I. DEPARTURE & PRE-MARATHON
Friday was a crazy day in which we both worked until almost 5, took Avery away to her play place resort, and were on the road to the airport by 5:30. We had a direct flight to Boston (which was the best idea ever), in which things went exactly as planned, even arriving a little early.
Friday night we stayed with Matt & Jess and slept on an air mattress (blah). I woke up with a slightly sore neck. Saturday consisted of our last pre-marathon run - in the rain of course!
Picking up #23011
Laurelin 23011, Jess 23018
Finish line pre-marathon craziness
Sunday consisted of getting our nails done (to match the crazy colors of our marathon jackets we would be wearing Monday night), and an early dinner of pre-marathon carbo loading.
Meanwhile, our amazing fans were hard at work poster-making. :)
II. MARATHON DAY
I woke up at 5:30 AM. Had some oatmeal, and Travis drove me to the commons for the buses to Hopkinton. Of course the drive to the commons was not without drama. Travis almost got a $150 ticket for stopping to let me out, but alas, we made it, ticket free. We then proceeded to walk about .75 miles in a huge circle to find a line to get on the bus. A nice lady pointed us to the fountain, where there were six lines, all of which were about 100 yards from where we began out little jaunt. Once in the correct line it was only a matter of minutes before we boarded the bus to Hopkinton. 
The bus ride seemed ridiculously long, and was less than pleasant for someone who tends toward car sickness (myself). But when we got out, we were greeted by great lengthy lines for the porta-potties.
From there we made our way into Athlete's Village which was full of more porta-potties and lots, and lots of people. We found our way to the Boston Partners banner and made our way to a near-by porta-potty line. :)
Photo courtesy of Meghan Malloy.
Photo courtesy of Meghan Malloy.
Information from Coach Rick indicated we bring comfortable things to sit on, music to listen to, etc., for while we wait to begin the race. As it turned out we had minimal time in Athlete's Village, and most of the time consisted of waiting for a bathroom. Here is one group photo, snapped before walking the .7 miles to the start line.
From here we walked our way to the start and made it into the 23000 bib corral. If this gives you any indication of the number of runners, it took us 13 minutes to cross the start from there, and this was the second of two start waves.
Photo courtesy of Meghan Malloy.
Just before the start line, Jess and I hugged, and the first tears of the day were shed (happy tears!). And we started out on the best trek of my life. It was amazing. Jess made the decision to run with me that morning, and having a companion could not have been better. The miles just seemed to melt away and before we knew it was time for gel number one, then we made a quick stop at a porta-potty (with no lines!) around mile 10. My friend, fellow Boston Marathoner (two times), and former BPE co-worker, Meghan described the towns run through best:
Thank you Hopkinton for your hospitality, Ashland for the multiple people blasting Sweet Caroline, Framingham for being ugly and making me run faster, Natick for your ice pops, Wellesley for your screams, Newton for your kick ass hills, Brookline for your BC Superfans and Boston for being maybe not the biggest but certainly the best.
While I did not partake in ice pops or hear all the Sweet Caroline blasting, I thought this was a very fitting description. Jess and I split right after our first very own superfans around mile 17. From there we encountered those very same superfans at mile 21, and even more at mile 23. I cannot describe how amazing it is to see people you know cheering for you on the course. Just the pick up needed, especially at mile 23. Throughout the course, there were people cheering everywhere. People had set up their own water stations, were handing out orange slices, tissues, jelly beans, allowing people into their home to use the bathroom! The generosity and encouragement of the spectators was amazing. Between miles 22-23 I began really feeling the run. I had conquered Heartbreak Hill, and had the mindset I was almost there. That was the longest, hardest three miles of my entire life. In fact, running those three miles is the hardest thing I have done my entire life. This picture was probably taken about then.
But as I made a "right on Hereford, left on Boylston" I had a the first glimpse of the finish line! And a slight burst of energy. I made my way down the stretch and across the finish line, with a time of 4:25:23!
I ran the Boston Marathon! The following steps were barely existent, and the wheelchairs across the finish looked oh so tempting. But I kept walking, received some water, my Mylar blanket, and my medal!
I had run the Boston Marathon! My emotions were overwhelming: pain, excitement, celebration, exhaustion, hunger, pain, thanks, etc. I made my way to the Westin, in what seemed like the longest walk ever. There I met some of my very own superfans and celebrated my finish. Jess came in about 23 minutes behind me, with a time of 4:48:27.
Celebratory dinner
For your viewing pleasure, you can see my official time and splits, or the professional photos. This was one of my best days ever.
III. THANK YOUS
I have some final individual thank yous to:
Aunt Shelley
Carrie Brueck
Abby Gaghen
Melissa St. Clair
Rob & Judith (again!)
Laura Lintz
David & Gina (again!)
Thank you to everyone for your support over the past 6 months. This has been one big journey. Not only did I complete the marathon, but we also raised $4,000 to benefit students through Boston Partners in Education. The entire BPE marathon team has raised over $73,000 in support of the organization. I could not have done the fundraising or the running without your support. Whether you have asked about my runs, run with me, sent me emails, posted on my facebook, "liked" my status or link, donated, listened to me talk about running, read this blog, commented on this blog, or tracked me on race day, I have appreciated it all. Thank you for being the best support group ever. Sincerely, thank you!
Special thank yous to my superfans who traveled hundreds of miles to support me: Travis, Mom & Dad Barkel, Mom, Dad & Barb. Thanks to my Boston-based superfans who came out to support me: Matt, Nikki, & Rachel. Special thanks to Jess for doing this all with me, and listening to my non-stop running banter, worries, accomplishments, and fears. Thanks for being the most amazing person ever. And great thanks to Lauren for being my KC running partner. I really could not have done all of this running without you! Thank you for agreeing to run with me, and thanks to your parents for their running advice through you. Training with someone who has marathon experience has been extremely helpful. Thank you to everyone! Your support and generosity has been overwhelming. Thank you!
IV. POST MARATHON
I will likely continue blogging, although probably not as frequently. I will definitely continue running. I have a half marathon on May 15, and Jess and I have already discussed some possible marathon plans for next year (it's an addiction!). This whole experience has inspired me to do more, be more, help more, and do my part to inspire others. We are all capable of so much more than we believe. You never know what might happen from here! If you are inspired to help Boston Partners, you can check out their website or sign up to volunteer. Thank you for being a faithful reader.
