please come to Boston for the spring time...

April 18, 2011 will be the 115th anniversary of the Boston Marathon. Monday, April 19, 1897 was the date of the first official Boston Marathon (then referred to as the American Marathon). Surprisingly, it wasn’t until 1972 that women were officially allowed to register and participate in the race – the first female winner running a 3:10:36 (not too shabby, right ladies?).

I began this blog with a simple, but true statement, “I never thought I’d be a runner.” If one could turn back time to speak with “the me of 2006 and before,” running a marathon, and attempting to qualify for the Boston Marathon would be far from my mind – and certainly NOT a goal.

That year, I had the great opportunity of getting to know a few inspiring individuals who had caught “the marathon bug.” Two friends of mine, Brian Labriola and Elliott Lee (both Boston qualifiers) were running the Boston Marathon the following spring. This intrigued me, and I wanted to learn more. Why in the world would someone run a marathon, let alone run one to try to qualify for another?!

During the summer of 2006, Brian invited me to take part in a community 5k race sponsored by the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office to benefit Wednesday’s Child, a charitable organization based out of the Boston area. Albeit a small community 5k, it was at that race where I came in 1st in my division (gender & age), and began to think “hey, I can do this!” and, “I think I might even like this running thing.”

Sure enough, on the chilly morning of Monday, April 16, 2007, as my friend Jenny and I attempted to stay warm in the damp cool air of that day, I watched as runner after runner paced past us in the final 400 meters of the Boston Marathon. I saw my friends, Brian and Elliott, complete the obstacle that is the oldest and most prestigious annual marathon in the world – the Boston Marathon leading the 5 World Majors (Boston, Berlin, Chicago, London, and New York City) . One word: remarkable.

Being the youngest child of three, my “if they can do it, why can’t I?” drive got the best of me. That spring, I promised my ailing Grandfather, I would do it one day. One day, I would take my “I’m not a runner” self and transform it into a “Boston Qualifier.” Since then, I’ve been stuck in a pursuit to qualify amidst injuries and mother natures’ sometimes less than ideal conditions.

Well, I was stuck until about 10 days ago.

October 10, 2010 – 10-10-10.
Chicago Marathon 2010
Chip Time: 3:37:34
Boston Qualifier
Boston Bound

I never thought I'd be a runner, but I sure am now!

I know I run like a girl. Try to keep up!