Boston Bound

In 7 days I will be finished with the Boston Marathon. It is 1 pm here, 4 pm on the East coast. By this time next week, I will be kicking back with a celebratory beer. What thoughts will run through my head? What emotions will I experience that day? Will I be able to run my goal time? Will I feel good?

Every marathon is different. I have run some races at a very slow pace and felt horrible for the last 13 miles. I have run for charity and never felt an ounce of discomfort, high on the experience. I have pushed hard and failed. I have pushed hard and succeeded. I have enjoyed the scenery and taken pictures. I have blocked out all surrounding sights and sounds other than my feet on the pavement. What will Boston be like? Will it be everything that I imagine it to be?

I close my eyes and I can picture 26,000 runners gathered in Athlete Village on race morning. The energy is palpable. Runners are chatting, telling "war" stories and sipping Gatorade. They call us to the corrals and they lead us 3/4 mile toward the start line. We gather into corral 16. My corral. Today is all about me. My reward. My race. Wave one starts at 10 am. 30 minutes later, my wave is released and we cross the start line in Hopkinton. My 26.2 mile journey.

It will get difficult. My legs will hurt. My lungs will burn. I will run as fast as I can for as long as I can and then just hold on. I have been here before on a different day in a different city. I will take my experience with me on my journey and I will learn from it. I will finish no matter what. I will soak in the experience and regardless of the outcome I will be proud of my accomplishment for the rest of my days. I am Boston bound.