” I think I managed to trick my brain this way, especially since I’d surrendered to walking every aid station we came by. In part, I felt a little lazy since I’d never done this before, but more so I think it was necessary to keep my energy up and to keep my head in the game. Quite simply, I just wasn’t in shape enough nor prepared for the heat enough to fight through the pain of those miles, and without a goal other than to finish…why suffer more?
If miles 21-24 were a chug-a-long fest, I’d say that I started to rise in spirits when we got to mile 24.5 or so. The crowds were thick and loud, and knowing I had less than 2 miles to go was encouraging. Anything more than that had seemed demoralizing before that, but now I started to feel the excitement of finishing. While I didn’t have a lot of doubt that I would finish the race, I realized early on that I would be completely heartbroken if for some reason I wouldn’t be able to finish. That thought was motivation enough to push through, no matter how slow it felt.
And slow it was. I knew my pace had dropped considerably and my form was nowhere to be found. But I kept smiling, and it was hard not to with the support of the cheering crowds. I tried to focus a lot as well on the other runners around me. Thinking that we’d all taken on this journey together was a really moving thing, and I tried to take in the moment of being one of the people who were nearing our way to the Boston finish line. After mile 25, I vowed to ignore my desire to walk, push the pain aside, and take in the rest of the race. I remembered my mantra that the marathon is supposed to be hard, and that’s why it’s so great. Channeling that internal motivation didn’t stop me from grabbing a grape ice-pop from a little boy at this point though…desperate times, man. And oh baby did that taste good.
Approaching the right turn onto Hereford, I started to get really excited. Excited to be done, obviously, but excited to experience the moment that 5 months ago I didn’t think was possible. I remembered how running this race was just a dream to the girl who was too sick to leave the house, and how I owed it to her to savor and love every moment of the finishing stretch. I drew so much energy from the crowds, and despite how slow I may have been moving and how tired my legs were, I don’t really remember feeling anything other than joy.
The left turn onto Boylston was euphoric. It was the picture that kept me motivated through these past few months of frustrating runs, and to see it in real life was the most beautiful and satisfying thing. I soaked it all in, smiled at every face I saw, and choked up a bit when I finally saw my fiancee cheering for me near the finish line. After a few more strides, the blue paint came into view and I had made it: I was a Boston Marathon finisher!
I stopped my watch and looked at the cumulative time for the first time since the halfway mark. 4:08, an average pace of 9:25/mile, and over 20 minutes slower than I’d ever run a marathon before. But I couldn’t have cared less. My heart was so full, and I was so happy to have just been a part of a race that was so much bigger than the time on the clock or the outcome of individuals.
Afterwards, it was fairly standard post-marathon procedure: I received my medal (a highlight!), was draped in my finisher’s cape, and very, very slowly made my way toward the exit. Luckily, I didn’t really feel sick or light headed much at all, but my legs were like bricks. I met up with my cheering crew, and Adam and I made our way back to our temporary apartment to rest, shower, etc. Climbing the two flights of stairs to get to the apartment was laughable.
The rest of the day isn’t all that exciting. I took an ice bath (big self-pats on the back for that one), laid on the bed in a curled up ball for a while, and made all necessary phone calls to my family. I was completely overwhelmed with the amount of support I’d received throughout the day, and I floated like a cloud throughout the rest of the night.
Soreness, stomach, and personal-worst times aside, this was an incredible experience. I felt so honored to have been a part of such a historic race, and the outpouring of love for one another was an incredible thing to witness. This race was a true testament to the glory of the marathon; the demonstration of the power of the human spirit. This glory was glowing throughout every runner, fan, and volunteer out there, and it was a beautiful thing to witness.
Thank you all so much for your support over these past several months and this past weekend. This community has been an incredible source of comfort and strength for me through the good times and the bad, and I couldn’t be prouder to be a part of it.
Congrats to all who participated in Boston on Monday!!!
Soooo many smiles! I’m so proud of you for enjoying it! Also, really disappointed in you for not accepting even one free kiss.
Holy cow, Robyn. You are a beast. I am promptly bookmarking this post as one of my “marathon inspiration” posts to look at when I finally decide to tackle another 26.2.
I am in awe of you, your speed, and your perseverance. I know this training cycle sucked for you at times, but your PW time really isn’t that bad. I can only imagine what an incredible experience this must have been for you. 🙂
Great job! Sounds like an incredible day!
I am sorry it was a tough race in so many ways, but you are such an inspiration! Your perseverence is incredible. Loved reading your recap, it gave me such a wonderful glimpse in to the Boston marathon!
First of all I hope you are purchasing every single one of those photos because they are all amazing and you look strong in all of them (even the hill one!). Super duper proud of your positive attitude and outlook through all of the training and the race. It sounds like you experienced Boston exactly the way a marathoner should. Now…keep running cause we need you to run all the miles at Ragnar 😉
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Pingback: Boston Marathon Training Weeks #1 and 2 | Run Birdie RunThey change one random thing in the code and the ripples somehow cause unforeseen consequences, they couldn't add a third Nemesis zombie because their game can't handle it and perk tiers are apparently the coconut jpg of DbD and can't be touched.

The question isn't why haven't they made a new game mode, it's how the hell has their single game mode not imploded yet. And due to the live service nature of the game and the many licenses they've accrued they have nearly no reason to want to make a proper sequel to fix any of these issues.Kolkata: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has given another shock to the ruling party of West Bengal. While Partha Chatterjee, a key leader in the school jobs scam, has already been arrested, the state’s chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has recently been summoned. As part of the coal smuggling scam case, it has clarified that it will attend the hearing at its office in Kolkata on Friday.
We have issued summons to Abhishek Banerjee to appear before our officers. Our officers will come from Delhi to interrogate him.’ Said a senior ED official. On the other hand, Mamata, who participated in a rally in Kolkata on Monday, criticized the BJP. Allegedly, there are chances of central investigation agencies giving notices to his nephew. As she thought, the ED issued the summons on the very next day.
<reponame>captain-radko/Project-Defense
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