Lori Runs Boston: Lori Ran Boston

Here is part 2 of my final Lori Runs Boston blog! Since I kept my phone tucked away during the race, I don't have a lot of photos of anything other than me running, so I'm sorry if it's lacking visually. Thanks to Alison, Reeves and Sarah for the photos they posted that I've used here...and yes, I forked over a small fortune and bought my official race pics :)

The Starting Line At Last!

FINALLY! After months of training and fundraising and anticipation Team Victory headed off to the Starting Line of the 119th Boston Marathon! I was so happy to have my fellow teammates by my side as we walked from the Athlete's Village to the official starting line. We joked about the rain - it had just started to come down as we walked and we all debated whether to keep our throw away sweats on or take them off or to run with our trash bag raincoats on. I decided to ditch the raincoat, but hold onto my sweatshirt until I warmed up a bit.

As we walked down the street there were families hanging out on their front porches and under tents set up on their front laws. One family set up a tent and with signs offering runners hair ties and safety pins in case they forgot. I didn't need anything, but told them how awesome they were for thinking of those small things that mean so much to the runners.

As we approached the starting line it was a little chaotic and we weren't entirely sure where to go, but we just followed the crowd and before we knew it it was time to go!

Hopkinton to Framingham

My teammate Erica and I ran together for awhile, keeping pace and in shock at how many people were lining the roads. Right off the bat, spectators were cheering for us and calling out our names that we had put onto our Team Victory jerseys. It really set the tone early and got us super excited for what was in store!

Also shocking - how many people were peeing in the woods mere moments after the race began! We passed an entire parking lot full of port-a-potties on the way to the Start that seemed empty, but less than a mile into the Marathon everyone apparently had to go!

Just after the 1 mile marker, I saw my boyfriend's family camped out alongside the road and I was so excited to see them. Mike's brother-in-law is a speedy Wave 1 runner and they had waited all that time to see me go by. I popped off to the side and gave everyone a round of hugs before continuing on. It was an extra boost of adrenaline seeing loved ones so early on.

During the first several miles Erica, Mike, Shawn and I were pretty much keeping pace with each other. We hadn't gone for a run as a team at all up until this point and it was really nice to enjoy the camaraderie while we could. I knew that at some point, we'd all work to our own pace and stretch out along the course so we took advantage of our time together.

Maickel Melamed (not my photo)

I had done my 20 mile prep run from the Framingham commuter rail station to Boston, so miles 1-5 were the only ones I hadn't seen yet. When I saw Framingham station on the horizon I got a little giddy because I knew there were no surprises left. It was all gravy from here.

As I ran through Framingham, I noticed a large group of people in the middle of the road with umbrellas and it looked like they were trying to keep someone dry. I now know it was the last person to cross the finish line - Maickel Melamed - a Venezuelan college professor with muscular dystrophy. It ended up taking him 20 hours to finish the race. If you haven't read his remarkable story, click here. He is truly and inspiration!

My teammate Shawn and I ran together for awhile through Framingham and passed a kind soul passing out paper towels to help runners dry off from the rain. I stopped to walk for a moment as I used the paper towel to clean off my glasses that were splattered with rain. It only really kept them clear for a short while, but I really appreciated it!

The Scream Tunnel

So sad I didn't get to see this in person :(

I was super excited to experience the Scream Tunnel - a very very very loud contingent of Wellesley College students. I was sad that the rain had ruined almost all of the awesome posters the women had made over the past several weeks and that I never did get to see mine in person. I am glad I at least saw it on the Facebook page before hand and have a photo of it to remember. A virtual high five to all of the Wellesley gals that put so much work into them.

I had heard that the Scream Tunnel is so loud you can hear it from about a half a mile away, and it was true! I'm sure the crowds are larger on a nice day when it isn't cold and soggy, but there were so many amazing students out there braving the weather and cheering everyone on. Lots of the women had signs urging runners to kiss them - "Kiss Me, I'm a Senior" and "Kiss Me, I'm a Psych Major".

