Chronicles of a fish: the days of surf and turf

Kurt Godel wrote: »

Almost walking pace over the past few 5k's, hope Dory is taking it easy and not struggling to finish with an injury...

Ha, just saw this. Yes, in addition to me jogging at a snail's pace and grinning like a fool, I also walked the water stations, stopped 3 times to hug and kiss friends who were supporting me along the way, and I walked with a girl on mile 24 (I think it was mile 24) who was weaving and looking quite pale. Turns out she goes to college about 30 miles from where I live, and she also suffers from cystic fibrosis. I couldn't not help her.

Wow....I will keep this fairly brief by Dory standards.

First, a bit of background to keep this report neat and tidy...
I ran Boston last year for the first time ever, and right away as a newbie walking down Boylston Street to the Expo I knew there was something very special about this race. As advertised, runners from around the globe had shown up to participate in THE marathon of marathons, and they all looked properly emaciated. Apparently there is no language barrier in the international standard of runners' body fat, or rather, lack thereof.

I finished my race last year in 3:32....2+ minutes over what I had hoped to achieve, but I was happy with my performance nonetheless. I ended up spending a little bit of time in the medical tent shortly after crossing the finish line, and when I exited the tent the bombs went off not far behind me. Confusion, chaos, terror....more chaos. And sirens. Lots and lots of sirens. Law enforcement, the military, fire, rescue....and then the helicopters arrived. And they all had their own sounds that filled every inch of possible space left in this disaster that was unfolding. Noise...so much noise...noise that was only equalled by the movement around me. It was all that and more, but all of you have read and seen what happened...and all of you know how it ended.

And that is why I had to go back.

This race was never going to be my A race, I have been saving that special spot for Eagleman IM 70.3 in June, but even after I picked up this nagging injury many weeks ago, not doing Boston was never an option. I knew, however, the risks of doing this race at less than 100% healthy (it is 26.2 miles, mind you), but my fingers were crossed that my leg would play ball on this particular day, and if it didn't play ball, then Option B was to back off and get to the finish line with a smile on my face and with minimal damage to the body.

A couple of pre-race formalities to get out of the way....
Within 90 minutes of landing in Boston on Saturday, I was in the company of jogging forum celebrity meno, and we were doing some pretty impressive shopping at a very jam-packed Expo. Like two old hens, we made our way around the joint in deliberate fashion, knocking the loiterers out of the way (him, not me) who were holding up progress and preventing him from purchasing yet another pair of running shoes! (No box, please!) After we had done enough damage there, we met up with the DukeofDromada, his lovely wife wildrhubarb (or is it madeinamerica? ) and another friend for some hard earned refreshments.

Sunday was spent having brunch and doing a Harvard museum with two non-boards friends, then hooking back up with meno, the Duke, wildrhubarb/madeinamerica, and meno's Irish traveling group for the pasta dinner that the marathon puts on. While we were waiting in line to get into the dinner, a very vagabond looking Kentuckypete turned up to cut in line with meno. (took meno a few seconds to recognize Kentuckypete due to his choice in "street style"....it was quite funny ) Dinner was the standard pre-race fare, but the volunteers were enthusiastic and the wait in line was relatively short. Then it was back to the hotel at a decent hour to get my gear ready to go for the next morning.

And now a little about race day....
Up and ready to go before I had to catch the bus to the Athlete's Village, but as I was about to head out of my hotel room, I had a brief moment of unexpected emotion. I guess the reality of what I was about to do and all that it signified for me and for so many others, and the hope that these 26.2 miles would actually provide the closure and comfort we were looking for just caught up with me in that very quiet moment. I got myself together, and then off I went to get in line for my bus to Hopkinton.

Many things have changed this year security-wise - for instance, we could not take a bag with all of our belongings/necessities with us to the start (the bag would then be transported to the finish). No bags allowed. Period. There was, however, a bag drop at the bus location (which is several blocks from the finish line) for those who wanted to have a change of clothing or food or whatever at the finish for them. And we had to go through a security checkpoint (I do not remember this last year) before we could get to the buses.

The bus trip to the start was typical yellow bus quality....and my teeth were floating by the time we arrived at the Athlete's Village so I immediately hopped in line for the loo. The buzz in the village was great - lots of energy (okay, so most folks (early on) were lying down trying to sleep while wrapped up cacoon-style in mylar-blankets), super music, and a constant repeating by the MC, "the unofficial official time is...." But the highlight was at 9:45 (or so) when four Blackhawk helicopters did a fly over of the course, starting above us in Hopkinton, and finishing 15 minutes later at the finish line in Boston. The helicopters were first responders in last year's tragedy. The other highlight of the pre-race morning was when in the midst of all the happy village buzz (all the mylar-blanket wrapped athletes had woken up by this point), the MC asked for a moment of silence for the 4 individuals who died last year. I swear, you could have heard a pin drop.

Most years at the Boston marathon there are 3 waves, and each wave contains 9 corrals of 1,000 runners each. This year there were 4 waves with 9 corrals in each wave, and 1,000 runners in each corral to accommodate the extra 9,000 runners. Runners are called to the start by their wave and their corral, and it was at this time on my way to the start that I noticed the law enforcement on the roof of the school keeping watch over the village. And as we made our way to the start (it's actually quite a distance from the village to the start), military and local law enforcement presence was quite pronounced, and the canine contingent was well represented and ready to keep us safe too. Most of the dogs I saw were German Shepherds, but I spied one local officer with a black lab who looked quite friendly, so after being granted permission, I gave Lucky a good pat on the head and told him to be safe out there.

