Boston Marathon - Part 2

Monday, April 21, Patriot's Day in New England, came quickly and it was finally race day.  We dressed in our race outfits, then covered up with warm throwaway clothes.  We weren't able to bring our drop bags to athletes village, so everyone wore things that were going to be thrown away.  The outfits were actually quite humorous.  Think old flannel jammy pants and ratty old bathrobes.  People were serious about not wanting to part with their good stuff.  We rode the bus up, chatting all the way with the other nervous runners.  When we got to Hopkinton, we took the obligatory photo right outside the "village".

 Here's Brynn ready to go.  Athlete's Village was so much more crowded than I remember it from 2012.  There were 36,000 runners this year - four waves of 9,000.  This is a full 9,000 more than they've had in past years.  They allowed everyone who did not cross the finish line last year to come back this year, then the expanded the field to allow for more people who wanted to run.

 We made our way over to get our photo near the "Welcome to Hopkinton" sign as well.  Still dressed in our awesome sweats.

 This gives you an idea of how many people are packed into this tiny space.  The weather was perfect - beautiful sunny day, blue skies.  Always makes you a little nervous to start a marathon when you're not a little chilly.

 Then we lined up in our corrals.  We were in the 2nd wave and the first corral, which means we started at the very front of our wave.  Before we crossed the start line, we passed these nice gentlemen passing out beer, donuts and cigarettes. :)

 The city was full of signs like the ones on this house.  So much love and encouragement everywhere we went.  The city truly loves this marathon.

 A few last shots before we started running.

I could write paragraphs about the actual experience of running the 2014 Boston Marathon.  The energy was amazing.  The hills were tough. The weather was a little warm.  The volunteers and runners were awesome. And the spectators were absolutely incredible.  Here's what I wrote for the MYNT blog:

Love wins. This was the reoccurring theme last Monday (Patriots’ Day) as I lined up at the start of the Boston Marathon. After a winter of training, I found myself back in Boston. Back after completing the race for the first time in 2012 in 90 degree heat. Back after a heinous act in 2013 left three people dead and over 260 wounded. Back this time to run side-by-side with my sister. To sum it up, I was back for redemption.

I had not planned on running Boston this year. Training for a marathon all winter definitely has its challenges. I traded some phenomenal Utah skiing for cold, icy long runs. All because I felt a magnetic pull to get back to Boston in 2014. The horrible acts last year were a direct attack on the sport and the people I love. Two years ago, my mom, husband and twin daughters had stood where the fatal bombs had exploded.

Running is more than just a hobby to me. It feeds my soul; it’s in my blood. I started running after watching my mom finish her first marathon when I was 12 years old. She can no longer run, so my sister Brynn and I run for her.

This year, we were two of the 36,000 privileged runners (second only to the 1996 race in number of entries) who set out to write a new story. Together we ran from Hopkinton to Boston as we soaked in the spirit of this incredible, historic event. When the running got tough (through the Newton Hills and finally up Heartbreak Hill), the crowds pulled me along. The final stretch down Boylston Street was so loud, I felt like I could have been winning the race.

From the hundreds of volunteers to the thousands of screaming spectators and other runners pouring their hearts onto the course, we were all in it together. We were determined to let love win, and we did.

Brynn and I separated sometime when we were running through the Newton Hills at around mile 16.  You think you are going to stay together, but you can't predict how you're each going to react when things get tough, when you're hurting.  Brynn told me to go on ahead, which I did, finally, and then finished a whole two minutes ahead of her.  3:29 and 3:27 to the finish.  Definitely a bit slower than we wanted, but we really didn't care when all was said and done.  The final turn onto Boylston was unbelievable...it's that moment alone that will bring you back to Boston again and again.  

We got a picture together in the tent in Copley Square before we changed out of our clothes.

 Changed into dry clothes and getting ready to head to our hotel.  We took off our shoes and immediately examined the state of our toes - swollen toes and blisters all over.  They were a hot mess.

We got dressed and headed out for an evening in Boston before flying out the next morning.  We headed over to the Boston Marathon after party at Fenway Park.  This is open only to runners and was pretty cool to see.  You'll notice we are wearing our medals...any other marathon in the world and I would think it is highly dorky to wear your medal, but Boston is different.  You walk the streets with that medal on and perfect strangers come up and congratulate you, give you high five, and thank you for running their marathon.  It's one of the most incredible things about this experience.

 The experience was capped off by the fact that, for the first time since 1983, an American won the Boston Marathon.  38-year-old Meb Keflezighi, in a stacked field, managed to pull off a victory that everyone wanted so badly after last year.  Runner's World said it best:

"Meb Keflezighi gave Boston and America the victory the whole country longed for, but scarcely dared hope for, in the most emotional and significant of all 118Boston Marathons. He did it with a courage and determination that the whole nation can be proud of. If Boston and America were to find healing from last year's horrific finish-line attack, there could be no better resolution than by an American winning this Boston Marathon (in 2:08:37), and in such a way. Boston today was a field of dreams. "

 I'll be back Boston, I'll be back.

