Marathon Monday and the test of character

Well, I'm back home after what was a very memorable Marathon Weekend.  The headline would be that I ran the Boston Marathon in 4:50:43, about two minutes faster than my time last year.  But the two minute improvement was really the smallest of my wins this past weekend.  There were so much more.  It was a test of character to truly honor #teammatty, #teammckinney, #teamsupermax, and how this all started for me, #teammargot.

To explain, let me back up about a week before the Marathon.  As I've talked about on this blog, I had a health scare due to hypertension late last year in which I incorporated many life style changes.  These life style changes had been great and I was feeling fine until about a week before the marathon, when I started to feel the same tinge pains I had previously.  I'm very thankful to have found good medical support who reassured me it was likely anxiety and that I was more than ready to run the Marathon.  Still, I went up to Boston nervous.

The weekend itself before Monday was awesome -- family, the Sox game, but the biggest part was being able to sit with my patient partner, Max, during the pasta party.  He's been an inspiration to me and one of the forces that would help drive me the next day.  If this little five year old could battle leukemia for two years straight and keep a strong positive outlook on life, the least I could do is brave the elements and my body for one day.

The conditions for Monday were as bad as had been predicted -- 38 degrees at the start, sleeting rain, and a 25 mph wind in my face the entire run.  Talking with long time teammates, they said it was the worst conditions in 25 years.  Numerous elite runners actually abandoned (e.g. did not finish) the race because they got "tired of running in a washing machine."

I was not going to be denied.  With the support of my teammates, my partners who I run for, and the awesome crowds along the course, I started out from Hopkinton.  I had the honor of running with my sister for the first six miles of the course to help me start at the right pace, and then she sent me on my way with a couple other teammates to pursue my best time possible.  Mile after mile in adverse conditions, I was feeling good.  I even got to thank Santa Claus for the Eagles Super Bowl victory along the way. =)

When I got to mile 18, my body started to hit its red line.  My calves we're starting to scream out in pain, which is never a good thing when you're in the Newton hills.  I started to think back to my pre-race discussions where I had been advised, mainly due to the weather, "be smart.  If you have to abandon, there's no shame."  A slight sense of anxiety coursed over my body for a second...

...but then, a different sensation hit my body.  It was Max's face from the night before, and I thought about him, our team Mom Sandy, then all my fellow teammates who were demonstrating grit, perservance, and determination right then and there.  I also thought about Mike & Sheryl and my Mom, and I knew, even if I had to go slower, I wasn't going to stop -- I was going to finish.

So I just kept going, in line with what my body was telling me it could do.  Yes, I was running over a minute per mile slower than I had been, but I was progressing.  I got over Heartbreak running, not walking.  I made it to our mile 25 team hangout where I stopped to take photos with Max and his family.  And finally, I made the famous right of Hereford, left of Boylston towards the finish.  After giving my Dad a big hug, I made the final strides across the finish line.

As I reflected on two days ago, it's clear to me the only way I made it across was that I had to be Boston Strong.  And that's just not me -- that goes for everyone who finished, no matter how long it took them.  There's a great story about another teammate of ours, Mary, who had to pause her marathon due to conditions caused by the weather, only to restart from Wellesley and cross the finish line just after midnight. 

But most importantly, we brought the same level of grit, perservance, and determination to our fundraising to help truly make a difference in the fight against cancer.  At the team party, it was announced that our team had collectively raised $5.3 million to date, almost at our goal for the entire season.  With post-race donations, I have every confidence we'll crack $6 million, and all those funds to help drive innovative cancer research will help find treatments and cures.  And through our character, we will all see the finish line we desire: a world without cancer.

Although its now a time of rest for me, it's with eternal gratitude of folks like you that I look forward to continuing the fight after I recover.  And I do so with the character of grit, perservance, determination, traits that will carry me forward on any adventure I take up next.