Epilogue to the whining about Boston...

Remember that post last week, where I wallowed in self-pity about maybe not getting into the Boston Marathon for 2014?

Nevermind.

I am officially on the entrants list!  My three-minute buffer was enough to qualify this time!

The last week and a half have been so very draining...

I went from pessimistic (which is really out of my character) to a tiny bit hopeful when I found out registration would indeed go into week two (as it is a staggered entry, with fastest qualifiers given the opportunity to register in the first week, and, if any spaces remain, people like me with an "under 5 minute" buffer are allowed in the second week).

I didn't register until almost the end of week two, as I wanted to delay the agony of waiting to hear back from them (they would let everyone who registered during week two know at the same time, after the week of registration was over) for as long as I could.

In the end, almost 3000 more people registered than they had space for. Ouch.

I crossed my fingers (and toes) and held my breath and waited until Sept. 25th.

They promised an email either way on that day.

I can't say I was totally focused on my Professional Development that morning (at least I wasn't supposed to be teaching) as I kept checking for emails every 2 seconds few minutes or so. I was a jittery ball of nerves, waiting, hoping, anticipating good news from the B.A.A.  (my eternal optimist returned at some point after I had registered...)

Hours later, after getting tired of an empty email folder, I checked the B.A.A. website for their Official Entrants list. There it was: "Amy Robitaille". Yahoo!

I was excited and relieved.

Since finding out I am lucky enough to return to the race, I have had some emotional ups and downs, for sure. I think back in April I packed away some of the emotions and thoughts about the marathon that were uncomfortable and upsetting. I now know that I will actually be returning to the race. I will leave my children home again, assuming we will "just be away for a couple of days"  Once again, I will board the bus to Hopkinton, leavng Papa behind, assuming I will safely make it back to the finish line.  I will get excited about the race itself. The crowds and the spectacle will be amazing. I expect nothing less than wonderful there.

The other night I had the opportunity to chat with a former colleague of mine; someone I have not seen in many years. She, too, had been in Boston that day. She was one of the many many runners that were forced to stop on the way to the finish line. Her story was unreal. Her Garmin read 41.5km. She was so close.  She said they were simply told to stop. That something happened at the finish. So many of them assumed that they would actually be able to start running again after a short delay, as they had no idea what the "something" was at the finish line.

We discussed our experiences with the tragedy, yes. But we spent more time talking about the rest of the race. The good stuff. The crowds and the cheering, the starting line, the history and the parts that make this race the event that it is. The stuff that no one seems to ask about anymore.

The next six months will be exciting, and full of training. Lots of long runs, speed work, and a dash of triathlon stuff thrown in for good measure (you didn't think I was going to give up on the triathlon goals fr next summer just because I am registered for a spring marathon, did you?!).

My long run this morning was lovely.  A beautiful day full of optimism, sunshine, and a cool breeze.  Best 14 miles in weeks!

So lucky to run on these roads!

Happy Running