After months of training, I am happy to report that I completed the Marathon injury fee! I knew that there were many warnings out to defer the race until next year because of the heat but….no way was I going to quit due to a little warm weather. Sunday night, I was nervous. I ate as much as I could without feeling stuffed. I drank plenty of water and a bottle of Gatorade before bed. I even consulted with my neighbor who has run several Boston Marathons and listened to all of his advice on hydrating the night before and drinking more Gatorade in the morning. I decided to spend the night at a friend’s house in Hopkinton so that I wouldn’t have to get up so early and actually slept through the night. Monday morning I ate banana pumpkin bread and a spoon full of peanut butter. I was still a little nervous and couldn’t stomach much more than that.
With so many runners at the start, I gradually picked up my pace. I can’t say that the heat didn’t affect me because it did. Thank God for the kindness of strangers with water hoses, bags of ice, orange slices and bananas along the route. I made a pact with my running partner Sherwyn Rocke that we would run at a slower pace and well we did. By the time I hit mile 23, I was done. I thought to myself, really 3.6 more to go! Ugggg! The crowd will get you going and totally motivated me to the finish along with my fellow runners who also looked as though they were starving for the finish line. After four hours and 30 minutes of walking, running and a little dancing with the local musicians, I finished! I am so grateful to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for this opportunity and can now say that I ran the Boston Marathon in extreme heat and finished strong! What a tremendous experience this has been for me and for my family.
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