I hesitate to even go here...because as runners we are all a little superstious...We don't wear the race shirts during the race, we eat the exact, same breakfast that we have been eating for the past 500 miles...we wear the exact outfit we've already tried out on at least half a dozen long runs...but I'll take a leap of faith...and share this little tid bit about Boston...because my story is actually a love story.
It's about a girl who liked a boy...a lot...and for the first time learned how to experience joy...the joy in life, in sport, and in love....
18 years ago on Patriot's Day, a boy took a girl out on their first official date to the Boston Marathon. She was not a "real runner" other than the running conditioning as a collegiate volleyball player. She knew of the Boston marathon but had no real emotional connection to it or running 26 miles.
But, this boy was different than any boy she had met...he was kind, funny, and opened up her eyes to experiences she never knew of...and she liked him a lot...so when he asked her to go on an official date (one that didn't involve 15 of her closest friends, or a frat party, or the same usual bar near campus) she agreed.
She still remembers riding the train in and seeing the crowds lining up. It was like a scene from a movie, and it was a beautiful sunny day, not too warm...not too cold...and the energy....it was contagious. There were no words to describe the energy.
It's about a girl who liked a boy...a lot...and for the first time learned how to experience joy...the joy in life, in sport, and in love....
18 years ago on Patriot's Day, a boy took a girl out on their first official date to the Boston Marathon. She was not a "real runner" other than the running conditioning as a collegiate volleyball player. She knew of the Boston marathon but had no real emotional connection to it or running 26 miles.
But, this boy was different than any boy she had met...he was kind, funny, and opened up her eyes to experiences she never knew of...and she liked him a lot...so when he asked her to go on an official date (one that didn't involve 15 of her closest friends, or a frat party, or the same usual bar near campus) she agreed.
She still remembers riding the train in and seeing the crowds lining up. It was like a scene from a movie, and it was a beautiful sunny day, not too warm...not too cold...and the energy....it was contagious. There were no words to describe the energy.
And so that boy walked her through the crowds after they hopped off the train...to find THE perfect viewing spot....at the 5 miler mark from the finish...one she would someday know oh too well in running that 1st marathon...21+miles in, the wall....
That girl fell in love that day....with a boy...she also fell in love with a new view of life and swore to herself that she would run that marathon someday....
13 years of marriage and 3 children later....last year, I signed up for my first full marathon with one intent...bold, sure.. egotistical, maybe...brazen, you bet your ass....I signed up to train for my 1st full marathon with only one goal in mind...to qualify for Boston.
13 years of marriage and 3 children later....last year, I signed up for my first full marathon with one intent...bold, sure.. egotistical, maybe...brazen, you bet your ass....I signed up to train for my 1st full marathon with only one goal in mind...to qualify for Boston.
With hard work & maybe a little luck of the Bostonian Irish...I did qualify for Boston...and last week when registration for 2015 officially opened, I got to sit there at my designated time & frantically wait, plug in my information & wait some more..until I could click that magic SUBMIT button.
I got my official acceptance over the weekend. And so I will get a chance at a second date...this time as a time qualifying runner. So much could happen between now and then, but I've got a 2nd date...and if all goes well between now and then, it will be as magical and memorable as the first one.
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