As many of you know, Spencer and I have dreamed of running Boston together now for several years and last October we both were able to qualify for Boston at the St. George marathon (it was something like 12 years and 14 marathons in the making for Spencer)! So, after a tough and arduous winter of snows, winds, and dark mornings, we put together 16 weeks of training and finally made it! There is no other marathon like Boston, as 500,000+ very vocal and active supporters get out there and line the entire 26.2 miles of the race and scream and cheer you and the other 26,000 runners on all the way into downtown Boston--it's an amazing rush! In fact, I can't think of any other sporting event where the very best professionals in the world and any average person (amateur) can even line up at the same time on the same playing field and go at it! Having run in it last year, I figured this year I would put aside my personal ambitions of running a really fast race and just run a respectable race (3:30 goal) and really try to enjoy it more this year. However, I got sick 3 days before the race (after no sicknesses the last 3 years!) and wasn't sure, even the night before the race, if I would even be able to run at all. Eliminating all carbs from my diet for two full days and then taking a red eye flight the next night didn't help the immune system either....However, after 3 days of rain, it turned out to be a perfectly sunny Spring race day morning and I felt wonderfully better! Spence stayed really strong throughout, as usual, and while my lungs were fine, my legs and strength weren't quite there, making for a long final 12 miles, especially those 4 hills in Newton including the final one--Heartbreak Hill. Still, I felt reasonably good despite all the ups and downs of the course and felt even better when we met up with Jenn and Sarah at Mile 24! The final 3 miles of the race I felt simply carried through it by the insane supporters who screamed our names at deafening decibel levels and caused us to pump our fists and feel chills of inspiration as we slogged it out. As I rounded the final turn just before the final .2 miles of straightaway and looked up and saw the thousands of people cheering on Boylston Street, I realized that this was probably my last full marathon and I became overwhelmed with emotion. Spence and I finished it together (in 3:31) and the day has to go down as one of the great memories I've been afforded in this life. Really, really special. Special appreciation goes out to Jenn during these last 3 years who has supported this insanity (as marathons really do become highy involved family ordeals), my little brother for teaching me that talent & hard work usually win out over just hard work :), and to our ABQ training partner/fellow Boston Marathon finisher/ Kona IronMan triathlete Matt Napier, who we will always idolize and respect for his discipline and extraordinary feats of courage, endurance, and commitment to his family. I appreciate all those who texted, emailed, or called me to wish me the best of luck as well--Thank you..... Finally, a shout out to Jake the Big Dawg for Krunkly watching over our ballin' monkeys......and now it's 2 days post marathon and I'm a little bit at a loss of what to do next...and I'm really, really sore.
