Too long for a post, but here it goes....:

Hi Everyone! It is now 2008 and I have started training for my third Boston marathon with LLS/Team in Training. Let me start off by saying that 2007 was a memorable marathon in so many ways. I'd like to say thanks to some wonderful people:

• Bob Roppolo: For letting me run for John, for supporting our Team on our 20 miler, for bringing us to the start line race day morning, for meeting us at the 15 mile mark, for taking wonderful photos, for meeting us at the END, and for helping us celebrate the finish. I am so glad to have gotten to know Bob throughout our training and to have the honor of running in memory of John. I feel lucky to have met such a wonderful person and am happy to have him as a friend. Tim and I raised about 15,000 dollars for LLS last year, and we dedicate that to John, Chris' mom, and to all those who have suffered or are battling blood cancers!




• Chris Lynn: For letting me run for her mother, for supporting our Team on our 20 miler (wow this is sounding a lot like the thank you I just made!), for bringing us to the start and all the race day support just like Bob provided-for making our apartment a celebration space when we finally made it in and for running with us in Wellesley! You were the one who got me started with TNT and I will always see you as my big time hero.




• Walter Lynn: For coming up to Boston for the race, supporting us and celebrating with us, and for letting me run in honor of your wife. You inspire me with your half marathons to keep working for a good cause!




• My coaches, Rick and Lori: What great people! Rick and Lori are with MA Team in Training for their last year, and I feel lucky every day. They live the message that one person can change the world and I thank them for being an inspiration in my life.




• All the people who supported my run, whether through buying coffee, sending donations, forwarding news of my run, or writing to support me! My friends have always been such a great source of support for me, donating art, attending fundraising parties, donating money, and ordering coffee, even if they don't drink a lot of it!

Okay, let's see what I can remember about race day:

Chris and Bob picked us up EARLY race day morning. As some of you might recall, the weather conditions were cold, windy and RAINY. Here was the written weather warning from the Boston Athletic Association:

FORECAST:The most up-to-date weather forecast calls for a predicted Spring storm on Monday, including heavy rains (potentially 3 to 5 inches), with the start temperatures in the mid to upper 30's. Wind will likely be East (in the face of the participants for most of the race) in the 20 to 25 mile per hour range, with gusts to as much as 50 miles per hour. This will produce a wind chill index of 25 to 30-degrees Fahrenheit.For further information: http://baa.org/News.asp?NewsID=234

We made sure to pack warm clothes for standing in the village before the race, and plenty of rain gear and garbage bags to drape us at the start. Chris and Bob's jokes and support made the trek out to Hopkinton sooo bearable- I didn't even notice the distance the way I usually do ("wow- 26.2 miles is taking a LONG time to get to!"). They dropped us at the shuttle bus and told us they would meet us later and Tim and I headed to the athlete's village.

We met our Team-mates just briefly before being called to the start. The usual port-a-potty lines, last minute checks for gear, and time for inner focusing.... We threw our gear onto the buses (which would take them to the finish line) and headed towards the corrals.

As every year, the start is such a kick- the energy of people who are raring to go, the music and megaphones, the sheer mass of feet, adrenaline, and determination! This as usual was the place to watch feet, people, and make our way carefully down through the first few miles.

Weather: The weather started off worse than it ended up, with rain, headwind and a chill to the air. I used my defensive strategy by tucking behind runners ahead of me and letting them absorb the wind. Let them duke it out, I thought. :)

By the time we got to Wellesley, the rain had abated. The runners were wet, but on the good side, not overheated, and everyone we saw at our stop seemed in good shape and spirits. Chris and Bob were lovely to meet us with water and towels at the community center and to check on our general well-being. Jacques and Ruth met us there as well- Chris in her TNT outfit and Jacques in his running gear to join us for the difficult three miles between Wellesley and the Newton Hills. Jacques- you are an amazing person and having you there for those miles made such a difference to us both. Thanks for taking the time to train and all the logistics to run and navigate back that busy, hilly route! Ruth, I am so happy to have had your support and gotten to know you as a friend. Thanks to both of you! Chris- you know what I think and anytime you need a bandit to run with you in S.F. or wherever you race next, I will be there!

The Hills: The Newton hills were difficult again, and Tim had cramping, which downgraded us to a walk/run. We were joined after Heartbreak Hill with another Team in Training runner who was having some difficulties. We worked together and made our way down Beacon Street. As we passed by Kenmore Square, I spotted my friend Natalia, who cheered us from the front of her apartment complex, and shortly after, bumped into my teammate, awesome runner Anna Royer. We ran together for a ways and before we knew it, were turning the corner to see Dave Tierney's smiling face and head out onto Boylston Street at the finish. Our friends Bert, Yuko and Andy lined Boylston Street and waved us on to the finish line, and Chris, Walt and Bob magically appeared as we crossed and made our way to the finishers chute.

How did we do?: We didn't beat our goal of running within 4 hours, but we DID improve our time by about a minute. I finished in 4:14:31, which, considering the headwind, rainy, cold weather and the cramping Tim had, was really great!

We waited a loong time for our bags from the bus, walked gingerly to the Team in Training suite, and met our coaches to let them know we finished and met up with our friend Bert. We had a WONDERFUL dinner at our fave pizza joint Woody's with our friends and what else can I say? It was a GREAT experience, worthwhile on so many levels and I am so pleased to have run for John and for Gerry.

AND... now we are off to the new year! We are running for the Team again and I will be writing about my honored hero and my experiences so far with the training season. I just want to thank everyone for all they've done for LLS and for making it possible for us as runners to keep supporting the mission to fight blood cancers. That's it for now!