Goals/Overview 1) Start, finish, have a great weekend 2) Requalify with a 4:05 3) What with the hills and all, 4:15 would have been OK I hit goal 1 and missed goals 2 and 3, but they pale in comparison to #1 in terms of importance. What a fantastic weekend! It was jam-packed with one exciting event after another, and fulfilled a dream I’ve had for the last few years. I really really wanted to run Boston while dawndaughter1 was still in school there, and it finally happened. The big sweaty hug I gave her at 25.2 miles was a huge morale booster. Pre-Race Friday afternoon, on our way into town, we drove the course, getting pictures at the start and each town sign along the way. While Boston is net-down, I noticed that there are lots of rolling hills. There were already signs and banners going up and preparations were in progress. That was the first big thrill. Friday evening, we met Amanda and Nate at the Beer Summit at the Park Plaza Castle. It is a recurring event in Boston featuring a large variety of local professional brewers, and a favorite of theirs. While we runners weren’t drinking too heavily, it was fun to sample. Saturday morning, we went for one last 3-mile run along the Charles in bright sunshine. Very pretty. Then we hit the expo and had our money vacuum-extracted from our pockets. Jackets, t-shirts, hats, posters – the typical first-timer shopping excursion. We got there right as it opened at 9:00am, and bailed by about 10:15 as it started getting super-crowded. The rest of the day was spent in preparation for the Beer and Pasta gathering at Amanda and Nate’s apartment in Somerville. They were really very nice to offer their place for this event, and it was soo much fun to meet everyone. LaTortuga and husband also contributed beer, and btb even brought catnip toys for Amanda and Nate’s cats! I remember looking around and thinking – wow, here we have Holly, Evanflein, IleneForward, the Pro, etc, etc all in one place. It was just incredible. (Am I using too many superlatives?) Sunday we had bagels and coffee, courtesy of our own btb at his studio rental on Marlborough Street, before heading out to watch the women’s Olympic Marathon Trials. Incredibly thrilling to be up close to these fantastic runners 8 times, as they passed back and forth in front of us along the route. Sunday afternoon we rested, organized our gear for the next day and then headed across the street for a nice quiet pasta dinner at Maggiano’s. It was part of our tour group package, and we ate with perchcreek, and met some other folks in the group, including SpareRibs sister and brother-in-law who were very cool. Sunday night, as we were getting ready for bed, I noticed that my throat was sore. Uh oh. It continued to bother me during the night, but I pushed it to the back of my mind. This was absolutely not the time to even contemplate getting sick. Race Day Monday morning was a completely unnecessary hassle, as our bus got lost, the clock ticked, and we ended up bailing out of the bus to hoof it one mile to the start, then another half mile to Athlete’s Village. For WRFB, just enough time to check his bag, stand in the portapotty line, race back to the start and enter his corral as the gun went off. That timing was way too close, and led to some anxious moments. I waited around for the corrals to clear for the second wave, entered corral 20, and we were off. By then it was bright sun and a beautiful day. I had my pace band set for 4:05 which would have given me another qualifier. By mile 7, I was not happy with the perceived effort, and by mile 9, I had given up and never looked at the pace band again. Something just wasn’t right. I decided just to run by feel, maintaining a constant effort and trying to enjoy the crowds and the whole experience. The hills rolled up and down, and Wellesley was a happy madhouse. I began walking through some of the water stops, but stayed determined not to walk otherwise. At 20 miles, the Boomer Support Crew greeted me, and they were a welcome sight. By then, I’d conquered the first 3 Newton hills, and just had Heartbreak left. Caddisfli handed me a water bottle, and btb showed up beside me and somehow got me up that hill. I thanked him and told him to go on ahead. I know how painful it is for fast runners to go so slow. But this amazingly nice person stuck with me all the way in! What a sweetie! After the effort of Heartbreak, we chatted a bit during miles 21-23, giving me some much-needed distraction. Miles 23-26 were just grim, and I dug in and put one foot in front of the other. Amanda and Nate were at about the one-mile-to-go point, and I stopped for my hug. Amanda and I both got just a little emotional, and then I pulled away to finish it up. Final results: 4:27:58, just shy of my first-time marathon of 4:28:something. Still running a fever today – but I’m very thankful that I was able to start and finish. It was truly a memorable weekend. I think we’ll be back.

Nice job PDR. You worked so hard, for so long to get your BQ, it was great to read that it was worth it in every way. Your enjoyment come through loud and clear. Rest Up and get better now. Bill

Woohoooo! Not only did you meet goal #1 but you guys had a guest TV appearance I am so happy that you made it to Boston healthy (well soundness wise anyway) while DD1 was still there. I bet of all the things you thought would stop you, a sore throat wasn't on the list. But you persevered and finished in spite of it. I can only imagine how exciting the whole experience was, just spectating and cheering on the runners and especially looking for and spotting the ones you are there for is exciting in itself. It definitely is not a course to everyone's liking but getting there is the main thing. And how about The Beers, both with personal escorts for the last 6 miles? You guys rock (and so do Bob and Pro). Thanks again to Amanda and Nate for opening their home to all of us. And feel better soon! Barb

PDR! You are such a trooper. Congratulations---you made it to Boston and through the whole experience---sick and all! Your description of the last miles speaks volumes about your dedication and determination. While you weren't feeling your best, there was no way that you were going to miss that finish line. You also combined all of this with family and friends and that's an indelible imprint even with all the sore muscles and clueless bus drivers. I am worrying about your fever and hoping that it will break soon and that you recover in short order. I feel a special kinship because of the father connection and hope to cheer for you in person some day soon. Karin/CNYrunner

Ran a marathon and sick to boot - incredible! You should be very proud of yourself.

Harriet, congratulations for fulfilling your long time goal of running the Boston marathon. You have trained hard, you stayed healthy thru the process and you ran the race so well even when feeling under the weather. I was teary eyed when I read about how emotional you and your daughter were when you saw each other at the one-mile-to go point. She must be so proud of you as we all are. Please take your time to recover now and bask in your victory.

It sounds like a hard run race. Thank goodness you finished with out getting too ill. Thaks for the RR

great attitude,toughness and perserverance. Another couple of marathoner traits I'm hoping gain.