The Scream Tunnel was where I realized how much having complete strangers call out your name and offer support makes a difference! I ran the entire stretch of the Scream Tunnel not thinking about the fact that I was running. I was just waving to anyone who called out my name, high fiving strangers and really enjoying the moment. Those women were totally awesome!

Half Way There

Half Marathon - Still have my gloves

Reaching the half marathon mark was awesome. When I stepped over the sensors in the road I knew my friends and family who were following were going to see I was half way there! Unfortunately, I also knew if I didn't hit a port-a-potty soon I was going to be in trouble. I had tried to ignore it because I didn't want to stop - I had been keeping great pace this far - but when I saw a few along the road with only one person waiting, I decided I better just get it over with.

I had to take off my running gloves to use the bathroom and they were totally soaked through. When I finished I knew I wasn't going to be able to get them back on my hands, so I tucked them into my FlipBelt and hoped not to lose them along the remainder of the course.

The Heartbreak Is Real

Heartbreak - Not my most flattering photo

Leading up to Mile 17, I was starting to feel tired. I was told that this is the part of the race where people hit the proverbial wall. I did start to feel a little fatigue at this point and I knew what was lying just up around the bend...Heartbreak Hill. 3 miles of rolling hills in Newton that are the biggest test of the 26.2 mile course. Since I had done Heartbreak a few times before, I knew what I was in for. I knew I was tired, but if I could just push through, it was all down hill from there.

During my 20 miler, I was really proud of myself for not walking at all through Heartbreak Hill in Newton (aside from my 1 minute walk that was part of my run/walk plan). Today, however, I just couldn't quite keep it going. Oddly enough it was the first hill that seemed the hardest and I stopped to walk for an extra minute getting up over the hump. Once I got over the top, with the encouragement of amazing strangers along the route, I knew I could do it!

The last two hills weren't as bad and before I knew it, there was the inflatable arch at Boston College proclaiming "The Heartbreak Is Over!" Woohoo!

6 Miles of Rockstar Treatment

Wearing my big goofy grin

After Heartbreak was behind me, I knew we were in the home stretch! There were only 6.2 miles left to go and we were headed into the part of the course with the most crowds and onlookers and it felt like every single person along the way had your back.

People kept calling my name - "Come on, Lori! You got this!" "You're killing it, Lori!" "Lori, how do you look so sexy after 20 miles!" IT WAS AMAZING! Every time I heard someone call my name I couldn't help but break into a huge grin, which I think inspired more people to call out my name! At one point a whole bunch of college students just started chanting "Lori! Lori! Lori!" It was the most amazing feeling of my entire life!

Who are all of these incredibly supportive people?! These are my fellow Bostonians. These are the people who make my city great and make the Boston Marathon the single greatest athletic event of the year. Any time i felt tired during this final leg of the race, there was someone on the sideline cheering me on and inspiring me to keep going. These incredible people were standing in the cold and the rain for hours, just to give people like me the momentum to keep moving forward. I wish I could hug every single person who yelled out my name and let them know how much it meant to me.

I was so excited to see Reeves!

Along that stretch of Beacon Street I saw my friend Emma, my friend Reeves who snapped some great photos of me (thanks Reeves!), my former colleagues Sam and Harvey and my boyfriend Mike and his roommate Diana. Mike brought his camera to try to get a photo or two of me coming, but he told me he got so excited when he saw me, he totally forgot to take any pictures. How cute is that? I stopped to hug all of my friends and seeing them only added to my excitement!

Sarah and Ellen - Amazing Signs!!!!

I also had a ton of friends along the route who I unfortunately didn't get to see. It was so loud at times, with so many people calling out my name, I didn't always get the chance to see where the shouts were coming from. I'm sorry I missed you James, Chris, Ryan, Ashley, Heather, Paul and Frank (and anyone else who I wasn't able to hug in person). Very special thanks to my friend Sarah and her mom Ellen for sporting these kick ass signs for me. I can't believe I didn't get to see them!

Hey, Alison!

When we went through Kenmore Square, I really knew we were almost there. I saw my former Victory Programs coworker and friend Alison and ran to give her a hug. She seemed as excited to see me as I was to see her and was really grateful that a friend of hers was able to snap a photo.

