Pacers Newsletter Boston 2012londonpacers.on.ca/newsletter-pdfs/Pacers Newsletter... ·...

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Newsletter The London Pacers Running Club

www.londonpacers.on.ca

Boston 2012

Boston 2012—the hottest race day on record!

Air temperature—89 degrees Pavement temperature—120 degrees

Larry VanEeeno in the finish area

Robert Campbell at the corner of Boylston and Tremont

meeting place

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London Pacers Boston 2012 Newsletter

Executive

President Mark Faust [email protected]

Vice President Richard Bird [email protected]

Treasurer Jim Burrows [email protected]

Publicity Sherry Watts [email protected] 519-858-9880

Social Vacant

Membership Gwyn Hayman [email protected] 519-433-2495 (H)

Secretary Deb Obokata [email protected]

Newsletter Sherry Watts [email protected] 519-858-9880

Paula Muxlow [email protected] 519-284-0061

Race Reporter Jim Burrows

London Pacers Website The website is growing as a resource for the club. Recent additions include various

club histories gleaned from pages of the newsletter. Most of the Springbank International Road Race programs are now posted on the Results page (if anyone has the 1984 program we would love to get it scanned and we could use a readable version

of page 25 of the 1982 edition). We are compiling the results of the club championships, a list of winners of our two major awards, the Silver Fox and Altheo

Phidippides and a list of our masters’ record holders. Old newsletters are being added to the Members’ section (If you have old newsletters we could use those as well).

Photos are being added to our Flickr pages. Contributions to the content would be wel-comed as well as suggestions. What do you want to see on your website?

Check it out www.londonpacers.on.ca

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Pacer Discounts Members of the London Pacers are given a discount on purchases at Runners Choice

at 207 Dundas St and at New Balance London on Fanshawe Park Road W.

at Hyde Park Rd

London Pacers Meeting, Monday May 14, 2012 7 PM Grosvenor Lodge 1017 Western Road, London

Guest speaker: Brandon Laan

Brandon Laan is a runner, coach, and entrepreneur. He spent his undergraduate days at The University of Western Ontario where he captained the Cross Country Team before fleeing to Hawaii Pacific University for graduate school. He is a Level

II Certified USATF coach and holds personal bests of 1:06 and 2:21 in the Half Marathon and Marathon respectively. He also enjoys running to eat, not eating

to run…and always will.

Brandon runs the website www.runnersfeed.com with his sister Chantelle Wilder and blogs

on brandonlaan.com He is the race director for the Rock the Road 10K held in London in August

www.rocktheroad10k.com

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116th Boston Marathon London Pacers Results - April 16, Boston MA Name Overall Gender Division 1165 Beasley, Stephen G 56 M Goderich ON CAN 445 424 3 5k 10k 15k 20k Half 25k 30k 35k 40k Finish 20:09 40:11 1:00:19 1:20:26 1:24:52 1:41:00 2:02:38 2:24:57 2:48:08 2:58:03 1024 McClelland, Richard 41 M London ON CAN 451 430 48 5k 10k 15k 20k Half 25k 30k 35k 40k Finish 20:08 40:11 1:00:19 1:20:26 1:24:52 1:41:00 2:02:30 2:25:11 2:48:09 2:58:12 731 Henning, Rod G. 47 M Clearwater FL USA CAN 947 893 63 5k 10k 15k 20k Half 25k 30k 35k 40k Finish 21:17 42:49 1:04:15 1:25:37 1:30:17 1:47:09 2:10:13 2:34:12 2:58:28 3:08:35 13824 Campbell, Robert 52 M Mt. Brydges ON CAN 15235 9409 1390 5k 10k 15k 20k Half 25k 30k 35k 40k Finish 25:33 52:20 1:19:42 1:48:44 1:55:23 2:19:58 2:58:15 3:39:26 4:21:21 4:37:43 12365 Faust, Mark S. 52 M London ON CAN 6756 5111 513 5k 10k 15k 20k Half 25k 30k 35k 40k Finish 24:48 49:32 1:14:23 1:43:15 1:49:37 2:12:00 2:41:02 3:10:33 3:39:12 3:51:37 1149 Stokes, Tony 48 M London ON CAN 8802 6279 1125 5k 10k 15k 20k Half 25k 30k 35k 40k Finish 23:55 48:42 1:13:54 1:43:00 1:48:37 2:09:49 2:38:07 3:06:58 3:45:48 4:00:48 13871 Connor, Patrick J. 52 M London ON CAN 7533 5565 591 5k 10k 15k 20k Half 25k 30k 35k 40k Finish 25:54 52:06 1:18:58 1:46:12 1:52:06 2:13:49 2:43:17 3:13:33 3:42:40 3:55:09 17049 Van Eenoo, Larry 58 M Mt. Elgin ON CAN 13452 8576 552 5k 10k 15k 20k Half 25k 30k 35k 40k Finish 29:07 59:42 1:30:11 2:00:57 2:07:29 2:32:58 3:06:10 3:39:11 4:12:39 4:25:48 BAA 5k April 15 Boston, MA Name Finish Overall Gender Division 4948 Muxlow, Paula J 54 F St. Marys ON 30:04 3191 / 5253 1510 / 2973 82 / 184 5167 Van Eenoo, Michelle 57 F Mt. Elgin ON 54:06 5236 / 5253 2960 / 2973 127 / 129

