On Running the Boston Marathon

On Monday my husband will run the Boston Marathon. Every American marathoner’s dream. And I will be there to cheer him on.

We always said as we slogged through our middle of the pack marathons that if we lived long enough we could qualify for Boston. Well a few years back the Boston Athletic Association broadened the time requirements - especially for older runners. And this fall – after running two marathons under that time limit, my husband made it.

He will be running Boston for both of us because my marathoning days were cut short over a decade ago by knee problems. But I managed to finish 28 marathons before the end and I will always be – in my mind and in my job description – a marathon runner. A very slow marathon runner. Who probably would never have qualified for Boston if I lived to be 80 – the most elastic time limit. So it’s OK. I will be there to cheer him on and support him in all ways and my running alter ego will be there a few miles behind him (as always in the marathons we ran together) as he covers the 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to the Copley Square finish. As I said – he will be running Boston for both of us.

But I have my own victory to celebrate as I bounce through Boston this weekend. When I set my total knee replacement surgery date for January 21st, my goal was to be able to walk comfortably around Boston and stand for as long as necessary at the finish line to cheer him in. And I have reached that goal and more.

So this Monday will be a celebration for us both. Frank’s – for making the cut. Me – for recovering from the cut. And there’s something else that makes it special. I was born in Boston and as a little kid – watched the finish of the Boston Marathon as it came past my parents’ music studio windows on Commonwealth Avenue – the old route. I marveled at the men in shorts running (it was all men then). I wondered why anyone in his right mind would ever want to run a marathon.

Well – I’m not sure marathon runners are ever in their right minds. I’m not sure we would want to be. But on Monday April 20th, my husband will be running Boston. And I’ll be there watching. And another of life’s full circles will close protectively around us.