boston College. The energy of (drunken) college kids is fantastic. They are yelling and encouraging everyone every step of the way. That seemed like a long mile to me, but that is because I managed to miss the mile 22 marker. I was too busy smiling and high-fiving the crowd as I ran through. I was also starting to look for Team Bayers. I knew they were going to be somewhere around 22/23. I saw them with their team t-shirts on and the signs that they made. I was so excited to see them that I jumped around a bit and tried to wait for them to take my picture. They ended up getting a shot of my back because I was afraid to actually stop for fear that my legs wouldn't start again.
The rest of the race is pretty painful and I know that my miles were much slower now. My quads were killing me and I just had to keep focused to get one foot in front of the other. The crowds along that last part of the route....I thank each and every one of them from the bottom of my heart. If they were not there, I am not sure I would have kept going. Their encouragement and pure volume really helped me through.
As I turned on to Boylston Street, the finish line looked so far away. I looked at my watch and realized that I was just a little off my NYC time and that I would qualify again. I just stared at the finish line and focused on getting there. The feeling of crossing that line is indescribable. I was so happy that even though my legs were killing me, I was blissful. I just accomplished something that I never thought I would. They couldn't give me that medal fast enough. I wanted it. I earned it.
Last week at this time I did not think about running Boston again next year. I have since changed my mind and will line up in 2010 and try to not go out too fast. However, it is Boston, and I think you just can't help it!
Pre-race was better than and worse than my NYC experience in November. It was better because it was not as long of a wait for the race, but worse because of the wait for the bathrooms. I basically got off the bus and got on line where I waited for about 45 minutes to use the bathroom. After that I only had time for a quick change of clothes and headed down to the start.
I was in the 3rd corral of the second wave, which meant there were 2,000+ people starting ahead of me in the wave. Once the race started, it felt like I was crawling. It is a narrow road and I really did feel like I was jogging. I was amazed when I reached the first mile in 8:08. I thought for sure it would be over 9 minutes. I tried to relax and thought about slowing down, but it was impossible. I reached the 5K mark averaging 7:59 miles. That is just too fast for me in a marathon. I was a little stressed out but still had a hard time pulling back.
Right before I hit mile four, I saw a guy ahead of me with "RODGERS" on his back. Yep. It was Boston Billy. I was pretty excited and picked up the pace to get closer to him. Everyone around was excited to be running near him on HIS course. Seriously, how cool is that? I ran next to Bill Rodgers in the Boston Marathon. Highlight! The crowds were cheering him on and even young kids started cheering for him when they saw that he was coming. I thought that was amazing.
The crowds along the route are as big as everyone says they will be and they are cheering for you the entire way. You could not ask for more. The next few miles I slow down a little, but am still on pace for a faster marathon than I anticipated. I got a side stitch around mile six, but recovered from that quickly. I was taking in the crowd, but still looking at my watch. Mile 10 is that last time I checked my watch until mile 26. I was trying to just enjoy myself and take it all in.
Wellesley College, right before the half, is deafening. The girls can be heard about a half mile before you even see them. Amazing. Once we hit crowd, the girls are all holding signs: "Kiss me I'm a Freshman," "Kiss me I'm from California," "Kiss me I'm Pre-Med." Plenty of guys are reading the signs and going over for a kiss. After passing the screaming college students, I see two more girls standing on a bit past the main cheering section. Their sign reads: "Kisses for the Lesbians?" They, too, are getting cheers and kisses. Hysterical.
Around mile 14 I am starting to feel tired. My legs are heavy. I also see a bunch of people starting to drop out. I overhear a guy telling his running partner that this is where he dropped out in 1969. Forty years later he is still qualifying for Boston. Incredible. At mile 15 I see Dick Hoyt pushing his son Rick along the course. He is such an inspiration. I am in awe of what he does.
Mile 17 - welcome to Newton. Ouch! That first hill is killer. After 17 miles of mostly downhill running, getting up this first hill is a bitch. At the top of the hill my quads are on fire and I am not sure I can move them to go downhill. I start to panic thinking that I still have some hills before getting to Heartbreak. Crap. Time to run up the next hill and I see a guy starting to walk. The back of his shirt says, "If you see me slowing down, tell me to pick it up Robert." I ask Robert to run to the top of the hill with me. He does. Running together helped us both get up the hill. I am feeling much better. Heartbreak Hill is not bad at all. It's on the longer side, but I made it up that one without a problem.
Immediately after the hills, you hit Boston College. The energy of (drunken) college kids is fantastic. They are yelling and encouraging everyone every step of the way. That seemed like a long mile to me, but that is because I managed to miss the mile 22 marker. I was too busy smiling and high-fiving the crowd as I ran through. I was also starting to look for Team Bayers. I knew they were going to be somewhere around 22/23. I saw them with their team t-shirts on and the signs that they made. I was so excited to see them that I jumped around a bit and tried to wait for them to take my picture. They ended up getting a shot of my back because I was afraid to actually stop for fear that my legs wouldn't start again.
The rest of the race is pretty painful and I know that my miles were much slower now. My quads were killing me and I just had to keep focused to get one foot in front of the other. The crowds along that last part of the route....I thank each and every one of them from the bottom of my heart. If they were not there, I am not sure I would have kept going. Their encouragement and pure volume really helped me through.
As I turned on to Boylston Street, the finish line looked so far away. I looked at my watch and realized that I was just a little off my NYC time and that I would qualify again. I just stared at the finish line and focused on getting there. The feeling of crossing that line is indescribable. I was so happy that even though my legs were killing me, I was blissful. I just accomplished something that I never thought I would. They couldn't give me that medal fast enough. I wanted it. I earned it.
Last week at this time I did not think about running Boston again next year. I have since changed my mind and will line up in 2010 and try to not go out too fast. However, it is Boston, and I think you just can't help it!
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