Boston....bring on the heat!

I finished my last post vowing to run with a grateful heart and to the best of my ability. And that's what I did. The Wednesday before the race, the weather predictions for the marathon were 62 and cloudy. Perfect! By Thursday...78, partly cloudy. Hmmmm.... By Friday.....86.....sunny. GULP! Here is a re-cap of my best/worst Boston Marathon. Rachel and I flew to Boston on Friday night. All went without incident UNTIL we got in the cab to go to our hotel. I gave the driver the address...and knew we were in trouble when he said in broken English, "I need GPS for this. 40 minute away". WHAT?? When I booked the hotel, I thought we would be staying near the finish. 40 minute and $120.00 later, we realized we were near the START of the marathon!!!! Good God, I can be such a moron sometimes. That negative energy was not a great way to start this weekend. Rachel, who can be self-admittedly less than patient, was really working hard to keep me from beating myself up too much. We talked with the folks at the hotel and they were SOOOOO helpful and reassuring. They would help us get to where we needed to go. They had many runners staying with them and had arranged for a shuttle to take us to the start of the race in Hopkington. We went into plan B mode and it was a new adventure. Except for the added expense of many cab rides, (we got to know a few of the cab drivers pretty well! ;-)), and the time spent on the train, logistically the weekend went better than expected! :-) The next morning I got up and went to the tiny gym. They had one old stationary bike and I just spun the legs easy for 30 minutes. I was feeling a bit stiff and that really helped to loosen things up. We spent the rest of the day in Boston doing LOTS of walking!! We met up with Sasha and found the finish line. I got chills right away. There were many runners with their families there taking pictures. We got our pictures, then went SHOPPING! The day was absolutely gorgeous . There were a ton of people out and about and it was crowded! We managed to spend just a little money at Forever 21, H&M, and a chocolate shop. :) We then said goodbye to Sasha as she was meeting her friends for an evening of fun....and football!! ;-) Rachel and I got to the race expo later than expected, since they had changed it's location to downtown near the Ocean. It seemed to take forever to walk there! I got my race packet, and I was asked if I'd received the information about the heat advisory and the option to defer the race until next year. Another..."WHAT??" I had read all of the doom and gloom warnings given over the previous two days but had not learned of the deferment option. I was told that if I decided to run next year, that I had until 6 pm Sunday to turn in my bib. I told them, "Not on option for me. I will be running on Monday". I was told, "Good Luck!" :-) We walked around the expo for a short time. I was a little disappointed in in truthfully. It wasn't as big as in the past, and I wasn't impressed with many of the vendors. Everything seemed so expensive! I did purchase a technical Boston Marathon 2012 jacket. The colors this year are orange and black. I like it, but I did hear many complaints about the "Halloween" colors! ;-) Sunday morning....24 hours to go. Again I sat on the bike and spun for 25 minutes, then ran for 20. There were a few runners out there which was really nice to see. I did NOT see anyone like myself....doing the functional work that Blake had me doing. I call it the "hoppy, skippy, jumpy's!" They really help to open up my hips and warm up the legs....but watching me do them is very entertaining to say the least! Everything felt so good, I was ready to go! Rachel and I went to Boston again, this time to the New England Aquarium. Rachel knows the trainers there having met them last year during her internship at Mystic. They had arranged a meet and greet with the Sea Lions and Harbor Seals...and it was AWESOME!!! It is so amazing to see these trainers work with these beautiful animals and have them perform the behaviors that they were trained to do. We even got kisses!!!! After that be FINALLY made it to our favorite section of Boston....the North End!!! We ate at a restaurant we just stumbled onto, and then.....MIKE'S BAKERY!!!!! Tiramisu and Connoli.....YUMMMMMMM!!!! Two days of walking, eating, shopping, reading the Chrissy Wellington book that Sasha borrowed me, the messages from friends and family, left me feeling full and happy. I was worried about the weather for sure. Blake and I adjusted my plan and scaled my pace back by 10 seconds per mile. I kept saying to myself, "I LOVE the heat. I LOVE the heat!!" I slept very well all things considered. Race day!!!! I was up at 6 am....and the first thing I did was eat a few bites of leftover cannoli!! (...yes, there were leftovers!! ;-)) I checked the weather....88* by mid day, full sun. Oy..... I showered and shaved my legs. I figured if I had to go to the hospital, I want to be clean shaven!! ;-) I kissed Rachel goodbye and made my way to the bus. I met these two wonderful ladies, Rachel, and Mira. We, along with my new friend from Madison, Jennifer, hung out in athletes village