I ran the Boston Marathon in 1984!
I wasn't one of the official, qualifying runners.. I was one of the many who joined in at the end of the pack who hadn't qualified but just wanted to do it for whatever reason. I wanted to see if I could do it.
It took me 4 1/2 hours, but I made it! I remember getting to Wellesley (halfway point) and it suddenly dawned on me: Someone has already won this by now! And as I found out afterward, someone had indeed.
A friend of mine who had done this a couple of years before had talked me into trying it and gave me a training schedule which I had followed for the three or four months previous. As I came into Wellesley center, I suddenly heard "Pat! Pat!", and there she was cheering me on! And then when I got to Beacon St. at Harvard St. in Brookline, there she was again cheering for me.
Boy, were my legs ever sore for several days following!
In 1985 I did another one, the Harrow Charity Marathon in suburban London. Another 4 1/2 hours, but again I finished. This one was about six months after I'd had a mastectomy, so I guess it was my way of saying I'm doing just fine.
That was the last time I did something like that! I kept on running for years and years, but since last year I've had a lot of soreness in my hips and groin and upper legs and sometimes it's painful to walk. I'd love to get back to running again, but I don't know if that's going to be possible.
Last edited by phesina; 04-13-2013 at 05:00 PM.
I meant," said Ipslore bitterly, "what is there in this world that truly makes living worthwhile?"
Death thought about it.
CATS, he said eventually. CATS ARE NICE.
-- Terry Pratchett (1948—2015), Sourcery
Bookmarks