6:45a on April 19th. I stand with 20,000 people, like cattle being led to the slaughter. It is 35 degrees, overcast, windy and I am wearing shorts (what was I thinking?). We are waiting to pack onto school buses and be driven 26.2 miles outside the city of Boston. It is Patriots Day, so the schools are out and I quickly learning the theme of the day is ‘if you aren’t running, you’re drinking’. You have to love Bostonians.
The mood is somber. We have all worked so hard to get to this point ‘to run the Boston Marathon’. It is all business. I meet some interesting folks but the conversations are about qualifying times, personal records, injuries and sacrifice. There is no funny business – no Disney-like costumes, no ‘Rock n’ Roll bands’, no shouts or laughing, not even an Elvis impersonator in the crowd! – just the quiet reality the day has finally arrived.
Sometimes you just have to laugh –
Someone once said ‘Laughter is the best medicine.’ and for most of my childhood and adult life, I have lived by those words. I like to believe I am light-hearted and others enjoy being around me because of my sense of humor. I always laugh hardest and loudest at myself. Like my father (alter ego of Andy Griffith…and yes, that Southern), I love to cut up and joke around.
10:30 am. You could hear a pin drop at the start line. Everyone is looking at their watches, monitors of all shapes and sizes, stretching, getting ready to run their ‘personal’ best (including me). We had purpose. No silliness allowed!
I ran the race I had anticipated for the first 13.1 miles. I was on pace for my goal! There was only one problem, I wasn’t having any FUN. No one wanted to chat – where was Ken, where were Meredeth and Cameron. I missed my buddies! I wanted to tell jokes, talk about the weather, share the humor of 26,000 people running like crazy people for hours on end – strung out on gels and goos and beans…oh my. And for what – a medal and a free banana?
It’s OK to walk sometimes –
Although I had the thoughts, prayers and wishes of so many people with me, it wasn’t quite enough to make it up Heartbreak Hill. I said early on Boston would be the last marathon I would run alone. It was a great experience but with so many wonderful people in my life, I am ready for the challenges I can truly share with others for a common goal and FUN. I finished the Boston Marathon in a respectable time and after beating myself up for walking more than I had hoped, I had to laugh to myself. I can walk, I can run, I am incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity so few people have ‘to run the Boston Marathon’. And most importantly, I can laugh and try not to take life so seriously.
Colorado: The Next Chapter –
I have my trail shoes and am getting my ‘gear’ together for one of the most ambitious and adventurous events of my life. I am starting to get really excited about the unknown. In the end, what else is there to look forward to but that which we have not yet experienced.
And the best part about our upcoming Colorado run…I know Ken won’t take me seriously or let me take myself seriously. After all, any 42 year-old man who takes Hip-Hop Zumba must be laughing all the way to the locker room…
KEIYH
(editors note: in the above photo, Lynn was "Just Behind" the race leaders. Oh so close to a podium finish!)
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