together! That was so great. For my other two Bostons, I was by myself. I absolutely love how we can meet perfect strangers who have a common interest and passion, and it feels as if we've been friends forever! We were all worried about the heat and nervous. That nervous, excited chatter was priceless! In the village I ate the rest of my breakfast of yogurt, cereal, and a banana. I would carry my water bottle with coconut water during the race, until I ran out. Then I would switch to gatoraid and shot blocks and gels. That was the plan anyway. I didn't cross the starting mat until 10:51 am. It was VERY crowded during the almost mile walk to the start, and I never even made into my corral. I was literally in the back of the back of wave 3. Wave 1 and 2 were already gone, and I was with the charity runners. These people are so amazing! Many of them have raised over $5,0000 for a charity they they feel is close to them. Many run this for personal reasons, with names and pictures on their tanks, the many bracelets and signs, and there was even a group of hamburgers!!!!! Many were running their first marathon, and these were the people the race directors were most worried about. I was sweating from the walk to the start, and by the aid station at mile 2, I was burning up. The volunteers at that aid station were frantically trying to keep up with the hundreds of runners that wanted water. They were running out...already! And I was starting to panic. That is literally how I felt, and I hated that I was feeling this way by mile 2!! In my mind, if they were already running out of water, how were we supposed to get through this thing? My pace was ok, I had wanted to stay around 9 minutes per mile....but that pace didn't last very long. Miles 3-5 were extremely dark for me. The subsequent aid stations were better stocked and less frantic. This did help mentally, but my right IT was hurting...and I was just so CRABBY!! My thoughts were, "If I drop out and call Sasha and Rachel to come and get me, everyone would understand. It would be ok, I wouldn't be trashed or get sick, and we could go back to the North End and get some gelato!!" Seriously....this is what I was thinking. Then I got really pissed at myself, and reminded myself that I just needed to stay patient. I recognized these thought patterns that are pretty familiar by now. I thought about Eric and Cari, about all of the people that inspire me. I remembered that I felt this exact same way in Green Bay running into that horrible wind during a race that got me to Boston. Then I remembered, once again, how lucky I was. ....and at mile 5 there was ICE!!!!!!! :-D Miles 6-16 were the best miles physically. The IT band pain went away...YAY! The left ankle started to hurt by mile 10, but it remained tolerable for the rest of the race. There were so many opportunities to cool off via hoses, sprinklers, misting tents, ICE!!! The sheer numbers of aid station, volunteers, spectators, locals with their sprinklers and hoses...just like Door County last summer but even MORE....was simply incredible. I had decided pretty early on that I wouldn't be able to maintain my pace without the risk of throw up and blow up, so I just took it easy. I pushed it a bit when I felt better, and backed off when I didn't. I soaked up every moment, every cheer and scream and little kids with Super Soakers....and I really enjoyed it as much as I could. I put a smile on my face...and kept going. I walked most of the Newton hills except for Heartbreak. I just had to run up that damned hill!! It was the closest I came to the edge, but I managed to pull back just in time to finish the last 5 miles. And they were VERY hot miles. There were no more hoses, just the deafening yelling and screaming of the inebriated BU kids! Most of the runners were walking, and MANY of them were stumbling and cramping up. My legs, hips, pelvis and QUADS were on fire! But my stomach was ok, and I was still running and smiling. After mile 24, I was running on the right side of the road looking for Sasha and Rachel. I never saw them when I ran past them at mile 25, and they never saw me. :-( The run towards the finish line on Boylston was indescribable. Even compared to the other two Bostons and IMOO...the thousands of people screaming and cheering, the atmosphere and energy...utterly amazing. It's a moment I will NEVER forget! After I crossed the finish line, things got interesting. I was feeling ok until after I picked up my gear bag from the bus. I had called Rachel and Sasha to come and find me. I found some shade and sat down with many other finishers. We were told we couldn't stay there, so I got up and made my way back to the gear buses. I called Rachel and told her to meet me there, and as I waited, I just kept walking. I was getting hotter and hotter. I was told it was about 90* at that point. Then the walls started closing in and my stomach started to go. Oh boy...here we go! I stood there and bent over to get my head down. The medical people were there in an instant. They had been scooping people up all around me! I told this very nice gentleman that I was fine, I just needed to lie down with my feet up. He said that if I did that, he would