This was my first Boston Marathon. After running Disney in January, I had secretly sworn off large races. Not that there's anything wrong with Disney; I'm glad I did it but once is enough. But Boston? I'd qualified and that's unlikely to ever happen again and so I decided to run it while I had the chance, savor the experience, be able to say "I ran the Boston Marathon," and be done with it.

I just didn't know that it would be so much fun.

I wasn't able to go to the Dead encounters but did recognize Janet Jordan at the start. She introduced me to Connie Chan. (Hi, Connie!) The rest, I'm afraid, is pretty much a blur.

I remember being thankful that there was free hot coffee and bagels to enjoy
before the race began.

I remember, at the start, a woman standing in the doorway of her home letting runners in to use her bathroom at the very last minute.

I remember passing a Dead Runner wearing a singlet with "Carpe Viam" on the back. He told me his name: David? Dennis?

I remember, as we were on a bridge, a runner throwing an empty water bottle over a fence and onto the rocks below and thinking bad thoughts about him.

I remember the hundreds of children with hands outstretched looking for slaps from passing runners.

I remember the trombone man.

I remember looking for my parents at the top of Heartbreak Hill and finding them :-)

I remember seeing young kids sitting on the edges of rooftops and wondering if their parents knew what they were doing.

I remember Janet Jordan passing me at some point and going so fast that when she turned to say something to me, she was too far away for me to hear. Amazing. You GO girl!!

I remember having to look at the road almost constantly. By the time I went through, the thousands of runners ahead of me had tossed paper cups, orange peels, banana peels, and goo packets onto the road. I didn't want to slip.

I remember trying to remember the words to "Proud Mary" (Ike and Tina Turner) but "Oliver's Army" (Elvis Costello) kept popping into my head.

I remember thinking I must be at mile 25 and then feeling a huge disappointment to see that it was only mile 23.

I remember trying to think about my form when I got tired and how straightening out and running taller made me feel better.

I remember thinking how silly it is to WALK DOWN A HILL. How can anyone not have enough energy to keep running DOWN a hill? I remember thinking this as I am walking down yet another hill just too exhausted to run.

I remember seeing someone who I think was Mike Sheldon waiting outside the baggage pick-up bus at the end of the race and being too shy to ask him.

The aftermath: My goal was sub 4 hours. I wasn't aiming to try to qualify again because, at the time, I didn't think I'd ever want to run Boston again. I was wrong. Now I'm disappointed that I didn't qualify for next year. But, I *did* run just under 4 (net time) and so I should be happy. :-) I'm trying. Really!

Final words: Don't underestimate the potential misery of a downhill course. My toes were a bloody mess. They still are. Also, the Newton Hills were a blessing - I was welcoming the chance to finally go UP - and then the last 5 miles (more downhill) were just torture on my feet.

All in all, an incredible experience and a true blessing, much love and thanks to those thousands of smiling volunteers,

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