Around the bend of Kenmore Square was one of the most beautiful signs I had ever seen. Official BAA flags declared that there was "One Mile To Go"!

The Big Finish

As everyone made the famous right onto Hereford Street, you could see people finally taking off their ponchos and trash bags so they could look good for their big Finish Line photo and it was funny to see all of the bags littering the short block and a half before making the left on Boylston Street.

Once I made the turn, I worked my way into the middle of the street so I could take in the crowds and the noise and see the finish line up ahead. My mom, brother and brother's girlfriend were supposed to be on Boylston and my mom had shown me her polka dot umbrella so I would know if I saw her. I scanned and scanned the crowd and finally saw the umbrella and could see my brother's girlfriend waving to me. I ran to the side of the street and gave Lydia a hug, but my mom and brother were nowhere to be found. I assumed I must just not have seen them and knew they'd meet me after the finish so I just kept going so I could give them a great big hug at the end.

For so many months now, I had day dreamed of the moment where I crossed the finish line. How would I feel? What would it be like? The reality is that I kind of can't remember it! I made sure to wave at the official photographers in hopes of a good picture and I remember smiling my head off, but it was all kind of a blur. All I knew was that I had finished under 5 hours like I had hoped and that I felt pretty damn good.

After crossing the finish, volunteers were on hand to give us water and our medal, which were placed ever so gently around our necks. Lastly, we were given our heat shield blankets. Considering how cold and wet we all were, I think this was the most important post-race moment of them all!

Instead of remembering the feeling of crossing the finish line, I remember the volunteer who helped me with my heat shield. My hands were so cold, I had a hard time moving my fingers so the volunteer came up to me, helped guide my arms through the arm holes, put the hood up over my head and gently affixed the Velcro to keep it on. It was such a gentle and kind moment and I was so grateful to her for helping me and providing me that moment of comfort. It was an unexpected moment of grace from another person and I so wish I could find her and thank her.

Seeing My Family

I had given my family a meeting spot so we could find each other after the race. When I turned onto Clarendon St. to get there I saw my mom and brother right there on the sidewalk! I smiled and waved my arms to get their attention and it was all hugs and tears and happiness! Unfortunately, my mom wasn't able to see me run down Boylston, but having her be there just steps from the finish line was the best feeling in the world.

My mom told me she had been nervous to see me because she kept seeing runners - men and women - limping and struggling to walk and she was terrified that I was going to look like that too. It was a huge relief for her to see me happy and smiling and in good health and spirits...even if I was cold and moving a little slowly.

When I got home, I finally took my phone out of my FlipBelt and turned the Airplane mode off and it went crazy! So many texts and Facebook messages it was kind of overwhelming. It took about two days for me to finally respond to every message and I hope I didn't forget anyone. It was also awesome to see that two people made donations to my fundraising page while I was on the route!

Final Thoughts

I can't believe it's over! It's been a few days since the Marathon and I can't believe it has already come and gone. All of the training in the snow and cold, all of the knee pain and nerves, were completely worth it. Last week, I had told people I was never going to train for another Marathon again, but now I'm not so sure. I think if given the opportunity to do it again, I'd be a fool not to. Besides, now I have to beat my time, right?

I also want to thank EVERYONE.

I want to thank everyone who donated to my fundraising efforts for Victory Programs, to everyone who listened to me talk nonstop about the Marathon for months, to my friends who still love me even though I missed nights out and brunches because I had long runs.

I want to thank my beautiful and talented friend Marta for designing my awesome "Lori Runs Boston" logo!

I want to thank my co-worker Shauna who organized every aspect of Team Victory and rooted us all on for months. You're the best!

I want to thank every single volunteer who made the Marathon amazing - especially those who stood out on the course during the cold and rain to pass out water and Gatorade.

I want to thank every single stranger who lined the course and yelled words of encouragement to me and my fellow runners - you guys made the Marathon FUN.

Of course, I want to thank everyone who read my blog - that's you - I hoped it kept you entertained :)

Most of all I want to thank my mom and my boyfriend. These two amazing people got the brunt of everything Marathon for months. They are the best people I know and I never would have made it through without their unending love and and support.