I had mixed feelings the entire weekend. I was supposed to run with my sister, Cheryl. We'd been planning this weekend for over a year and a half. She got a stress fracture the week before in Disney World. My heart ached for her that she was there with a boot on her leg, in pain, and couldn't run. She was the best coach and cheerleader supporter! On the other hand, my sister, Becca, bought a last minute plane ticket and ran in Cheryl's place. She was training for her first marathon in a couple months and jumped at the opportunity to run Boston. It was so much fun running with Becca! I also got to meet, share a room, and spend time with Steam8. We adopted her as another sister. Running aside, it was a great girls weekend! According to the BAA "this is an experience- NOT a race." Thank you BAA for taking the pressure off. It definitely wasn't my best race. In fact, I got a Personal Worst (PW). (Other runners at the finish were talking about their PW's. This was the first time I'd even heard the term). I really felt the record breaking heat! The "relative pace" was so much slower. A half mile into it I switched from "race mode" to "fun mode." With that said, this was an AMAZING "EXPERIENCE!" I couldn't believe the energy and crowd support! There are so many kind people in the world! I appreciated all the locals who hooked up their garden hoses to spray us off, the little kids who handed out popsicles, the people who passed out oranges and bananas, and all the other people cheering along the way. I kept saying, "This is so much fun!" and "I can't believe I'm here." I walked, ate, and drank a ton! I ran by the Hospital I was born in. I saw so many inspirational people on the course. (Team Hoyt is one of my favorites). I tried to enjoy every minute of it. Becca and I powered up Heartbreak hill. I could tell she wanted to push the last couple of miles in so I hid behind someone so she wouldn't see me and so she would feel free to kick it in. I on the other hand, kept the pace. It wasn't worth it to me to push it in the heat when our time was already slow. I'm a baby. I don't like breathing hard. I wanted to stay in "fun mode" and not cross over to "race mode." Cheryl was the best. I heard her voice and then saw her right on the fence in the middle of thousands of people on the final stretch cheering for me. I can't describe my emotions when I crossed the finish line. I cried with happiness when the medal was placed around my neck and when I saw Becca, Cheryl, and Steam8. This was a race and weekend I will never forget! Splits: 5K 27:33 10K 56:36 15K 1:24:37 20K: 1:54:37 1st HALF 2:00:32 25K: 2:24:00 30K: 2:55:08 35K 3:23:00 40K 3:50:30 42K 4:03:17 2nd HALF 2:02:45
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