The 118th Boston Marathon (race recap)

On April 21, 2014, I accomplished one of my biggest goals to date – I ran and finished The 118th Boston Marathon!!!
While I will do my best to sum up all my feelings and emotions leading up to and on race day, I don’t think I will ever be able to truly explain how amazing this experience was for me.

My training for this race was anything but perfect and about three weeks before race day I started having trouble with my IT band. Come race day though none of that even mattered, I was there, I had made it to the start and no matter what, I was bound and determined to cross the finish line!!

We arrived in Boston on Thursday, April 17th. After getting our luggage, a mandatory XL Dunkin Donuts Coffee and our rental car, we headed to Norwood, MA to our hotel to get settled in. We met my mom there and after some quick unpacking we all headed out to get some lunch.
During lunch Bill started feeling under the weather so when we finished we dropped him off at an urgent care clinic (conveniently located next to the hotel). My mom and I decided to take the kids to Sharon, MA to look at a beautiful lake and to enjoy some fresh air while we waited to hear back from Bill.
Not too long after we found the beautiful Lake Massapoag, I got a text from Bill saying he had strep throat!! We decided it would be best if the kids and I spent as much time away from the hotel in order to stay healthy and let Bill get some much needed rest.

I went shopping with my mom and sister, Hannah, at Whole Foods to grab some food for the week and pre-race nutrition. Some of the “must haves” for the week were:

BoBo’s Oat Bars
Apples
All natural deli meats and cheese
peanut butter
Udi’s GF Mighty Bagels
Kombucha
Emergen C

The next day (Friday) Bill was still feeling under the weather so my mom and I took the kids to Legacy Place to see the new Disney Movie Bears and then we enjoyed going around to the stores in the outdoor mall. One of my favorite stops was at the New Balance Store where the kids got to enter in a shoe design contest.

After a fun day of exploring it was back to the hotel for some swimming and dinner. We all went to bed early in order to be well rested for the Boston Marathon Expo the next day.

On Saturday we all woke up early (thankfully Bill was feeling much better) and got ready to make the trip into Boston for the Boston Marathon Expo.
We picked up my mom and then dropped off the car in Brookline to take the T into the city to the Hynes Convention Center. As soon as we exited the T you could feel the buzz and excitement of the city as runners and spectators all made their way to the expo and to the finish line. I was absolutely giddy, knowing that in just a few moments I would be picking up my race number and in only a few short days I would be running in my first Boston Marathon!!!

When we got the expo I was a little overwhelmed by all the people but after getting my number and shirt we dove right into the chaos and navigated our way around the great event.
The first booth I made sure to stop at was the 110% Compression tent. While there I got a chance to pick up my awesome 110% Boston Stronger Shirt and meet some more members of the amazing 110% Team (Austin, Jenna, Brandi, and Nathan).
Jenna (110% Marketing Director) also introduced me to ultramarathoner and 110% Playmaker Mike Wardian who was hanging out at the booth. Mike had run and won a marathon in the North Pole only a few weeks prior and he was in town to compete in the Boston Marathon that Monday. He is such an incredible athlete and person and I really enjoyed meeting him!!

After hanging out with the 110% crew we then made our way over to the City Sports tent to wait for Lauren Fleshman and Kara Goucher to make an appearance.
My mom set up camp with the kids while Bill and I stood in line for about 45minutes until it was time to meet two of my favorite female athletes!! To say that I was excited is the understatement of the century!! By the time we rounded the corner to where they were standing I was a hot nervous wreck!!
I was about to meet Olympian Kara Goucher and Pro Runner Lauren Fleshman!!!! For those of you non-runners this is the equivalent of your Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie bump in!!!
Both Kara and Lauren have left behind their Nike sponsorship and are paving the way for female athletes everywhere, under the amazing female powered brand Oiselle. They are also both amazing women and moms and are great about keeping things in perspective when it comes to common issues like balancing a family and career and body image issues for female athletes, especially post-baby.
To have had the opportunity to meet them and have them sign my singlet not only added a cherry to the top of my Boston Experience but it also inspired me as a mother runner to continue doing what I love.