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Early morning busses from The Boston Common

Potties at the Athlete’s village in Hopkington

The Girls at Wellesley

Anyone need a cup???

Photos thanks to Michelle Van Eenoo

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Boston Marathon – April 16, 2012 3 Words to describe it…HOT HOT HOT Unless you have been under a rock you know the conditions of Boston last week. Unbe-lievable and the darn thing is it means I will likely be attempting it for a 6th time. I feel so fortunate that I have participated in 5 Boston Marathons (1st one for by lottery without qualifying for the 100th anniversary) as it truly is a pinnacle of marathon running. Anyone who has been there understands. Unfortunately in the 5 times there has never been what one would call optimal weather conditions. Too hot, too cold, too windy, too rainy. Yes, we runners do complain and look for excuses at time, but my hope was my 5th time would prove to be with the weather gods. The previous week forecasts said that the temperature would be between 13 and 16 de-grees with perfect slight northwest winds to blow you into the city from Hopkinton. Not sure what happened, but by Friday changes were afoot. We knew we were in some trouble when my running partner Steve Hillman received a heat warning from the BAA early on Saturday asking people to reconsider their participation with a special emphasis on the non-qualifying charity runners. Our goal of running a sub 3:25 (Steve’s goal to qualify for next year’s Bos-ton and 5 minutes faster than mine) were severely being tested. We decided to take a let’s hope for the best attitude and to enjoy the weekend in Boston. Judy has made a very good recovery physically and mentally from the heart attack and stroke she had in Sept and Jan respectively. Her cousin came to London to spend the weekend with her, so this relieved the stress for both of us and the Boston expedition was on. Thanks again to all for their well wishes during this ordeal for her. We flew out of Buffalo on Friday as we like to go to the expo that day to avoid the crush of humanity on the weekend. Good fares and you get their quicker even with the drive to Buffalo from London. No problems with the flight. Boston has an excellent transit system nicknamed the “T” with direct service from the airport to downtown where we were staying. A year ago during the 2011 race I booked the Hyatt where we had stayed before for an incredi-ble $195 including an amazing buffet cooked to order breakfast. Tried to do this again this year and obviously someone caught on as the rate is now $425 for 2013. The best thing about this hotel is the central location, a short 5 minute walk to the buses to Hopkinton and only a 15 minute walk back after the race. The hotel was finishing a lobby renovation and there was a ceiling to floor curtain separating the check-in area to the sitting area of the lobby. We checked in but could not get into our room right away, so needed to store our bags. We decided to change into shorts and thought behind the curtain would be the way to go as no one ap-peared to be back there. You may know where this might be going. Steve proceeded to go behind the curtain and about 10 seconds later I hear “Sir…what are you doing?” in an extremely stern voice. I hear Steve stam-mering about changing into shorts and in the meantime I am laughing and snorting uncontrollably. The next line from the manager is, “There is a restroom around the corner.” Still laughing with tears in my eyes, Steve reap-pears and tells me his pants were down at his feet when the manager walked in. I had almost gone back at the same time to change, so imagine we likely would have not been staying at the Hyatt that weekend if that had been the case. The joy of traveling.

