It’s been a week since we both finished the 2008 Boston Marathon. Here are a few highlights from the big day:

Pre-race
Mike was stopped at the Hopkinton road closure on his way to my house and I had to drive down to the end of my street and pick him up. Otherwise the time before the race passed uneventfully. About an hour and a half before the start Dianne drove us as close as she could and we walked the last half-mile to the Athlete’s Village at Hopkinton Middle School. There we met the rest of the NECC team, hung out, stretched, waited in line for the facilities, and drank more water. The weather was absolutely perfect. No mud bath this year.

The Start
We made our way down Grove St. to Corral 22 on Main. By the time we got there, the 10:30 wave had just started, but it was another 10 minutes before we crossed the line. Mike took off immediately as I was running a slower pace.

Mile 8
Dianne, her mom, and the kids were camped out with chairs and snacks just after the 8-mile mark in West Natick. Dianne had scouted the area the day before so I knew just where to look for them. The kids were a bit dazed from watching the steady stream of runners, but I think they were excited to see me. I stopped for a bit for high-fives and to put on some sun screen. I’m so glad they were there. It was a perfect spot, not too crowded and early in the race. You’re the best Dianne!

The Crowds
Because of the great weather spectators turned out in huge numbers. Wellesley College lived up to it’s reputation as the tunnel of screaming at mile 12, but they were outdone by the folks around Boston College. By the time I reached BC at mile 21, the lead runners had been done for some time. Still the noise was deafening and folks were spilling into the streets narrowing the passage. It reminded me of the crowds I’ve watched on some of the stages of the Tour de France. Unbelievable. The NECC folks were out in cheerful groups wearing their green shirts which were thankfully easy to spot. My friend Karen, who lives near the route, was at mile 22 with encouragement and Gatorade. It really helped to see the folks I knew toward the end.

The Finish
Our mom and her friends Patsy and Rocky were waiting on the corner of Bolyston and Hereford, but I wasn’t able to see them until we met up after the race. Finishing this time around was more of a challenge than in previous years. Around the halfway point it started getting tough for me which meant over 13 miles and 2 hours of mind games to keep the feet moving. Still, I couldn’t have asked for a better day. Thank you once again to all the friends and family who supported us through 4 months of training and for helping us raise over $15,500 combined for John’s school!

Last Wednesday night the team got together at NECC. Kristen Sidman, the school’s Director of Occupational Therapy and Adapted Physical Education, filled us in on the new pool. A few things I learned:

• Custom design. NECC’s pool, instead of sloping from the short sides, slopes from one long side to the other. Stairs make up one entire long side. This allows a greater area for use in class sessions.
• Maintenance. It’s incredibly expensive to maintain an indoor pool. Chemicals, heating, equipment. It adds up quickly to the tune of over $100,000 annually. Kristen described the dynamic nature of a pool in that chemicals and temperatures were continuously changing and the computer system keeps everything in balance.
• Safety. The school’s top priority. There are no diving platforms or extraneous equipment. The student/aide ratio in the pool is one-to-one. There is also a ratio of swimmers to life guards and anyone in the pool area is considered a potential swimmer.

It truly is a beautiful pool and, knowing how much John loves the water, a tremendous resource for the students at NECC.

For the remainder of the meeting our coaches Leon and Sally gave their perspective on running the Boston Marathon. Both have run it multiple times so they know the course well. It was great hearing about their experiences and how the race has changed over the years.

On Saturday, 5 members of the NECC marathon team joined several other charity groups in a 17-mile training run along the Boston marathon route. We began at Mile 9 in Natick and ended at the finish line in front of the Boston Public Library. A few highlights:

• Michelle Richards, our fearless coordinator. Not only did she meet us at the buses to start and carry our bags on the train, but she also waited at the finish in 20-degree weather until everyone crossed the line. And to top it off, she treated us to lunch. Thanks again Michelle!
• Water stops. There is nothing better than not having to carry your own hydration. Thanks to the volunteers at all 4 water stops.
• Safety in numbers. Six bus loads of runners were on the route, so there were plenty of people to keep cars in check the entire way. There were more people out for this training run than at many races I’ve done in the past.
• Our team. Great spirit and attitude as always from Leon, Jen, Mark, and particularly Tom who I chased all the way to Boston.

Running on the route was fantastic. Hopefully we can do it a few more times before April 21.

During the summer I usually hang up my running shoes in favor of the bike. And for seven years I watched almost every stage of the Tour de France. I was a Tour geek, able to identify the entire U.S. Postal (and then Discovery Channel) team as well as the top contenders in each year’s race. I even own the 2003 Tour de France DVD set (by far the most exciting of Lance Armstrong’s Tours) and have watched all 8 discs multiple times while riding the stationary trainer. Sad, I know. The combination of doping scandals and Armstrong’s retirement have dampened my enthusiasm so I haven’t followed it much since. Still, Lance is an incredible athlete. He qualified for Boston with a 2:43 in the New York marathon – a swift 6:13 per mile pace. At around 9:00 per mile I probably won’t see him, but at least I will be able to say I ran in the same race as Lance Armstrong.

Boston Globe : Lance Armstrong To Run Boston Marathon

Check out his number in the article’s picture: LANCE. I wonder if ROB is taken for Boston…

Last Saturday 11 members of Team NECC got together for an 11 mile run. Weather was perfect, and the team was strong. 15 runners belong to Team NECC, and all have more than casual running experience, and of course a more than casual relationship to the school. There are parents and relatives of students as well as staff members and other professionals who work with children with Autism.

Rob and I are using Hal Higdon’s marathon training plan, the 18 week version for almost intermediates Novice2. For those keeping score at home we just finished week 4.