After getting our fill of the expo we headed out to Boylston Street to take in the finish line and watch some of the races that were going on. It was very emotional for me to be standing at the same sight of the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombings. Even though I wasn’t there last year, when the tragedy hit, the impact of it left me shaken. I felt a heaviness when I went towards the finish line but I also felt happiness and excitement as well. The city was not only remembering a horrific event but it was also healing.
We also took some time to visit the amazing and very moving exhibit “Dear Boston” at the Boston Public Library. This exhibit showcased how resilient the city of Boston truly is and how so many runners and members of the community have come together in the wake of this tragedy.
The display of running shoes and letters are not only a memorial to those who were lost or injured but are also a window of hope for everyone and anyone. I left feeling so proud of being a runner and even prouder of the city that I was about to run in. Humans are amazing creatures and the amount of love and compassion we are capable of should be a daily reminder for us to do good.

I left Boston that day feeling like I had started doing some healing of my own. I knew this marathon was going to have a major impact on me, but I never could have imagined how much of an impact that would be.

Sunday was Easter, so we all dressed up in our Easter finest and headed to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Dedham, MA to enjoy their service. I always enjoy Easter services because of it’s theme of rebirth and new beginnings.
After Church we all headed out to lunch and then Bill took the kids to my mom’s house so that I could take a much needed nap.
I napped for almost two hours!!
When I woke up Bill and I decided to drive into Hopkinton to check out the start and drive some of the course so I would have an idea of what was to come.

I am so glad we chose to do this, not only did we become familiar with where I would have to be dropped off the next day, but it also gave me a visual of what the first half of the course would be like.
Going to the start also showed me how well protected this race would be. There were barricades and a police presence everywhere. Everything felt very safe and guarded.
We drove from the official start line into Natick where I carb loaded at an Olive Garden, as did a majority of other runners from the area. It was neat bumping into so many people who were also running the next day.
Then it was off to my mom’s house to see the kids one last time before we headed to our hotel room for an early bed time. I also took the time to lay my things out for the next day and to set up my nutritional needs for the race.

On race morning I woke up around 5:30am to get ready. I took a quick shower then double checked the bag I had packed the night before to make sure I had everything ready. I then got dressed in my race day outfit:
The pair of Nike tempo shorts I ran my first 5k in
A Brooks Infiniti SS
Oakley Sports Bra
110% Flatout Compression Socks
Hot Headz Boston Strong Headband
Garmin Forerunner 10
Mizuno Wave Inspire 10
And topped it all off with copious amounts of body glide.

Around 6am we headed out from the hotel and started our drive to Hopkinton.
I blasted music and joked around with Bill to keep my nerves at bay and to keep my excitement up for what was about to come. I did ask Bill my usual “what-ifs” but after many reassurances I felt calm and at ease.
Bill dropped me off at the South Street Parking lot where after a last good-luck and good-bye I was headed to the buses to be taken into Athlete’s Village.

Once at the Athlete’s village I got my picture taken in front of the Hopkinton Start sign, used the porta-potty, got a banana and then found a nice sunny patch underneath one of the tents. At this time the weather was about 45 degrees with a slight breeze. It felt nice in the sun but you definitely felt the cold when you hit the shade.

The village filled up quickly and soon I was surrounded by runners, all buzzing with excitement and busy with their pre-race rituals.

At 8:45am the village feel silent in honor of the four victims who were killed in last years bombings. Martin Richard, 8, Lingzi Lu, 23, and Krystle Campbell, 29, were honored, along with MIT Officer Sean Collier, 27. The tribute was so moving and it reiterated the importance of this marathon.

After the tribute I took the time to get to know my neighbors. I was so impressed by the individuals around me, one runner was on his way to completing his 24th marathon and a woman Jill (from Atlanta) was about to finish marathon 33!!! I also had the privilege of meeting Army veteran Mike Ehredt of Idaho. Mike is an amazing man and runner who runs across the country placing American Flags with the names, age, and rank of soldiers who were killed in Afghanistan. I was completely blown away by his compassion for this cause and how humble he was as both a human and athlete.
To learn more about Mike, visit his website:
http://projectamericarun.com/

Before I knew it they were calling my wave and corral and the walk to the start line began.
On the way I donated my top layer, took one last stop at the port-a-potties and had one final and very important internal conversation with myself.

Going in to this race I knew I was not in the shape I wanted to be in. My IT band was taped and strapped, and I had done absolutely no running the week before to give it rest.
I did know though, no matter what, I was going to cross the finish line.
So to the tune of the “Eye of the Tiger” I told myself one last time to just have fun and keep smiling and with that mantra in my head I crossed over the start line and was off!!!