Mark Faust

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The expo was not held downtown at the usual convention center, but at the seaport center. It seemed to be smaller and without the usual deals this year and more corporate with the major shoe companies all there. There were still lots of samples and of course the obligatory official coat had to be purchased along with special, limited edition Boston shoes from my own New Balance company. The great thing they are the model Steve and I wear. We met friends for dinner at an outdoor pub on Boylston right across from the finish line, so nice way to end the first day. On Saturday we went for a really easy 4 mile run through Boston Common and up the median on beautiful Commonwealth Ave surrounded on both sides by brownstone homes. We speculated the million dollar plus price of each of these. Ironically the weather was perfect this morning at 12 de-grees, sunny and no wind. Maybe it would work out. That afternoon we hit the New Balance factory outlet about 5 miles from downtown. I felt like a kid in a candy shop and we scored some pretty good deals. Good to note that New Balance is the only major shoe company that still manufactures shoes in the United States with 5 factories in the north-east which represents about 30% of total output. Even though Adidas has purchased the exclu-sive rights to provide clothing etc to the marathon, you might think New Balance has due to the extensive advertising and signage all over Boston and the course itself. Later on Saturday we ended up in Quincy Market at the outdoor patio at “Cheers” to watch the Boston-Washington hockey game go into double overtime. There was some drinking of the hops type going on while we enjoyed the game and the mass of humanity walking around. On Sunday morning after numerous heat warnings from the BAA showing up on email to Steve, we decided to amend our 3:20 plan and let things fall the way they might. Good decision, but amazing what your head does espe-cially during the race. It was a mental game as much as physical. We talked to a guy at breakfast who told us about a web site called Stub Hub which is a legal depository of profes-sional sports tickets. He went to a Boston Red Sox game at Fenway on Saturday for a much reduced price, so we tried to do the same and were successful. We scored field level seats for $47 versus the regular $75. I love base-ball and had never been to Fenway and certainly had not expected it during marathon weekend. The weather was perfect, so what a great way to spend the afternoon. We attended the pasta dinner, got back to the room and went to sleep early anticipating Monday and the hot journey ahead and we were not to be disappointed. We went to the buses for the 26.2 mile ride out to Hopkinton at 7am and due to our major hydration sprinted for the porta johns when we got there. Steve and I met up with Rod Henning, Steve Beasley and Rich McClelland at the Athlete’s Village in their usual place and hooray for them, they had a tarp down big enough for all in the shade. I had heard the sto-ries of how you can relieve yourself indiscreetly into a Gatorade bottle before this race and sure enough I have joined this club. I leave it to your imagination on how this works. Hydration was crucial this day – before, during and after the run. Steve and I made our way down to the 2nd wave of starters for the 10:20am begin-ning in 25 degree heat. The heat was obviously the topic of the day among runners, spectators, reporters etc. We began our trek toward Boston. I maintained under a 3:30 finish pace for the first 10 miles, but knew this was unsustainable as I was walking through the water stops beginning at mile 9 – not a good sign. I drank a full cup of Gatorade and water at each mile stop and still was spitting barely anything after that. Steve and I separated at about 8 miles and would not see each other until the finishing area not knowing that he only beat me by 1 minute. The thought of me passing him kept him motivated which in a weird way is flattering.

Steve Beasley

When you gotta go,

ya gotta go!

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Some highlights of the day:

• kissed 7 girls at Wellesley College – what the heck, might as well enjoy it

• determined to run all of Heartbreak Hill and did triumphantly – the same could not be said on the hill during the next mile

• the crowds were the biggest I have seen and certainly kept me going

• passed a lot of people in the last few mile which surprised me

• finished in 3:51 and change – considering the conditions I am content

• the finishing temperature was 32 degrees or almost 90 on the old scale and it certainly felt that way. No real humidity so good for that.

Steve and I both survived, did not need medical attention unlike the 1000 peo-ple who did and made our way back to the hotel. That night we took the “T” out to meet Rob McNair, Rod Henning among others at the pub they go to af-ter the race in the Commonwealth Circle area. Glad we did that. We both did it, came out of unscathed physically and somewhat beat up men-tally. I think I will think back on this race many times in the years moving for-ward when maybe that training run or race seems hard in the moment, but sur-viving the heat of Boston 2012 hopefully will pull me through. Looks like a 6th Boston will be in my future, but not next year as the Full Iron-man triathlon in Mont Tremblant in August is my obsession now with all ener-gies being devoted to that. Mark

Pat Connor

Rich McClelland

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Checking Numbers before getting on the busses at

the Boston Common Yes, Rob does have a number!

At Mile 24 Paula Muxlow, Rob Campbell and Carol Whiteford We were so happy to have found Rob still upright

and definitely smiling! Checking out the finish line the day before the race

Carol Whiteford and Rob Campbell

New Pacer Rob Campbell in Boston—first time Boston mara-thoner, and his 2nd full marathon—what a great experience. Carol Whiteford from Ailsa Craig and Pacer member Paula

Muxlow accompanied Rob to Boston for the race and a holi-day. Carol has qualified for the 2013 Boston marathon so

wanted to check it out this year to know what she is up against next year!

