More corrals! All of the runners, including myself, were herded forward to make sure there was no congestion. Again, I was amazed by how organized the event was and how well all of the volunteers worked together. I got my finisher’s medal, took off the race chip that had been used to track my progress along the course, got my bag that had been transported from the starting line (more fantastic organization), and another goodie bag- runners get a lot of goodie bags! I met up with my boyfriend and our friends we had stayed the night with. We walked about half a mile to the subway- going down the stairs was brutal- and got back to their apartment in just a couple of minutes. Bear in mind that their apartment was only ¾ of a mile away from the finish line, but my boyfriend and our friend expressed concern that they were worried the extra ¼ mile might be too much for me. In all honesty, I think my boyfriend- a powerlifter who considers 5 minutes on the treadmill “cardio”- and his friend- a heavy smoker- were thinking more about their own legs/lungs than mine.

 

The rest of the day and our trip home were uneventful. We thanked our friends for being so accommodating. I ate some delicious Pad Tai in the car- don’t ask me why that’s what I craved, but I did. In the days following my return I enjoyed recanting the tale of my experience to my friends, family, and coworkers. I was really excited that email correspondence among all of the Team Hoyt charity runners continued even after the marathon. Reflecting back on the race, I still couldn’t believe that it was over and done with. If anyone had told me a year ago that in late April I would be recovering from running in the Boston Marathon I probably would have laughed at them. Running for myself was fantastic- running for a charity like the Hoyt Foundation was even better. The pride I feel every time I tell someone about the race, and my experiences leading up to it, is fantastic. Soon after that surge of pride the thought of the thousands of other runners who accomplished the same thing I did overwhelms me. Then I think about Dick pushing Rick for the entire race, and not just for this race, but for their 999 races leading up to it, and I get goose bumps. Isn’t it funny that one event can make a person feel both special and unique, but also almost insignificant at the same time? Overall, this was both the most empowering and most humbling experience of my life. Running the Boston Marathon brought out more in me than I ever could have imagined and it made me an amazing person- one of over 26,000 amazing people.