take me to medical. I told him I didn't need that, I just needed to keep my head down!! So I stood there with my head down. I asked him to hold my medal that was around my neck back so I wouldn't puke on it! Thankfully, the feeling passed after about 10 minutes. WHEW!! The no puking during or after a race streak is still alive!!!! ;-)I read later that those amazing medical personnel treated 2500 runners, with around 150 being transported to the local hospitals. Rachel and Sasha finally got to me. Rachel had a cold coconut water for me....BLESS HER!! I was feeling MUCH better. I broke down when I saw them. I couldn't help it. Rachel and I again said goodbye to Sasha. We walked to the train station and got on the very SLOW train back to the hotel. It took 1 1/2 hours and I was a chilled, shaking mess from the wet clothes and air conditioning. Luckily I had my sweats and jacket and that helped some. A hot shower, a fabulous dinner, and a dip in the hotel pool, and all was GOOD! 4:13:56. 9:42 average. My slowest Boston yet, but the best in terms of where I placed in my age group, gender, and place. My goal of qualifying for The Boston Marathon at Boston, again has not been realized. I will just have to try again. :-) Thank you seems such an inadequate term to convey how appreciative I am of ALL of the support I continue to receive during this journey I am on. It overwhelms me. Frequently I think about how much I have experienced and all of the things I have gotten to do, and all of the amazing people I have met along the way. Really....is this my life? I cannot believe it. Enjoy this day! :-)

Fight the good fight

"Fight the good fight every moment. Every minute, every day. Fight the good fight every moment, it's your only way" ~Rik Emmett-Triumph, 1981

Mike and I have been together since 1983. In May of that year, he took me to my first rock concert at Alpine Valley to see one of my favorite bands at the time, Triumph. I was 16 years old and completely overwhelmed by the sensory overload of deafening music, the light show and flash pots, the wild crowd....and I loved every second of it. I haven't thought about that concert in years.
Tonight as I came in from the barn, Mike was cooking dinner and he had a Triumph playlist streaming through the computer. This song was playing, and all of those memories and feelings came flooding back. I just stood in the kitchen and stayed in that moment for as long as I could. I had almost a physical reaction and was so surprised at the intensity of the feelings. I thought about how long we have been together, all of the things we have gone through together, and how amazingly lucky we are to still be together. My thoughts then went to a young couple named Eric and Cari. They've been in my heart a lot lately, and the words to this song seemed a perfect message to send them. Eric is fighting his sixth battle with Leukemia with every ounce of strength he has. They have not even been married a year, yet they have endured much more than most do in a lifetime. I became aware of their inspiring story through Blake, who knows Eric's brother Mike. Mike is a triathlete and marathoner. He will be running the Boston marathon on Monday as well, in honor of Eric and in support of his organization, Leukemia Ironman Fundraiser for Eric. (L.I.F.E.) And because the fates have been kind to me in my own journey towards my third Boston marathon, and because I have the ability at this moment in my life to get to the starting line, and because I get to with a grateful heart, I will think of Eric and Cari during the race. I will think of all the pain and sickness that Eric....and many others in my life have endured. It will remind me that the pain that I am feeling in no way compares....and is of my own choosing. I will remind myself that I am incredibly lucky to be running this amazing event with the best runners in the world yet again. I will remind myself that although there are times I look at my life and can't believe it's mine, it is indeed real and not a dream. I won't pretend to understand how life can be so unfair to incredible people like Eric and Cari, or the 'Teens Living with Cancer' that Mary works with, or my own sister, or those in my world affected by HHT...the list is far too long. It just serves to strengthen my resolve to never waste a gifted day.
There is a bit of disappointing news related to this weekend. This was to be a 'girl' trip shared with my BFF's Dana, Rachel, and Sasha. However, Dana is unable to go after having undergone a medical procedure yesterday that was a little more involved than originally thought. We are both sad as we were really looking forward to this, but I'm just thankful she will be ok. She just needs more time to recuperate. It will definitely NOT be the same going to the race expo without her. She is my shopping muse!
There are many people that I am grateful to for helping me get to Boston. Without them I wouldn't be here, and they know who they are. I will carry a heart full of love and gratitude during those miles as well. I plan on soaking up every second and running to the best of my ability.
....Fight the good fight every moment....it's the only way....
Enjoy this day!