Bottom Of The Barrel

My Boston Marathon

Yesterday I started and completed the 112th running of the Boston Marathon. Living so close the the starting line gave me the opportunity to leave my house about the same time as the wheelchair division was heading out to Boston. Since I went by car, thanks for the ride honey, I was not allowed to be dropped off at the Hopkinton High School but rather about 1 mile from the runners village. Not a big deal I thought and on my way I went. I turned back to wave at Lisa as she returned home and when I turned around I heard some call out to me. I turned back an four guys were behind me and they asked if I wanted a ride. Normally, one would probably decline such an offer but on race day it seemed like a good idea. They had stashed a mini van on a side street just past the police barrier and they drove all of us up to the house just before the school - that was nice. I spent about 45 minutes in the runners village which had large tents, water, Gatorade, bagels, bananas and power bars for everyone.

Around 10:15, I headed down to my corral - #23. We stood there for about 10 minutes before we were able to start walking to the starting line. Once I [and everyone around me] reached the painted stripe on Main Street Hopkinton, we all began to run. For the first 10 miles the course covers the suburb towns of Hopkinton, Ashland and Framingham. On that part of the course you see many families watching in small gatherings at larger intersections. It was nice to see so many little ones out there looking for a high five from an average runner like myself.

Once past downtown Natick, you get to the meat of the course across Wellesley which I never knew was such a large town. Just past mile marker 12 you can begin to hear the famed screaming Wellesley students. Lined up in front of the school is a wall of screaming women all encouraging the runners on. They seemed especially interested in the male runners but that could just be me. Past the school is the half way marker which felt great to get past.

Once you pass the 15 mile marker in the center of town, the real race begins. The next 6 miles take you through Newton, over 128/95, and 4 climbs which conclude at the top of the famed Heartbreak Hill at the west end of the BC campus. This is a very difficult stretch of road to run after you have already pumped out 15 miles and really took a lot out of me. Most of this section of the race I don't remember how many spectators were watching because most of the time I had my head down, listening to music and thinking about a shirt I saw that read "Pain is temporary, Pride is for ever!" as I was just trying to get past the hardest thing I have ever done.

Once I got over Heartbreak, it is all downhill to the finish but I was literally spent. I thought running downhill would just be a easy run into town but once I got to the bottom of the BC campus and the road flattened out before me I now realized how tired I was and how far 4 more miles really was.

As I ran, jogged, and walked the rest of the distance through the finish line I felt frustrated that my legs wouldn't carry me any further but confident that I would finish, eventually. My team of runners including Suz who joined me at mile marker 15, Kym & Bob who jumped in at BC and Lisa & Sandy who hoped a fence in Kenmore Square really helped me endure the final miles as my legs grew weak, began to cramp and fatigue. Without my team, my time would have been over 5 hours but they kept me going and for that I say a huge THANK YOU! And to the thousands of people who line the course from Hopkinton to Boston [especially all those college kids at Wellesley, BC and BU], thanks for all the encouragement, cheering, and high fives [which I must have gotten hundreds and hundreds] thank you for keeping this old guy running all the way from one painted stripe to the other.

The the shirt was right, the pain will fade but the pride will shine on and I am now one of the few, the proud, a finisher.

Labels: Marathon

posted by TheWino @ 1:52 PM