26331

26331 runners signed up for the 113th Boston Marathon. I, of course, was one of those runners.  Runner 25326 to be exact. The number of people needed to support the logistics for 26331 people is astounding and the Boston Athletic Association does an excellent job keeping things moving smoothly. Boston is a great Marathon, though there are plenty of potential gotchas, the crowd is always a treat.

Special thanks for this Marathon go to Robyn and the girls, the nice folks at Enter Stage Left Theater in Hopkinton - especially Kelly Grill and Susan Bushe, and, of course, the very organized folks at the Boston Athletic Association.

The day started out foggy. The forecast called for late afternoon rain. It was expected to hit 50 degrees and a westerly wind of 5-10 mph was in store.

I wore shorts and a T-shirt and was cold for the 1st 7 miles. Ugh. 

This was perhaps one of my best marathons from a pace management standpoint. I started out slow and got progressively faster all the way to the end. The first mile took about 11 minutes. The last one took about 7:30. My average pace was around 8m 30s. Not my fastest marathon, coming at 3:45, but definitely my strongest.

Miles 1-5 were slow and easy and cold. Most energy was spent breaking out of the crowd. I visited with a 60 year old guy who had run 123 marathons. That's right 123. He will run up 14 marathons in a year and 5 marathons in 6 weeks. Wow.

Miles 6-13 were faster and chilly - the wind started to pick up. I saw some co-workers while passing through Natick and had a quick visit with friends Rick, Peg, and Dominic Spada.

Miles 13-21 were highlighted by a brief visit with wife Robyn and daughters Kathryn and Emma. We exchanged hugs and kisses and they gave me lots of cheer. Fun "go Dad" and "you can do it" signs were flying high. The last four miles of this segment were spent on the infamous Heartbreak Hill. Wow - what a run. I ran steadily on each each uphill and ran even faster on each downhill.  The announcer at the top of the hill said "you just finished Heartbreak Hill". I cheered. Loud.

Miles 22-26.2 were fast and faster. I had my doubts around mile 25 but managed to keep up a steady pace and ran clear through to the finish. A nice bit during this segment was the college crowd through the BC area. As I got into one segment of the crowds were a wee bit subdued. I waved and shouted "show me the love!" and the crowd went wild. What fun. A free buzz from all the spectators.

Mile 26.2 was the bomb. I ran a steady pace right to the finish. On careful consideration I determined that a sprint to the end would not be prudent and chose slow-and-steady instead. Crossing the finish, I had a ton of cheer and just enough energy to be jubilant with the volunteers at the finish.

Overall, an excellent race. The heavy head-wind was a severe impediment though the overall impact was small. Each race presents new challenges, the key to a good marathon - like so many other things - is setting reasonable goals before you start, and making every reasonable attempt to meet them.

A peaceful heart

This past Tuesday - a week ago today. I got a phone call from my dad informing me that his brother suddenly died. At first I was aghast. He must be joking, right? I soon realized he was not joking. My uncle died of a massive heart attack while watching TV on Tuesday March 31st.

My first reaction was "that could be me!" I quickly checked my thoughts and decided that my current diet and exercise plan are well in line with a healthy lifestyle. Then, to the extent I could I went back to work.

Over the next few days, my wife and I talked about it more and it began to consume our days. The consumption showed up in strange ways. We argued about this and that. We felt hurried and struggled to finish things. We spent extra time reading to the kids at night.

Now dad and his wife and my sister and my other uncle and his family have all come to visit and the funeral has come and gone, we are starting to reset our lives.

Looking back, I see my thoughts fall into three groups.

1) What about my aunt and cousins? These three are the most closely affected and how will they make things work? My uncle was the main guy in their lives. How will they fit it all together without him? And how can I help? This last question is perhaps the hardest one.

2) What about my relationship to them? It is sadly too late to make changes to my relationship with my uncle, but what about my aunt and cousins? How can I improve that?

3) What about my life? What changes have I been putting off? Are there other relationships I'd like to mend or start? What about my health?

Over the past few days these questions showed up initially as demands. I need to do this. I should do that. Since I've been so regular with my exercise, it's easier for me to regain my footing and see things more rationally.

Exercise has not fixed everything for me but it's the penny I keep putting in the jar. The simple thing I keep up with that pays me back on rainy days.

I'll surely miss my uncle and it may be a few more days of pondering these questions.