**Grab a cup of coffee or a cocktail because this is one LONG post!!
Saturday, April 19,2014
3:30 am Rise & Shine!! Time to roll out of bed and make sure everyone else is ready to leave to catch our 6:30 am flight to BOSTON!!! We arrive at DFW, eat breakfast, board the plane, and enjoy the 4 hour flight on Jet Blue! This was our first experience with Jet Blue and it was wonderful! The boys plugged in their headphones to the individual tv's and the rest was history! So what if they watched 4 hours of Sponge Bob, they were happy and not bothering anyone!!
We arrive in Boston, hop the shuttle to our hotel, and are greeted by all 4 grandparents!! All is right in the world now....4 grandparents who can't really say NO to two little boys, this is sure to be a fun weekend! After a quick adult beverage, and first cheers to Boston we decided to tackle the train station and head into downtown to hit up the race expo!
We arrived down town without too much trouble and after a late lunch finally made it to the expo!! I picked up my race bib and all the info I needed for race day! At this point the nerves are starting to set in!!
We walked through the vendor area for about 30 minutes, bought the boys "Boston Conqures All" T-shirts to wear on race day, and got the heck out of there! It was insanely crowded and giving me anxiety! Hey, I'm just being honest!!
Next up...Carb loading!!! Rouse had made reservations in the North End for both Saturday and Sunday night! The North End is full of Italin restaurants and both nights were delicious. We took the train from downtown to the North End to walk around a bit and find our restaurant!
Saturday night we ate at Mother Anna's restaurant, and although we were there FOREVER, it was still yummy! The boys were very well behaved considering they had been up since 4:00 am and walked around Boston for most of the day! After dinner it was time to call it a day so we caught the train back to our hotel and called it a night! This runner needed some rest!!
Sunday, April 20, 2013
HAPPY EASTER!!! After a pretty good nights sleep Keags arrived at my bedside around 7:30 with a cup of coffee wishing me Happy Easter! The boys had one on one sleepovers with the grandparents while we were there so they could spend a little more time with them, and allow me to rest! Win,win!!
We let the boys swim in the indoor pool while the adults took turns life guarding and getting ready, and then headed out for the day! On our agenda: 1...find the statues of the ducks from the book," Make Way for Ducklings" (awesome book!)
2...go to the original Cheers!
3...visit Fenway park
However, our first priority was to figure out the best way for me to get to Boston Commons on race day. I didn't want anyone to have be up early to take me, so I figured out how to get there on the train and we did a "trial" run on Sunday! Once I had that under my belt I felt much better and was even able to help fellow runners find their way on race morning!
We enjoyed a little stroll through Boston Commons park and made our way towards Cheers! We originally thought we would just stop by and take a picture but when we arrived we could be seated right away for lunch! Score!! Easter lunch at Cheers...never thought I'd say that!
After a yummy lunch and purchasing a few keepsakes, we crossed the street and found the ducks!! I read the book "Make Way for Ducklings" the week before we left and they loved it. It's about a duck couple that travels around Boston looking for the perfect place to make a nest! They chose Boston Commons and there are now statues of mother and her babies!
The ducks had Easter bonnets and race bibs on! We also ran into the Easter bunny while we were in the park and she kindly gave us directions to Fenway Park! That's one smart bunny!!
We caught the train and headed for the baseball park! Unfortunatey we were a little late and unable to take a tour of the inside but it was still cool to see. So we headed back to the hotel to let the boys swim for a little bit before dinner!
Dinner Sunday night was once again pasta at Lemmonchello in the North End. We had enough food on our table to feed an army! Tons of spaghetti and meatballs, salad, fresh made mozzarella, bread, and of course delicious wine! As soon as our food was served Kohen said his belly hurt and then fell asleep on my lap after I finished my dinner. We all finished eating, I handed Kohen to Rouse to carry outside and they weren't 5 feet out the door and he vomits everywhere! 😥. At least he waited until he was outside...that would have been horrible in the restaurant!
I, of course go immediately into panic mode! What could be wrong with him, maybe he's just exhausted from traveling and sight seeing, is he going to make it to the race tomorrow, what about the flight home, what happens if I start vomitting?? I trained 4 hard months for this race and I'm running it NO MATTER WHAT!!! After a stern statement from my hubby saying, "I'm taking care of him tonight while you rest," I sent Rouse and Kohen to my inlaws room for the night. As much as it hurt not being with my baby when he was sick I knew it was the right thing to do. He was in good hands and I tried my best to let it go and rest!
Monday, April 21, 2014 RACE DAY!!
After a fairly decent nights sleep my alarm went off at 5:00 am!! IT'S FINALLY RACE DAY!! I hit the snooze once and then hopped out of bed! I wanted to have plenty of time to get ready and catch the hotel shuttle to the train station. It was a little chilly that morning so I layered up with old clothes that I could toss at the start! All the clothes that were left behind were donated to local chairties!
I caught the shuttle, took the train into downtown Boston, and then had a short walk to Boston Commons! Once I arrived in the Commons I loaded onto a school bus that transports you out to Hopkins where the race begins. I would say it was about a 40 minute bus ride! Most runners take the busses and it was a pretty cool experience. I sat next to a young girl that had run Boston 8 times, this year being her 9th. She had a 4 month old baby girl and said she wasn't able to train as much as she would have liked but she was still going for it!! She had a ton of running experience through high school and college so she knew what she was doing and was able to give me a few helpful hints!!