2014 Boston Marathon - Part 1

There is a lot to say about the 2014 Boston Marathon and what an honor it was to be a part of this amazing event, so this will have to be a two-part post.   Brynn and I qualified for Boston last fall at the Big Cottonwood Marathon and came home and immediately registered that day.  The race is popular on any regular year, but after last year's bombings, everyone wanted to be there ... for a little redemption, to "take back" the course.

It was a very quick trip for us.  We flew in on Saturday night, and flew home on Tuesday morning.  The race is on Monday, Patriot's Day.

As soon as we woke up Sunday morning, we headed over to our other hotel (we had one night in an airport hotel), threw on some running clothes and went for a shakeout run along the Charles River.  There were lots of other runners out and some great energy.  It was also Easter Sunday and I felt bad about missing the holiday, but we were so excited, we didn't dwell on it.

It was a beautiful, sunny day in Boston and we saw one of the American elite runners, Desiree Davila out running her own shakeout run.

We headed over to the expo next.  We were told it was a short walk across the bridge, but it ended up being a very long walk, then a trip on the "T".  Not exactly what our legs needed the day before the race.  Definitely more excitement at the expo and its impossible not to spend a lot of time on your feet in that environment.

 This wall was full of signatures from runners.

We had lunch at the Forum Restaurant, which was basically blown up during the bombing last year.  We did not realize it until we googled it - the name had sounded familiar - and then I remembered they reported from right in front of it quite a bit last year.  They had just reopened a few months before.

There were tributes like this all over the city.  I wish we could have made it to the amazing public display they had at the Boston library, but it was Sunday and close.

 One shot of the finish line - we didn't cross it though...bad luck.

 After a long day of walking all around, we headed back to our hotel for dinner and an early bedtime.  This is a fuzzy picture, but this is our pre-race prep.  Lots of things to set up - clothes to wear on the bus and ditch at athletes village, gels, sunscreen, body glide, timing chips, ponchos, etc.  Because of security restrictions, we were not allowed to check a bag at Athlete's Village, so we needed to prepare a little differently.

Part 2 to come...

Boston: Aquarium, Expo, and It's Gonna Be Hot

For the last 13 weeks, I have been training to run the Boston Marathon.  I had the best training cycle I've ever had.  My goal was 3:20 - 3:25, a finish time I thought was a realistic possibility.  Over the past few days, I have been watching the projected temperature go up and up for Monday.  They are now projecting the temperature will get close to 90 degrees - breaking records for Boston and making marathon-running quite tricky.  Does this look like good marathon-running weather (the race is on Monday and I start at 10:20 a.m.)?  Note the temperatures for the rest of the week.  Perfectly pleasant running weather! 

Here's what the BAA (marathon organizing group) is recommending for runners tomorrow (they are also offering automatic deferral for next year's race for those who decide not to run):

We are looking closely at the current weather situation which is projected  to be quite warm. The B.A.A. is closely monitoring this situation for for race day decisions. If the temperatures reach certain levels, running will put even the most fit athletes at risk for heat injury.

We are now making the recommendation that if you are not highly fit or if you have any underlying medical conditions (for example-cardiac disease, pulmonary disease or any of a number of medical problems), you should NOT run this race. 

• Inexperienced marathoners should not run. 
• Those who have only trained in a cooler climate and who may not be acclimated (for at least the last 10 days) to warm weather running conditions should also consider not running. 

For those very fit athletes who decide to run, you should take significant precautions:

• Run at a slower pace and maintain hydration.
• You should frequently take breaks by walking instead of running.
• This will not be a day to run a personal best.  If you choose to run, run safely above all else. Speed can kill.
• Heat stroke is a serious issue and is related to intensity of running as well as the heat and humidity.

So, tomorrow is going to be a slow marathon and I've decided I'm okay with that.  It is a big bummer that I have worked so hard over the past 13 weeks, but ultimately the weather is out of my control.  I'm going to have fun and be grateful that my family is here with me.

We've been having a good time so far.  Yesterday, we took a trip to the aquarium and played at a park on the Boston Harbor waterfront.

On the way back to the hotel, I left my bag in the subway.  We were juggling purses, bags, cameras, and strollers and somehow I left my bag with my wallet sitting on the seat.  Josh ran back downstairs and hopped on another train after it and somehow managed to track it down within an hour, officially saving this trip! There were some very helpful Boston locals who helped him find it before it was lost forever.

This morning we headed over to the marathon expo to pick up my number, bag, and buy some Boston Marathon gear.  My mom and Josh got t-shirts for tomorrow and I got a few things.

My number

 A dork with a marathon shirt and number

 Pictures outside with the city behind us

The girls are napping now and when they wake up, we are headed to the children's museum.  But first, I need to back up and write a little about how we got here (separate posts on all that).  It's been an eventful week and all our household belongings are currently on a blue semi headed across the country.

In the mean time, please pray for an unexpected cold front!