My Boston Marathon

Just a few days ago, I finished the Boston Marathon. To be totally honest, I can't quite believe it. But then I feel how sore my legs are, and I realize that I did, in fact, run from Hopkinton to Boston. And I've got the picture to prove it :)

Ok, so for those of you who want the abbreviated version, here it is. I completed the Boston Marathon in 5:13, a time that I was really happy about. At the halfway point and at mile 20, I thought I had a chance to finish in under 5 hours, but it sadly it didn't quite happen. But I ran up all the Newton hills, and crossed the finish line with a smile on my face. So I can't complain one bit! And I had wonderful friends and family to cheer me on the whole way.

Alright, so there's the short version. If you'd like the more complete version, read on--warning it's LONG!.

My Marathon Day began at around 5am...yes, 5am. I got myself together, and headed off to meet up with my friend Beth and two of her friends who were also running. After "getting our swag on" (long story, don't ask), we took a few pictures and headed to Boston Common to get the BAA buses to Hopkinton. There, we met up with my running buddy Sarah and joined a looooong line of people snaking towards yellow school buses hailing from school districts all over Massachusetts. Eventually we got on the bus and began the 45 minute drive out to Hopkinton.

When we arrived in the Athletes Village it was probably about 8:30am. We spent the next little while hanging out on the grass, writing our names on our arms and shirts, applying sunscreen, eating last minute snacks, stretching, and just generally trying to stay loose. Eventually, we heard the announcement that it was time to go. So we checked our bags and began the 3/4 mile walk to the start line. There we joined the thousands of other people waiting to begin the marathon. We inched our way towards the starting line and then....we were off!! I started a bit before 11am, so almost 6 hours after I woke up! People cheered loudly as we began our trek to Boston.

The first few miles passed quickly. Sarah and I quickly realized we ran the first mile waaay too fast (the first mile is very much downhill) so we slowed down and got into a good pace. We made our way through Hopkington and Ashland, before heading into Framingham, where I knew I had friends and family waiting. I was so happy to see them! After passing through Framingham, we headed through Natick where Sarah saw some of her friends. Then we reached mile 9, where there was a HUGE contingent of Tufts people. It was quite a rush to hear them all cheering!

After Natick, we headed into Wellesley. True to form, we heard the Wellesley girls a good 1/2 mile before we saw them. They were as loud as advertised! Right after the campus, we passed the halfway mark. We were 13.1 miles in! After seeing my family again, we continued to Newton. Oh Newton, home of the dreaded hills. Sarah and I had talked before and said that we really wanted to run up the 3 big Newton hills. After having some Goo at the base of the first, we headed off.

The first hill was hard, but we made it through without any real problems. We made the turn onto Commonwealth Ave and attacked the second hill. Again, no real problem. The crowds were great in Newton! There was one woman and her daughter who were yelling "You can do it! Yes you can!" That became my mantra for the rest of the hills--so thanks, random woman :) Next up was Heartbreak Hill. It was hard, not gonna lie. When I reached the top, my whole body felt like jelly. I had to walk for a few minutes just to feel my legs again. But we picked it back up into a jog for the last little hill to BC.

So now we were at mile 21. And I won't lie to you, I don't remember much from miles 21-25. At some point, Sarah started going a bit faster than me. I motioned to her to go ahead and set out to finish the race on my own. I just went into a zone and remember pretty much nothing of Brookline. I saw one friend there, but apparently there were a bunch of other people cheering for me that I didn't even notice or acknowledge. So if you were one of those people, sorry!

I got to mile 25, which is easy to recognize because you pass the giant Citgo sign heading into Boston. I knew then that I could do it. Through Kenmore Square and then under Mass Ave (which was probably the worst tiny hill of the whole course). Then the famous "right on Hereford, left on Boylston" and I could see the finish line! I heard my family and gave them a quick wave and then pushed my last bit of energy into propelling me across the finish line. It was an incredible feeling! I got a hug from the Tufts President and the coach of the Tufts team and then got my shiny blanket, water, Gatorade, and finally, my medal. And let me tell you, I was pretty darn proud of that medal.

And so that, my friends in a (long) nutshell is my Boston Marathon story. But I certainly can't say that I accomplished this alone. It was so wonderful to have my friends and family there to support me on Marathon Day. And the text messages, e-mails, Facebook messages and phone calls that I got from all of you were so wonderful both as motivation before the race and congratulatory after. And of course my running buddies Sarah and Beth were constant sources of motivation. So thank you to everyone who has supported me in this crazy journey! Now, the soreness of my legs has started to disappear, and I can't wait to get out there running again!

Below are some pictures of me and my good friends running--courtesy of Henri.



I shall leave you with what may have been the funniest moment of the day. As we were running along at the beginning I heard someone say (into his cell phone) "Um, I'm running the Boston Marathon right now, can I call you back later?" It was simply hilarious--why are you even picking up your phone????

Tapering...

We've now reached what is arguably the most important part of marathon training--the taper. The tapering period is basically where you drastically reduce your mileage and spend a lot of time resting. Now Miriam, you might say, that seems crazy! How is it possible that resting is the most important? Isn't running lots of miles more important? Well, while building a base by running lots of miles is important, so is tapering. During the taper period, all those little aches and pains that have cropped up during the training start to go away. You really get a sense of just how fit you are. And when marathon day arrives, you are well rested and ready to go!

Of course, like any aspect of running, tapering isn't all fun and games. I feel extremely antsy--to go from running 25-30 miles a week to running about 10-12 is hard. It gives me a lot of extra energy. The reduction in running also means that I no longer need to eat quite as much as I have been---another (sad) change. But mostly, with tapering comes the anticipation, and then knowledge that Marathon Day is getting closer and closer. Things start to creep into my mind like what will I wear, what will the weather be like and will I hit the dreaded wall? One of the biggest challenges for me is not letting the doubts creep into my mind.

Despite all that bad stuff, I do feel good. I feel incredibly fit and ready to take whatever the Boston Marathon course will throw at me. And it is due in no small part to all of you and your wonderful support! Several of you have asked how you can follow me during the Boston Marathon to track my progress. I'm looking into this and will report back with options early next week.

Lastly, even though the hard training is over, the fundraising is not. It's not too late to donate and support me in my quest to run the Boston Marathon! You can donate at: http://www.tuftsmarathonchallenge.com/runners/miriamst. As I've mentioned before many times, your donation of even $10 will be very much appreciated!