Boston - 2 (The race)

So this post will be all of the running pictures and movies.  Many of my pictures didn't turn out so great because I was running while I took them.  Here I am at the start, or I guess since it isn't so packed this must be while I was walking down the the corrals before I realized it was time to panic and run. :).   Hey Cathy, check out my shirt :). 

This was a less than a mile into the race.  I am not messing with you, the race never thinned out.  I was always surrounded by tons of people.  And the course was lined with fans.  I purposely started the race without my ipod because I wanted to just take it all in.  That lasted until around mile 13 when I was starting to hurt and was bummed I hadn't seen anyone in my family.  As it turns out my Stepdad and Gramdmother had made it out to mile 10 but I never saw them.  At mile 17.5 or so just after the Newton Firehouse, I saw Doug, Nga and Joey.  They had made shirts and were jumping up and down yelling my name.  Oh man did that make my day.  It was around that point I was beginning to beat myself up for having run the Big D marathon the weekend before.  It wasn't the up hills that were so bad, it was getting down them.  Holy crap my legs hurt going down by mile 20.  My pace up the hill would be 8.5m/m and then going down would drop to 10, sad, sad, sad... Ok more pics and then more stories.

This is a few miles into the race.  The fans were amazing. 

I had to take a picture of this because it cracked me up. The sign said: Shortcut.

I think the sign up there says Wellsely.  The girls were lining the streets at the college.  They had barracades to keep them off of the streets.  All of them had signs that said things like: Free Kiss, Free Hug, Fee Makeout Session.  It was funny.  Didn't see anyone take them up on it.  Dang you just can't get a commited runner to stop during a race for anything.

Here we go: The gang from Boston College.  They were NUTS!  They had taken down the barracades in places and had pushed in the course to where you really had to work to keep moving.  This was getting late in the race and people were stopping to walk so as you dodged the walkers you had to run into a crowd that wanted to high five you.  This is where I got the high five in the face.  I just wasn't paying attention.  Oh well.  It was the most amazing experience, you really felt like a superstar the whole way.  Boston knows how to throw a running party that is for sure.Team Hoyt, had to get their picture.  I did ask Mr. Hoyt if I could take their picture but he wasn't much for talking at this point so I figured he probably wouldn't mind and took my shot.  I just find him and his son to be such an inspiration and I couldn't believe it when I saw them.  It gave me the burst of energy I needed to enjoy those last 6 miles or so.

Almost there.  Oh dang it felt good to be in the city.  My legs were really hurting.  I really have some hard training to do before Phili.  This race was amazing.  Would do it again in a heartbeat.  Me after I crossed the line.  Dang I was happy and by happy I mean close to tears.  After you cross the line you have to walk another few blocks to get food, water, blankets, etc... there were medical people with wheelchairs and I never would have guessed so many of them would have been used.  Joey, Nga and Doug said they were inspired to run a marathon at mile 17 but at the finish with people dropping the street and curled up mumbling they thought better  it,  lol.  I found them, got my dry gear and we were off.

I love the pictures of all of us at the end.  They had suprised me by making shirts.  It was awesome.  Below: You see Joey and Doug goofing around.  The tally on their sleeves has to do with a beer count.  Apparently my running brings out the best in my family, ha ha.  We had such a great time.  Honestly I just can't gush anymore.  I highly recommend this race to everyone and take family, enjoy the city, enjoy the experience and don't worry about PR's.

On that note: I certainly think my 3:45 marathon the weekend before Boston hurt my time at Boston but I ran a 3:55 and I am happy with that.  I had a great time.  I finished 14203 overall, just about in the middle of the pack.  Good enough, I am not a fast marathoner nor have I ever claimed to be :). 

I had met a lady in the airport on my way to the race who was on her way to run her 11th Boston Marathon.  Her words of advice to a newby like me: "Don't worry about time.  Enjoy the experience, there is no other race like it."  I would say she is one smart cookie.  I met tons of runners, all with amazing stories, I was thinking if I go again, I want  take pictures of them all and tell their tales.  There are some really inspirational stories out there and then there are just some nutcases, ha ha.  Oh ya, there was one guy who comes every year and never runs over 25 miles a week, longest run this year was a 18 mile training run and well Boston, where he qualified for Boston.  Now that just isn't right. 

Ok I am going to try and post the movies of the last .5 miles of the race below.  Enjoy.  It was nuts.  Hard not to cry it brought up so much emotion.