Have to start by saying running Boston was amazing and feel so very lucky to have done it along with so many others from our area. I ran it with Karen Smith from Idaho Falls who I’ve never ran with. We knew ahead of time that we were very similar and had the same goals. Here’s how the numbers look: 10K – 53.38 Half – 1:58:02 Finish – 4:11:24 Starting place (bib number) - #19946 Finishing place - #10848 (I passed 9098 people!) Age group (females) – 156th out of 808 Karen and I made it up to the Runners Village pretty early and ran into into Marlin, Jeff, Walter, Rob & Steve. Had just met most of them (Walter, Rob & Steve) the night before at dinner. They looked happy to be there and ready to go. Once Karen and I got to our corral I couldn’t believe how hot it was and we were just starting! Karen had brought us white cotton towels that we got wet and put around our necks. I was happy with the pace for the first 10K and hoped that we would not pay the price later on. But, I wanted to bank any time we could early on. As we were going along there were water stations everywhere and we ended up stopping at them all. It was alright for a while because I poured water over me every chance I could. But then I started not to like stopping – to time consuming. Around mile 10 or so we stopped for pit stop #1 (PoP). For a couple of miles I could tell I was getting over hydrated so I knew it was time to cut back. We had found some kids passing out baggies of ice so we grabbed two. I stuck mine in my back top. It was pretty cold! A guy passed me saying he’d buy it for $100 and pay me at the end. Pretty funny. Karen had her husband and family meeting her between mile 16 & 17. Each time I looked back she was right behind me, but then was gone. I decided to run into a PoP to see if I could possibly find her afterwards. I did not see her the whole rest of the course! The remainder of the course was still just hot. I knew I wouldn’t make 4 hours but wanted to get as close as possible. It was fun running by Wellsely College hearing everyone yelling and giving high fives. Running up Newton Hill and Heartbreak Hill were a pain. I think more so due to the heat than anything else!!! I was happy to be within 5 miles to the finish and kept thinking just get it done!!! My legs were extremely heavy (this actually started around mile 10) and my hips were as tight as could be. I’ve learnt that the race I run is completely different than what Marlin runs. It is a completely different experience with different expectations. There was a lot of digging deep to find the strength to run the whole course rather than break down and walk. Walking was not an option. I know everyone has their own reasons for running. One thing my father drilled in my head growing up was you're the caption of your own ship!!! What an experience!!! Boston was AMAZING!!! | 