This last post is dedicated to my beautiful, amazing wife Amy, who without, this journey could not have happened. I love you :
I sit here the night after one of the most physically and emotionally exhausting events I've ever taken part in.
I guess here is a good a spot as any to get into the fun details. Amy and I got up bright an early on Monday morning, about 5:30 AM after spending the night at my mother in laws where the kids would be staying for the day. After a nervous drive into Boston down Route 1, we made it to Boston common and the waiting zoo of people carrying around their funny looking orange plastic Adidas bags. the systems that are in place just to get 25,000 people from Boston to Hopkinton are amazing. Once I boarded the bus and we started moving, we were whisked away right on to the mass pike. Police were stopping traffic and we blazed through the city with our police escort. I couldn't help but think of Doug Mirabelli being traded for, and flown in to catch Tim Wakefields start and police escorted through the city about 5 years back.
Once in Hopkinton the pure comedy of seeing people run to the port-a-potty's or even better to the woods was fantastic. Lucky for me, and all of the LLS runners, we had a family that has a home right on the way down to the start line that opened their house to the 125 or so runners to use to get ready and take care of "details" before the race. The elite Men left the starting line at 10 AM. Shortly after that we all of us from the LLS were gathered on the lawn at our new home to have on last team meeting and pep talk before the race.
Amazingly the nerves were still not too bad. The BAA had come out the night before and sent a very cryptic Cover Your Ass e-mail out urging people who were not very experienced runners to not run. After 6 months of training we were all sure to run, we were just going to have to do it smart. After dropping my funny orange bag off for its bus ride back to meet me in the city, I was off for a nervous .7 mile walk to the starting line. The excitement and sweat was starting to pour out as i inched closer to the start line. I knew with the sweat coming out before I even started racing, i was probably in for a long day. As I got closer I ended up hooking up with a bunch of TNT runners, who I knew were all around 4 hour runner, like I was planning on being before the weather change and I felt confident we could somewhat stick together and we could start out slow and figure it out. With temperatures at the start near 80 and expected to reach 88, I had no clue what I was in for, as I have never run more than 3 miles in anything above 60 degree weather. With on heart surgery under my belt and having to continue to monitor my heart for me entire life....I was in for some "fun".
At this point, I was pretty sure 4 hours was out of the question. Yes I was still thinking about my time rather than just enjoying the experience like my coaches Kelly and Sarad were begging all of us to do. I figured i would go out slow and listen to my body and maybe it would be a 4:30 day and all would be fine, I would still be able to say I ran in one of the hottest Boston Marathon's ever run. As I crossed the starting line, hands raised and headphones on low to hear my music but take in the sounds. As expected the crowd moved slow but was allowing the hill to take us as we moved through the first 3 miles or so at a 9:45 a mile pace. Toward the end of the second mile I saw my heart rate start to climb a lot faster than is normal and it was starting to hit me that today was really not going to be normal and I was in for a reality check. Once the water bottle I had been carrying that was to last me the first 6 miles or so was gone after 3, there seemed to be an air that was let out of the entire crowd around us that we were in for a dog fight and either we were going to have to slow down or we would be spending some time in the medical tent, or worse.
As I slowed down to about an 11min a mile crawl through miles 4 through 6, I even had to give in and walk as the heat was already searing my skin and I had been forced to walk through water stops and cover myself with water. These first 6 and a half miles or so were also made a little more difficult for me because of the unfamiliarity. I had never even seen this part of the course before. As I reached Speen Street in Natic, about 7 miles in, I ran into my high school friend Diana and her husband Nate with their newborn baby Claire. I ran over to give Claire a kiss on the foot...I didn't want to gross her out with a salt covered kiss onteh face from me. I asked Diana if she could call Amy and tell her that I was slowing down and would be a long time in to get to Boston, and to lie to her and tell her I looked great. That got a couple good laughs from the people around them, as one guy exclaimed "oh don't worry pal, your looking good, keep going"
The crowds were fantastic, yelling words of encouragement the entire route, with many of them offering their garden hoses for cooling off runners and offering whatever ice they could get their hands on. One of the things I will remember most is all of the men and women of the Army that were in full uniform lining each side of the 26.2 mile course making themselves available to help runners and spectators alike. Along with them were the men and women marching with full backpacks the entire course, which was inspiring and made you proud.
The first three miles, I was definitely thinking about myself and keeping myself in a zone that I needed to be in to run a "respectable" time in my mind. After about 3 miles I had to really step back and take in that this run, from the beginning, wasn't about me and it was all really about me being a part of something bigger. I was running this thing because I was able to, because my kids were healthy and I wasn't sitting in the hospital or in a doctors office wondering if they were going to be okay. They were at grammy's house, playing with squirt guns not even thinking about me, they were being kids and enjoying life, and there's no way in hell I'm going to not finish this race and get home to see them and tuck them in bed tonight. Like so many other thousands of us wannabe runners we were there to raise money for something bigger, we seemed to come together to help and encourage one another to survive and conquer, smartly, something bigger than ourselves. No one is really going to care if i finished in 3 hours and 45 minutes, or 5 hours and 45 minutes, just finish, get home to my kids, and be a part of something bigger.
The majority of the rest of the race was a slow methodical move toward Boston. A slow jog on the flat and downhill parts of the course and a brisk walk up any of the hills to conserve energy and keep my heart rate low enough to feel safe. There was a point for about 15 or 20 minutes were I wasn't sweating and I started to get worried, but after soaking myself with some water and walking for a little while I felt better and started to sweat again.
I heard Flo Rida's "Good Feeling" in my headphones and I couldn't help but think, this was my song to get me up heartbreak hill and I'm still 6 friggen miles away from it. All of the support from the spectators, cheering "Go Team" for all of the Team in Training members was a great lift as I worked toward Boston. I saw my wife's Aunt Debbie and Uncle Don just past the crest of heartbreak hill. I again urged them to give Amy an update as to my pace and expected time in and to lie to her about me looking great and doing well.
I was able to see Amy and my mom with a little less than a mile to go in the race, they found a great spot just after the last bridge we cross under. I ran up the side of an embankment to kiss my wife and my mom and then with a last bust of energy took off my ear buds and cranked it home to the finish life. As I turned on to Boylston Street, in what felt like turning into the Coliseum with all of the people, I finally could say, "holy shit Josh, you did it, you finished the Boston Marathon" I ran hard and had the strength to raise my hands in personal victory, and hopefully victory in something bigger, as I crossed the finish line.
I started this journey focused on a goal time, of finishing in under 4 hours. And even though I finished in 5 hours, 29 minutes and 12 seconds, I finished. It wasn't pretty but it was effective. I am now able to check one more thing off my "bucket list". With the help of some fantastic friends and family, I was able to raise close to $5,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I got myself in some of the best shape of my life. I learned a ton about running and marathoning. I went into one of the most physically demanding things I've ever done and not once did I think about quitting or think that I wasn't going to finish. And on Tuesday morning, at about 5:30 AM, I head the greatest sound in the world. Brady from his bedroom, "dad.......Daddy.....Daddy I go poopy in my diaper....come help me." Life is good!
To see some of the pictures, click the link here to my facebook page.
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