2014 RiffRaff Unicorn Mafia
Boston itself was a lovely place to prep for the race -- Italian food at every corner, including gelato and pastries. Plus, there was so much to see during my short trots around the North End, Back Bay, and Cambridge areas -- historic buildings, statues, old-school ships, and gorgeous campuses galore.
The night before the race left me a little worried, as I'm not 100% sure I digested the chicken/risotto/mozzarella combo I ate for dinner. Nonetheless, I got a good, hard night's sleep and woke up to guzzle water at 4:30 a.m. I continued to hydrate until my husband left me at the bus loading zone, which was about a mile's walk away.
The ride to Hopkinton seemed to take hours. All I could think about was, "Damn, I have to run all of this way back?" When we finally got there, I was ushered into the Athlete's Village, where I found COFFEE and a port-a-potty. Perfect combo!
After I got my fill at the Village, I ventured out to find Karen and warmth on one of the fancier buses. An hour later, it was time for Wave 2 to gather. By happenstance, we ran into Sassy, Rob, and Panther, who I stuck with for the mile-or-so walk to the starting line and several miles beyond.
Every minute after that was a blur. We all took off at a comfortable pace, which must have been too fast since Panther kept telling us to slow down. I recall uninterrupted lines of people cheering, holding signs or with hands stretched out for a high-five. The energy never slowed, and it kept me going even when the voices in my head started freaking out about the number of miles I had left to go.
The "plan" stayed forefront -- take it easy through mile 16, then be prepared for a challenge before the downhill slope into the heart of Boston. For the first 12 miles, I felt like I was floating. I passed a guy wearing an Auburn shirt at some point just to tell him ROLL TIDE!
The minute it stopped feeling easy, I downed a gel pack and tuned into the crowd. Occasionally, I felt tears welling up as I tried to process each moment. I recall seeing some really inspiring runners, some without limbs or who were visually impaired -- totally undeterred and running strong!
I really can't recount most of what happened for the next 12 miles, but I do remember Heartbreak Hill -- long and steady, but nothing someone coming from Austin couldn't conquer.
By mile 24, I was dying and thinking to myself, "Okay, climb the wall. MUST. NOT. GIVE. UP." I downed my fourth goo of the day and powered through.
I saw Justin (my husband) right before rounding the corner to the finish line. His smile gave me just the boost I needed to pick up speed to the finish line. Panther caught up to me not long after I crossed and told me I finished around 03:22 -- and he was right! At a chip time of 03:22:08, I PR'd by almost two minutes. That notion was enough to distract me from the way-too-long walk to the post-race water stop.
Aside from finishing strong, the second biggest win of the day was celebrating with the RiffRaff team, followed by making it up the four flights of stairs to our rented brownstone apartment.
Boston, you were a blast!
The ride to Hopkinton seemed to take hours. All I could think about was, "Damn, I have to run all of this way back?" When we finally got there, I was ushered into the Athlete's Village, where I found COFFEE and a port-a-potty. Perfect combo!
After I got my fill at the Village, I ventured out to find Karen and warmth on one of the fancier buses. An hour later, it was time for Wave 2 to gather. By happenstance, we ran into Sassy, Rob, and Panther, who I stuck with for the mile-or-so walk to the starting line and several miles beyond.
Every minute after that was a blur. We all took off at a comfortable pace, which must have been too fast since Panther kept telling us to slow down. I recall uninterrupted lines of people cheering, holding signs or with hands stretched out for a high-five. The energy never slowed, and it kept me going even when the voices in my head started freaking out about the number of miles I had left to go.
The "plan" stayed forefront -- take it easy through mile 16, then be prepared for a challenge before the downhill slope into the heart of Boston. For the first 12 miles, I felt like I was floating. I passed a guy wearing an Auburn shirt at some point just to tell him ROLL TIDE!
The minute it stopped feeling easy, I downed a gel pack and tuned into the crowd. Occasionally, I felt tears welling up as I tried to process each moment. I recall seeing some really inspiring runners, some without limbs or who were visually impaired -- totally undeterred and running strong!
I really can't recount most of what happened for the next 12 miles, but I do remember Heartbreak Hill -- long and steady, but nothing someone coming from Austin couldn't conquer.
By mile 24, I was dying and thinking to myself, "Okay, climb the wall. MUST. NOT. GIVE. UP." I downed my fourth goo of the day and powered through.
I saw Justin (my husband) right before rounding the corner to the finish line. His smile gave me just the boost I needed to pick up speed to the finish line. Panther caught up to me not long after I crossed and told me I finished around 03:22 -- and he was right! At a chip time of 03:22:08, I PR'd by almost two minutes. That notion was enough to distract me from the way-too-long walk to the post-race water stop.
Aside from finishing strong, the second biggest win of the day was celebrating with the RiffRaff team, followed by making it up the four flights of stairs to our rented brownstone apartment.
Boston, you were a blast!
No comments:
Post a Comment