On April 16th, I ran the 111th Boston Marathon as a part of Team Hoyt! Along with my running partner, Michelle Jezycki, we completed in a time of 4 hours, 37 minutes. Since my 1st (and last) marathon time was 5:11, I was very happy. In fact, I'm still on a high!! Unfortunately Dick & Rick Hoyt didn't race since Rick underwent emergency surgery for a hip infection. Dick, however, was there to support his team and truly appreciates the donations in support of their cause. The team raised over $25,000. Michelle & I each did well with our fundraising and will happily donate the balance that we have commited to. For anyone interested in donating, please go to www.firstgiving.com/marian26
If you're not familiar with Dick and Rick Hoyt, please take a moment and click on this video clip. It is truly an amazing story of a father's love for his son and challenges that we can 'only imagine'!
http://www.teamhoyt.zrainmedia.com/videos/can1.htm
While Dick & Rick have run the Marathon 25 times. in addition to hundreds of other races, here's my little story of a very big day! Well, we did it! We finished the Boston Marathon despite the high winds, rain, and unseasonably cold weather! I think the toughest part of the race was getting ourselves to the starting line. After being blown across the street by gail force winds on the way to the pasta party the nite before, the thought of running 26.2 miles in wind you couldn't even walk in was rather daunting! At registration, we were handed the following weather advisory: April 13, 2007 Weather Advisory - 2007 Boston Marathon The Boston Athletic Association's medical team recommends the following precautions and advice for participants in Monday's Boston Marathon:
FORECAST:
The most up-to-date weather forecast calls for a predicted Spring storm on Monday, including heavy rains (potentially 3 to 5 inches), with the start temperatures in the mid to upper 30's. Wind will likely be East (in the face of the participants for most of the race) in the 20 to 25 mile per hour range, with gusts to as much as 50 miles per hour. This will produce a wind chill index of 25 to 30-degrees Fahrenheit. RISKS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR RUNNERS PARTICIPATING IN COLD AND WET CONDITIONS: Combined with the rain, we are concerned that predicted weather conditions will increase the runners' risks for a condition called hypothermia. As with any athletic competition, as a runner you are assuming the risks inherent with participation. It is your responsibility to be informed about the risks associated with running in the aforementioned conditions, and the risks of injury or illness will increase with these predicted conditions. Safe to say, the weather forcase COULD NOT have been worse!! Ok.so we wanted to be smart, responsible people about this. but why were 21,000+ others still planning on running? Shouldn't they cancel the race? Once it became apparent that this was not going to happen, we found some large Hefty bags, shower caps for our heads, and plastic store bags to tie around our shoes to keep them dry. We had the idea that we needed to do our best to keep dry while standing at the starting line for the 3 hours prior to the race.
Fortunately, by the time the race started, the rain and winds had subsided enough so that our Hefty bags were no longer blowing over our heads!! This of course meant that as the race started, runners began ripping off their plastic clothing..as well as their outer layers of wind pants, gloves, hats, jackets. try running in a crowd of 21,000 while trying not to trip over clothing scattered on the road!! It was unreal!! The 1st 12 miles FLEW by.. No problem!! Then, off in the distance we heard a loud roar of screaming girls. it was Wellesley College!! God Bless those college kids out in this weather to support us!! Screaming and cheering as though we were their hometown team winning the big game! It was unbelieveable!! That same crowd support then continued for most of the rest of the race route as we passed by Boston College and then into the downtown Boston area.
The weather was no doubt the worst we had ever run in. even through the cold Washington DC winter! At one point, the rain was horzontally blowing onto the right side of my face. we were showered by thousands of disposed paper cups at the water stations which hit us in the chest as they were scooped up by a gush of wind. I remember exchanging looks with Michelle periodically. like "what the *$!@ are we doing???? We then would put our heads down into the wind, pull our hats down tight, and continue to plow through the puddles along the road. (It's funny that after the race, Michelle overheard me telling my mother "the weather wasn't that bad.our shoes weren't really wet". Michelle says I was in 'survival mode'. Apparently, in my mind, I had shut out the weather conditions in order to keep moving forward). As a person who freaks out with the slightest chill, I still can't believe I ran in that weather!! I must be getting tough in my old age!! Every time we passed a mile marker, Michelle would say "so who's this mile for?" We picked one of our Team Hoyt donors to run each mile of the race for. It really helped us to keep focused on those who've supported us along the way, and to be greatful for the opportunity to run in this amazing race. Mile 20 was when the race itself really began getting difficult for me. At the top of what is known as "Heartbreak Hill" (i.e., the renouned 'killer hill' of the Boston Marathon), a couple of racers were being married on the side of the road!! It was enough for me to choke up and that little lump in my throat suddenly took my breath away! I mean I really couldn't breathe!! OK, so I just learned a lesson about getting emotional while undergoing extreme physical activiyt! (I have SO much to learn!!) We continued the next 6 miles into Boston. as we got nearer to the finish line, the crowds got louder.and there wasn't a muscle in my body that wasn't screaming at me!! Michelle of course wouldn't let me walk as much as I wanted to. you see she's more experienced and is smart enough to know that the more you walk, the harder it becomes to finish!! (sounds odd, I know!)
We finally rounded the last turn and saw the finish line banner a half mile in the distance. I had been in such a 'zone' for the last few miles that I wasn't talking, wasn't acknowledging the crowd.I was afraid that if I didn't focus 110 percent on moving forward, I wouldn't make it! Michelle on the other hand was waving at the crowds, high- fiving anyone whom she could reach, and expressing her jubilant exhileration!! "We're running Boston!!" Once we finally crossed the finish line, I again was filled with emotion. The excitement of it all.the crowd, the physical exhaustion, the realty of being a part of such a legendary race, the pride of knowing I can do anything I put my mind to. WOW. When's the next race???
Marian Huish, ASSOCIATE BROKER
Long and Foster, Chevy Chase
Washington DC 20015
(202)210-2346 (cell)
(202)318-3006 (fax))
marian@longandfoster.com
The Tougher the Challenge, the Bigger the Reward!
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