Remembering Boston 2014, part 2

First part of this is  here: http://alwaysatthestartingline.blogspot.com/2015/04/remembering-boston-2014-part-1.html 



On Patriot's Day, the athletic fields behind Hopkinton High School morph into Athlete's Village. Imagine Hampton Beach on a hot July day: wall-to-wall blankets, loud music, lots of folks napping, though that blue-green in the distance is definitely not the mighty Atlantic, but rather port-a-potty heaven.    

What we do for most of the morning of the race: head toward the bright light/ portable toilets.

Napping, chatting, eating, stressing -- all part of the pre-race prep.

Finally, we're called to the starting line.

We walk and walk and walk.

You see awesomeness everywhere.

And things that make you laugh. 

Packed. The start line is up ahead. Somewhere.

Last-minute photo ops.

Mile three, I caught up with Larry Macon, marathon maniac to the max: over 1,000 marathons. 

At mile 9.3, we get our pictures taken. 

Sometimes, you reconnect with old friends. Mile 10 in Natick.

What we see right after the Route 128 overpass. Good reminder to stay strong, because the bigger hills are just down the street.

Some folks say the hills are the worst. This is the section of the course I hate the most, the 128 overpass.

Now we are all Tom Brady. This is at the Newton Fire Station, where the crowd goes wild.

Kindness everywhere on the Newton hills. The sun was brutal. This guide put together a makeshift sunbrella for his runner.

We attack the hills.

My parents always wait for me around mile 20, and always say, as I approach, "We were just about to leave! What took you so long?" Which explains so much. . .

In some ways. . .

Feats of strength. Around mile 23.This young guy qualified for Boston at an earlier marathon, then got injured a few weeks before Patriot's Day. Rather than give up, he opted to crutch the entire way, breaking one of his hands in the process.

Amazing grace. Dick and Rick Hoyt.

The Hoyt support team, around mile 24. Kenmore Square straight ahead.

This is Boylston Street. I stood here forever and drank it all in.

You can see the finish in the distance.

Finish lines are just starting lines in disguise.

Remembering Boston 2014, part 1

Boston 2015 approaches, and I can't help but think back to last year. The previous year too, of course and always.

Boston 2014 was my fourteenth marathon and my eighth Boston Marathon. I know the course like I know the back of my hand. I have my favorite parts: mainly from mile 13 on, particularly Kenmore Square to the finish. I have the parts I try to block out: mainly the first half, which feels like it lasts for days, especially Framingham where it seems all the spectators smoke, and that one section of concrete desert, around mile 16 that goes up and over 128.

I knew going into the race that it was going to be a slow day. The truth? I didn't care one bit about my time. I ran to say thank you: to the parents, grandparents, little kids, drunk college students, police officers, volunteers, everyone else lining the course, and to the American Liver Foundation, for getting me to my first Boston Marathon starting line in 2001.

I was geeked out. I wore a fanny pack so I could carry my aging cellphone and the heavy charger that kept it working. My plan was to stop and take pictures along the way, so I could remember every moment. I've been looking at those pictures these last few days. Figured it's time to share them. They're not great photos, but they bring back some awesome memories. Here's my visual take on that day. Because blogspot is being weird and/or I am an idiot when it comes to technology, I'm breaking this up into sections. Here's the second part:

http://alwaysatthestartingline.blogspot.com/2015/04/remembering-boston-2014-part-2.html


Woke up at 5 and found this note, left on the kitchen counter for me by my older daughter. 

The kid gets me. 

   Then I got dressed.

Lots of sadness. Lots of gratitude too. 

A friend drove me to the EMC parking lot off Route 495 in Hopkinton, where many runners catch shuttle buses to Athlete's Village.

About 7:30 a.m. Security was tight.

We used to get these great bags for storing our pre-race/ post-race clothes. We used to have baggage buses that would take our things to the finish line. Last year, anything we took with us to Athlete's Village  -- in our small, transparent bags, had to stay behind. Our pre-race clothes were either donated to charities or tossed. We had no bags waiting for us at the finish line. Safety first.

That red sweatshirt was older than me.

For more: 

http://alwaysatthestartingline.blogspot.com/2015/04/remembering-boston-2014-part-2.html