This whole marathon journey has been an absolute dream...seriously, I have dreamed about running qualifying for Boston since I was 15 years old. I knew that without a training group that was diligent, fast, and determined it would never happen (I trained for my first 2 marathons alone and it was such a negative experience and vowed to never do it again). But here I am with the most amazing group of running friends I could ever imagine. The most meaningful aspect of this marathon training has not been qualifying for Boston but making such inspirational friendships.
The marathon itself was beautiful and BRUTAL all at the same time!! I started to feel tight and sore about mile 7, which plays games with your head seeing that you have 20 miles left! But I pushed through and about mile 14 things changed. I felt amazing! I put in my head phones and just cruised along side Emily for the next 9 miles. There was a point when I just started to cry because I knew I was running my best and doing what I have dreamed about for so long, qualifying for Boston. The sun was shinning and it was a perfect running moment that connected me with who I was, who I am, and who I will be. Running has always been a constant for me and I hope that never changes. Then mile 23 hit and I fell apart! My legs stopped working and my mind started telling me horrible things like "why are you doing this?", "just stop", "you can't push on". Luckily, our dear running friends (team mates really) were right there to jump in and run with us for the next couple of miles. Without their strength and words of motivation I could not have finished with a qualifying time. They will never now the how much inspiration they gave me to run harder! I pushed on and was able to maintain a good pace (but not without extreme pain) till the finish. When I crossed I fell into Tiffany's (she ran the half and was waiting for me to finish) arms and just started crying. I had qualified for Boston with 1:50 to spare...whew. My official time was 3:33:10 and I was 37th in my age group of 30-35! (out of hundreds! almost 2,000 ran the race).
I have been teary all week thinking about the race. Some tears from sheer pain and many others from gratitude. So grateful I found these ladies to run with, grateful they helped me see my potential, grateful I took the opportunity, grateful 16 years ago I started this running journey, and most I am grateful I have the health and time to train. This has been an unforgettable experience and a complete gift. Really that is how I see it...I have hit the lottery! Now I just have to somehow have a baby and get to Boston. So that's my next year in a nutshell!
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