We arrived in Hopkins and the busses drop you off in a big field outside a high school. Thankfully the weather was awesome because I could not imagine standing in the cold or rain for 2+ hours before the actual start of the race. I grabbed a small cup of coffee, a banana, a bagel, a bottled water, and then found a spot in the sun to sit and relax. After a few minutes a nice man by the name of Kevin (coincidence) came by with a big tarp asking me and a few other runners around if we wanted to sit on it to stay dry. He had run Boston before when it's been wet and miserable so he always brings a tarp to sit on while he's waiting and then leaves it behind for runners in later waves. It was really nice to have people to talk to and kind of calmed my nerves a little. The one piece of advice that I heard numerous times from experienced Boston runners was, "take the first 3-4 miles slow! The start is all downhill and it's easy to get excited, let the adrenalin take over and go out too fast! If you start fast you will pay for it by mile 16 and your quads will be toast!" Let me tell you...easier said then done!!
Around 10:00 am my wave was finally called to head to the start line!! I was ready! The weather was perfect, I felt like I had eaten properly the last few days to fuel my race, I had my shot blocks stored in my running skirt, and I had talked to Rouse who told me Kohen slept all night and was fine! *sidnote...I wasn't sure if he was just telling me this so I wouldn't worry or if he was being honest! After the race I confirmed he was being honest!* IT WAS GO TIME! The only thing left was to trust my training and enjoy the race!!
I stuck to my plan and felt pretty good the entire race! The crowds were AMAZING!! There were people lining the course for the entire 26.2 miles! I'm serious when I say I didn't take a single step without someone there cheering you along! In some places people were 5 rows deep and the colleges were the best!! All the students were out, drinking beer, offering the runners beer, dancing to music, holding awesome signs, and just having fun! It was definitely a spirit booster!
The course itself was much different from my first marathon but I was prepared for all the rolling hills! It was definitely a challenge (what marathon isn't?) but I never once thought about walking or giving up! I kept thinking of all the people who were cheering for me from all over the country and thinking about all those who were actually tracking my progress, which was kind of nerve racking!
I never hit "the wall" and when I hit Heartbreak Hill at mile 19-20 I knew I needed to dig deep and the last 6 miles would be a breeze...kind of!! I attacked the hill like all the previous hills on the course...start out a little slower, pick up the pace half way through, and then give it everything towards the top and carry that momentum on the down! I conqured Heartbreak Hill and at this point I just wanted to finish strong. I setteled into a good pace, gave high 5's to several spectators for a little extra boost, and focused on seeing the famous huge Citgo sign at mile 25!
The moment I saw the sign I remember saying " Thank God," out loud!! I knew my family was going to be near the finish on the right hand side of the shoot! I took the turn at mile 25 and moved over to the right side. I ran another 1/4 mile and saw Rouse yelling his face off!! Words CANNOT describe how incredible the feeling was when I saw my cheering section! I immediately threw my hands in the air and stopped to give each one of them a kiss!! It was exactly what I needed to get me through my last mile!
The last mile was full of different emotions....excited, scared, proud, exhausted, sore, thirsty, honored, but most of all blessed!
Blessed to be able to participate in the worlds oldest annual marathon (this year being the 118th), and a race that ranks as one of the worlds most prestigious road racing events! Blessed to have the husband and boys to support my training and put up with me when I was sore, tired, sick of eating pasta, or just plain burnt out! Blessed to stay strong, healthy, and injury free! And, blessed to have countless family and friends cheering and encouraging me along the way! I COULD NOT have made it through those 26.2 miles without all of you!
I crossed that finish line with a HUGE smile on my face! I received my medal and smiled for the camera! I was going to enjoy every minute of my success...after all, I worked darn hard for it!! I immediately called Rouse and we chose a place to meet up in the Boston Commons area! As I walked, or should I say limped, (yes the quads were toast) to meet my family I received hundreds of congratulations! EVERY person you walk by congratulates you! I felt like a celebrity! The volunteers thanked the runners for being there as they handed out water, food, medals, heat sheets, etc. The atmosphere was indescribable!
After a few photos it was time to hop the train back to our hotel and theng off to the airport to fly home! We said our goodbyes to all the grandparents (never get easier) and headed to the airport. We arrived in plenty of time to eat and celebrate!
We boarded our flight and Kohen was asleep before we even took off! He slept the entire 4 hour flight, woke up long enough to walk to the car, and then was back to sleep for the night! Keags watched a little tv before crashing as well! Boston wore us out!
We arrived home around midnight and were greeted with a wonderful surprise from our awesome next door neighbors! Thank you Wilson Family!!
My recovery was going really well until late Wednesday night when I started feeling yucky. Fever, chills, nauseous, and just flat out exhausted! I could not keep my eyes open for the life of me! Not sure if I had a touch of what Kohen had while we were gone or if my body just needed to go into shut down/rest mode! I was in bed all day Thursday and most of the day Friday just sleeping!
I received an email a few days after the race with my official results. I was extremely happy with my time and places!
With that finishing time I qualified again for next year...which was my ultimate goal! Will I be there in 2015? That is still to be determined! Do I regret 4 months of dedicated, intense, pavement pounding, hill repeats, speed work, long runs in the cold and rain...NOT AT ALL!! The Boston experience was worth every minute of it!!
Thank you again for all your love, support, encouragement, and prayers!! April 21, 2014 is a day that I will forever remember!!
Love to all!!
Kristen