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Thanks to Jim Burrows, Rich McClelland, Steve Beasley and Anonymous we have some descriptions of the Boston marathon as sent to each other in email messages.

From: " McClelland, Richard " Sent: Wednesday, April 18, 2012 9:39:04 AM Subject: RE: Boston Massacre II I’ll give it a try to give my ‘account from Beantown’ from what I can remember, my brain stopped working part way through the race. We were in the shade at Athlete’s Village and the weather felt okay, but when you walked to the porta-johns you could really feel the heat. We were sweating during the walk to the corrals, but Rod and Steve’s sense of humour kept my mind off thinking about the heat. I still can’t get over some of the ‘costumes’ these people were wearing. The best costume was on the dude with the huge Ironman and Boston Marathon tattoos on the calves…we had to walk in front of him to see what his number was…much higher than ours. Got to the corral and we were too late to get in the sliver of shade from a pine tree, so Steve and I hung out at the left side in front of the Korean church, and were treated with the elite parade. Only the young American guys were high-fiving. Joan Benoit-Samuelson was also with the elite men again (I beat her this year!). Steve and I had our plan and we were going for it, but I would see how things felt at the half way point and make a decision. The gun went off and we were about 30 seconds to cross the start line. In the first two miles, we were passed by thousands (literally!) of idiots charging the downhills, and I got elbowed and clipped several times…very frustrating. We both said out loud that we would see these knuckleheads sooner than later. Steve kept us on pace for the first few miles, and we saw Rod and exchanged words of encouragement. We hit every waterstop but it was a challenge given the crowd of people that surged passed us at the start. By mile 7 there was no shade to be found and Steve and I stuck to the middle of the road so we could take advantage of the left side waterstops as everyone else went to the right. At the half way point we were still on pace, but my forearms were spasming and I had to punch them to stop, so I knew that my calves were next to go, so I made the decision to shut it down and just survive the run. I real-ized how bad of shape I was in as I had no hand-eye coordination and had difficulty grabbing cups at the water-stops. I kept Steve in sight in the second half of the race so I had something to focus on other than the pain. He really is a machine. The calves and hamstrings were spasming on the uphills and the quads were spasming on the downhills, so I could not attack anything. My fitness was good and I felt strong but as I learned in 2004, once spasming starts the ceasing is next, and I was not going to let myself stop or walk. At the top of Heartbreak, I took my 5th gel so I had 450 mg of caffeine in me so I could get through the next 5 miles, but sleeping that night would be difficult. Around mile 23 I could see Steve ahead of me and looked at my watch and made a deal with myself that I would go for a sub 3 hr marathon, I beared down and tried to increase my pace and catch up. Steve and I ran together for the rest of the race, but at Hereford he moved ahead and I had to let him go. He is truly an inspira-tion. The only smart thing I did on Boyleston was to stay on the left as they ushered us to the left hand side of the finish line, but everyone else took the corner wide and ran for the shade on the right hand side. I crossed the finish line and my Garmin had a time of 2:58:14 with a distance of 26.49 miles …the extra must have been from all the running left and right to get Gatorade then get back to the shade. I thanked Steve for pulling me through but I just wanted to get out of the chute and get to the massage therapy. I had no idea how well I finished until I got to the bus and no one was there and the volunteer saw me coming and had my bag ready. When I got to the massage therapy, there was no line up and tons of empty beds. When I exited the massage therapy it felt like walking into a sauna, and I could still not believe that I ran a marathon in that heat. It was a very eerie feeling walking to the subway stop as there were no runners around me and on the subway there was not one other runner that got on at any stop. Overall I was happy with the 452nd placing.