And now for the race....
Ready, set, go....and we were off. Downhill. And it was a bit warm at the start and that worried me a little, but I was wearing a sleeveless top so I put those fears out of my head. The first few miles (probably the first 3) actually felt pretty good. I had a look at my watch on mile 1 and it said 7:22. :eek: Too fast! But I was going downhill and the leg was feeling okay for the most part so I decided to just go with it. But at some point between mile 4 and 6, and probably in large part from all the downhill my quads had just been through, my injury was starting to make itself more pronounced......and I knew the best thing for me to do was to slow it down.....and to slow it down to however slow I had to go to keep my leg comfortable with the hope of limiting any further damage. This decision was not without some struggle, some feelings of weakness or failure, but I knew going into this race that this was a possibility and I accepted that with the consolation of knowing with 100% certainty that no matter what, the finish line would be mine.

So, from that point on I just embraced the crowds...and oh how magnificent they were! Loud, energetic, enthusiastic, creative. Like the fellas who were offering beer, barbecue and cigarettes.....or the Elvis impersonator.....or Santa Clause....or the trampoline kids....or the very awesomely talented and large drum band. And who could forget the screaming Wellesley girls or the pleasantly raucous Boston boys? I swear, they all put their heart and soul into cheering for each and every runner out there - my words do not do their passion and sincerity justice - and there were so many supporters throughout the entire frickin' course!!! Several rows deep! All screaming like their lives depended on it. Really!!! Reallyreallyreally. !!! And the noise got louder and LOUDER as the finish line got closer and CLOSER...and their cheers got more and more specific and personal and urgent.....and there was this intimate connection now between the runner and the spectator, there was no space in between for we were one. And then the chants of U-S-A! U-S-A!! U-S-A!!! began - apologies if that is lost on anyone - but it all just crecendoed into high emotion for me when all this came crashing together as I approached the sign signifying mile 25, for the tears of joy came rolling down my cheeks knowing how much this day meant for so many people. Boston runs as one.

And this is why I had to go back.

As I mentioned in my previous posts, I slowed at the water stations, hugged and kissed friends along the way, and walked with a girl from JMU named Shelby who suffers from cycstic fibrosis. How liberating it was to allow myself to soak up the richness of this marathon instead of looking straight ahead and not appreciating it. I am still in awe at the power of the crowd....their desire to come out on a Monday and spend hours cheering for total strangers, yelling the same words of encouragement and praise over and over again. They didn't get the race shirt....they didn't buy the jacket....they didn't earn the finishers medal. But their desires and motivations, like the desires and motivations of the runners and athletes who test their limits, are rooted deep within, for it is what we receive when we give so much of ourselves that makes us all winners.

I crossed the finish line in record slowest-ever-marathon time for me with the fleeting thought of doing a trademark jogging forum windmill, but decided I'd better not feck up the finishing photo since I had never practiced a windmill and quite honestly was not even sure what one was, so opted for the traditional I-just-ran-26.2-freakin'-miles-and-I-am-so-glad-it's-over smile.

Job done. Glad it's behind me, to be honest. I haven't, and won't, look at my official finishing time. It does sting a little, I think in part because on paper it looks so bad, but I know the whole the story. And those who matter know it too. It's time to draw a line under the year that was Boston, and now I must turn to other goals, tri related. And there is the little matter of this injury I must tend to as well - I have an appointment with a sports therapist on Monday, and so I feel a new chapter is about to begin.

I met up with meno and his crew after the marathon for dinner and drinks. It was pretty low-key, but it was perfect, and the company was wonderful. Good ratio of guys to girls, too! I thank meno for taking me under his Irish wing, and hope I meet up with some of the fellas again at future events either here or there.

And one last word about the Boston Marathon - it's amazing. If you ever have a chance to run in it, do it. The organization is top-notch, the volunteers are second to none, the crowds are mind blowing, and the support (in every sense of the word) is impressive. You. Will. Not. Be. Disappointed.

Yikes.....what did I say about being brief? :eek: Oh well. I did qualify that by saying it would be brief by "Dory standards."

madeinamerica wrote: »

Great report Dory! So glad you had a great day on that of all days. You were so happy and relaxed when we saw you (thanks for the hugs!). You are one tough cookie, both physically and mentally, to be able to stick to your slow pace plan despite the excitement. Much admiration!

Yep, you spotted my sign-in slip-up :rolleyes: This is my preggers account, might as well admit it now

And what a great preggers user name!!! :)

DukeOfDromada wrote: »

Well done, great report. You looked great when we saw you. Have some video too which i'll get to you somehow. Now enjoy some chocolate!

Video??? :eek:;) Oh wow. I didn't realize I was being videoed....I was too excited seeing the two of you and loving your oversized Leprechaun hat you were wearing. Looked quite festive.

Great few days with you both. Good luck with your training and the pregnancy. Oh, and the chocolate has now been devoured. Thank you!!!!

Killerz wrote: »

Great report DD, brings back a lot of the memories of my own race in terms of the crowd support etc. Great to meet you q couple of times over the weekend - sorry it was brief on both occasions! Must dig out that photo of yourself me and meno and post it on FB.

Recover well!

Super meeting you as well!!!

Pmaldini wrote: »

Hi Dory Dory,

I found aqua jogging great when coming back from injury, make sure you get someone to show you how to do it correctly as it makes a big difference, I thought I was doing it right for the 1st week until I was shown proper technique and it made a big difference, I have no doubt you will be on the start line for Eagleman in full fitness.

by the way great report on Boston:D

Oh, very good to know you found aqua jogging to be of great benefit. I've googled about a half a dozen videos on technique, but if you have any specific suggestions yourself then feel free to share any words of wisdom. I noticed immediately that the body wanted to lean back while jogging, but I had a hunch (from my reading) that I'd want a more upright or slightly forward position. Most of the videos I watched suggested an up and down/piston leg action, but I also found a video demonstrating a cross country technique too - more of a leaning forward and stretched out stride.