Once I crossed the start line it was like being in a huge tidal wave of people. There were runners everywhere!!!
I found a nice level spot on the left hand side of the road and fell into a nice pace.
My goal was to just let my body do it’s thing. If my IT band started to give me issues I would just back down the speed.
I was surprised how good I was feeling during the first couple miles. There were spectators cheering everywhere and I was having a great time taking everything in.
I got choked up when I saw the memorial for Meg Menzies (the mom and runner who was killed by a drunk driver while training for the Boston Marathon).
I laughed at all the great signs like “Smile if you’re not wearing underwear”, and “Chuck Norris never ran a marathon”.
I was running the BOSTON MARATHON!!!
The miles were just flying by. My legs were treating me well and the weather was gorgeous.
Around mile 10 my left leg began to tighten up in the quad. It felt like I had a softball in my leg. Super uncomfortable!! I thought it might have been from compensating for the IT band on the right leg so at the next water stop I slowed down to help stretch it out. It was also around this time that the sun really started to make it’s presence.

Around the half way point I had another quick talk with myself. I knew I was no longer on pace to re-qualify so I told myself again, no matter what I was going to finish and I was going to have fun doing it!!
I stopped looking at my watch, stopped worrying about my leg and just ran with my heart. I gave and got hi-fives, I hit posters for “power”, I ate oranges from the young kids who were handing them out, and I cheered on fellow runners.
I cheered on a mom who was running 6 of the 26miles and was about 7 months pregnant.
I cheered on every Team with a Vision Runner.
I cheered on Team Hoyt who was there participating in their final Boston Marathon.
And I cheered on runners whose lives were forever changed by last years bombings, but who were back to show that no matter what, they too were going to finish this race.

Everyone out there was out there to not only prove something to themselves but to also prove something to the world. For every person I passed and saw was struggling I made sure to put a hand on their back and to pass along encouraging words. And the same was done for me. With every mile the world around me was changing. I was no longer seeing this marathon as being about the competition but about the community. This was not my race, or my neighbors race, this was OUR race and we were all crossing OUR finish line.

In each town you could just feel how strong Boston is, how strong the running community is, how strong America is. There was not one quiet stretch of road from Hopkinton all the way into Boston.
I road that wave of strength and hope all the way into the city.
I have never been more excited to see a gas station sign in my life!!! That CITGO sign was my saving grace, I knew that in just a few miles I would be crossing that finish line. As I ran under the bridge before the right turn onto Hereford Street I became so overwhelmed with emotion.
This was actually happening, I was almost there!!
I had to keep telling myself to keep breathing and to just focus on each step.

Left turn onto Boylston, I could see the finish line, just within my reach.
I could hear the crowd around me but all I could see was that finish line. The only thing that broke my concentration was Bill calling out as he saw me pass.
I flashed him a smile and then gave it my all and crossed the finish line of 118th Boston Marathon!!

As I was receiving my finisher’s medal, I cried.
It was tears of joy for finishing; tears of sadness for those who were lost or hurt in last year’s bombing; and tears of relief that I had made it safe and sound.
I had achieved one of my life long goals, and had been part of the most amazing portrait of strength and resiliency.

This marathon has changed me for the better. Not only did it show me my own personal strength but it also showed me how strong runners and the running community are.
Running is such an individual sport. For me every race has been about how well I can do, how well I did, and how I could better myself next time.
Boston changed that for me. This marathon was not about what we can do as individuals but what we can do together. It taught me to reach out to others who were struggling and to accept the encouragement and support of others when I was struggling. It also taught me to have fun again.
To enjoy this sport and my ability to be able to do this sport.
Now I by no means have lost my competitive drive, but I have changed my perspective on what is important in both life and sport.
I am now even more inspired to take on challenges both day to day and in athletics. I will always honor those who were affected by the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombings by never taking anything for granted and living life to the fullest.

I am so grateful to everyone who has gotten me to this point, I could not have done this without the wonderful running community in Lakeland, FitNiche, 110% Compression, my mom, and my siblings (Michael, Chris, Mary, Hannah, Beth, and John).
And last but certainly not least, my amazing kids and my incredibly supportive husband Bill. Thank you all for being there to get me through this blisters and all.