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From: The Beasleys To: "The Gang" Sent: Thursday, April 19, 2012 10:04:21 AM Subject: RE: Boston Massacre II Hi guys, Rich did a wonderful job of taking you through our race, so I will try not to duplicate in my version. I do have to mention though the thousands of crazies that did pass us during the first couple of miles. I felt like we were standing still as they poured past us and knocking Rich from side to side in their efforts to gain ground ahead of us. I knew from run-ning previous Bostons that we would be passing these same runners in an hour or so. That experience was comforting at the time and I recall saying this to Rich. Though Rich gives me credit for holding a good pace, my thoughts are that it was he that was maintaining it better than I. It felt though at times that we would juggle the “lead” between us unknowingly as each of us had a little spirt of energy from time to time. When we went through the half in 1:24:30 I started doubting (obviously!!) that we would maintain our pace (6:26ish) and that under 2:50 was not going to be attainable. I started losing pace through 16 miles in Newton and wasn’t able to create the usual downhill glide at Lower Newton Falls....this is when I knew I was in some sort of “distress” as in past years I have looked forward to the upcoming hills as I felt that I could pass several runners....not this year!! Rich and I went over Route 128 and past a few and I remem-ber thinking to myself that 25% of the hills were now done! Whoopee! I was probably trudging along at a 7:10 pace and then it was around the firehouse corner and up the 2nd hill. I still felt like crap and I recall Rich pulling ahead of me part way up the hill. I gave a “go get ‘em Rich” blurb to him and I thought that was the last I’d see of my partner. As it turned out, each time I would look up I was still maintaining a short distance between us and it was Rich who pulled me through the next 2 climbs. My legs had no turnover. I didn’t enjoy the hills as usual. My heart rate was topping at 182. As we crested Heartbreak and I came through Boston College and knowing my family and friends were waiting for me at the 23 mile marker on Beacon Street was what kept me from pulling over. My only thoughts were “this is a battle of attrition, this is a battle of attrition”. If I kept plugging away at a 7:30 or better pace I could get in under 3 hours. So, that’s basically what happened. As I crested the grade on Beacon I could see my buddy Dale waving the Canadian flag on the north side of the street. He had told me the previous day to give him the “thumbs up” when I ran by. I gave him a big “thumbs down”! Though I was inspired to see my kids and heard them yelling and cheering for me, this tem-porary orgasmic moment was short lived and it was on to the next mile marker. As you now know Rich and I were still together at this point. I was comforted knowing that Rich is a wonderful run-ner—and I was still with him...hey, “that’s not bad Beaser” I kept telling myself. I then started playing the old head games we all do. You know, 3 miles. That’s from my house to such and such a street, 2 miles....that’s to the bridge and back. Anything I could think of to make it seem a little shorter and to relate to the distance. I recall the cheering crowds during the last 2 miles lifting my spirits as they called out “Go Canada” or “Go 1165” as I lurched by them. That part I am always amazed with and one of the things that will keep me coming back to Boston. I still feel the last mile is incorrectly measured in Boston...it seems more like a mile and a quarter to me! It was great rounding Hereford and I knew the last uphill grade to Boylston was the ticket I was looking for. I still didn’t have any leg strength left. I think I peaked at my watch and felt relieved to know that I was going to be under 3 hours. I was one of those who chose the right side of Boylston to grab my last slice of shade. Perhaps doing so cost me 2:57! (oh how 2:57 sounds so much faster than 2:58!!). I went over the line and within seconds heard Richy calling my name. We embraced, thanked each other and shook hands. A team effort. A job well done. p.s. My Garmin read 26.37 miles. I know we weren’t able to cut all of the corners in the first several miles due to the throngs. I do feel as I fatigued in the second half that I got “lazy” and didn’t make the effort to cut tangents as one should. This likely cost me time as well. p.s.s. If you have time....take a look at the profiles of first and second place winners Kyle Heffner and Dave Walters. Kyle was a 2:10 marathoner and made the 1980 U.S Team however due to the U.S. boycott of Russia he didn’t get to go. (there’s an article in Runner’s World by Amby Burfoot interviewing him and he seems like a heck of a nice guy). Walters placed top three in Chicago, NYC and Boston last year. He ran the U.S. trials in 1988 with a 2:18. I recall passing him in Chicago in 2010 near the 20 mile marker. He nipped me for third last year in Boston and is somewhat of a legend in the Midwest. See what you “young fellers” have to look forward to when you creep up to your mid 50’s! LOL Beaser

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From: "Anonymous" Sent: Monday, April 23, 2012 Subject: My Boston Marathon Story Thanks very much to everyone who sponsored me! With your help, I reached my fundraising goal and raised $2500 for Habitat for Humanity. A number of you have asked, 'So, how did it go?' Here's my marathon story. John Hancock VIP treatment As part of the Manulife team, we received a number of extras that enhanced the experience for me. The day started at 6:30am in the VIP tent near the finish line. Snacks, water, coffee all were waiting for us. At around 7:15 we got on buses for an hour and a half bus ride to the starting line in Hopkinton. The police motorcade escorted us safely, clos-ing down all on ramps to the highway as we travelled. While 25,000 runners were aimless wandering about the grounds for 2 hours in the heat, we were comfortably inside a public school relaxing. Again, snacks, water, wash-rooms were all available. The race starts Numerous weather advisories came out over the previous two days with the Boston Athletic Association recommend-ing novice marathoners, charity runners, and those not in peak physical condition to defer. 'How bad could it be?' I thought, 'They're just covering themselves'. Needless to say, I chose to run. 10:20 on mass, we left the school to make our way to the starting line. A 20 minute walk, I'm already sweating and received a small inkling of what was in store. The crowds were amazing, even though I'm sweating, I'm excited and ready to run. Finally!! GO GO GO! The first 5 miles My initial plan was 29 minutes for every 5K, I decided to start a bit slower 'This isn't a race, enjoy the experience...' I did my first 5K following my modified plan, 32 minutes excellent! An interesting fact about the Boston Marathon course, the first 5 miles is all rolling downhill. I really didn't train on long sustained downhills, and after the first 5 miles my quads were already feeling the strain. Crap. Miles 5-15 It's now noon, the heat is beating down, the temperature of the water in my water bottles are now good for coffee. This section is as flat as the course gets, I'm feeling the heat, I'm walking at every water station, dumping two cups on my head, drinking a half glass of gatorade, trying to stay hydrated. My pace is now 39 minutes for 5K. The crowds are amazing! They've got hoses spraying runners looking for an extra cool down, I take advantage and get soaked a few times. Man, that feels good! Wellesley College is approaching. There are many references to the girls at Wellesley at mile 12 and none of the descriptions do them justice. I could hear the 'Scream Tunnel' from at least a kilometer away. The signs, the cheering, the screaming gave me the boost I needed to get through the first half of the race. Crap, I'm only half done. Miles 15-22 Another big downhill stretch followed the highs of Wellesley College. I'm actually stumbling a bit and looking forward to the small uphills during his stretch. I'm really feeling the heat at this point, and my quads are shredded. The spec-tators are keeping me going; I'm now doing some quick walks between the water stations, as well as at the water stations 'One more mile' is my mantra. At mile 18, I come across 4 guys drinking beer! omg, I stop, take a sip of cool, golden, nectar of the gods, sit down in a lawn chair, and watch a few runners go by. Now this is the way to en-joy a Boston Marathon. 'We've got a whole cooler of beer man, why not enjoy the race from here?'. Sigh, I get up (with some help) and continue on my journey. At mile 20, I think I'm done. I sit down on the curb with my head down, 'This was the worse idea ever, what made me think I could complete the Boston Frickin Marathon?!? I'm such an idiot'. A young Boston fan (maybe 4 years old) comes over, puts his hand on my shoulder and says, 'You can do it!' He hands me a paper cup of ice. That was a turning point for me, I'm now committed to finishing the #$)(&*!@ race. My pace is now 45 min/5K. I 'easily' make it up Heartbreak Hill.

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Miles 22-25 After Heartbreak hill, it's all rolling downhills to Boylston Street. I continue to struggle on the downhills, my legs are really feeling the strain, I'm taking ice from spectators, I'm dousing myself in water, I'm running uphill; stum-bling downhill and I have a new problem. The earlier great idea of running through the water hoses is turning out to be a bad idea. My shoes and socks are wet, the extra friction has blisters forming on my toes. OUCH OUCH! Fortunately, I get a new burst of inspiration as I spend about 2 miles running beside Dick Hoyt pushing his son Rick (read their story here http://www.teamhoyt.com ) If he can do this, so can I. Miles 25-26 Not much left in the tank; I decide I'm not walking anymore and pick up the pace. That lasts about 1/4 mile and I'm walking again. I can barely walk on my feet with the blisters on blisters let alone run. The crowds are amaz-ing however, cheering my name and encouraging me to keep going. I walk, I run, I walk, I run. Miles 26-26.2 I make the final turn onto Boylston street and the spectators are lined 5 deep, the grandstands are still packed, Everyone is screaming, I'm accelerating, my tank is full, I've never felt better or faster! This was my best decision ever! (in actual fact, I'm simply stumbling at a faster pace...). My arms are raised as I cross the finish line!!! I did it! My time is irrelevant, I accept my medal and the accolades of the crowd, and head to the VIP tent for a ga-torade and a massage. Yes, beers afterward tasted exceptional.

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