Wow, what an amazing experience!!  I did it, I finished the 112th running of the Boston Marathon!!  5 months of training came down to one day, and all of that hard work paid off really, really well.  After my last long run of 22 miles, the best part of training took place, and it was the tapering portion.  I continued to run, but I was able to take it much easier and allow my body to heal from all of the pounding I put it through over the past 5 months.  The weather got warmer, and my running buddies and I were able to enjoy our runs quite a bit more than when we were running in freezing temperatures.

Marathon weekend was an amazing time.  On Friday, a few of us got off work early and headed over to the expo at the Hynes Convention Center.  We picked up our numbers, our shirts, and a whole bunch of free schwag, and we also got plenty of info on running, nutrition & apparel.  I was also able to meet Dick and Rick Hoyt, and if you don’t know their story, grab some tissues and check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flRvsO8m_KI .  On Saturday, we all went to the Red Sox game, and all of the John Hancock marathoners were honored on the field before the game as the Hoyt’s and Lance Armstrong threw out the first pitch.  Now that was cool, and I really have to thank John Hancock for providing us that opportunity, because not many people have had that kind of view of the first pitch.  Of course the Sox won, and we all had a really good time.  On Sunday, Janelle, Dennis and I enjoyed a great pasta dinner, and we were all carb-ed up to fuel us for the big run on Monday.

Finally race day came, and we all met at Copley at 6 a.m.  We were bussed out to Hopkinton, and enjoyed some relaxing time inside the middle school before the start with some Gatorade, water & PowerBars.  The gun went off at 10:30, and the weather was perfect (55 & partly cloudy).  It warmed up some more during the run, but it never really got above 65, although that was a lot warmer than we were all used to during training, but we made the best of it.  I tried to take it easy for the first 5 miles or so, but the adrenaline & the fact that it was mostly downhill made it pretty tough to go too slow.  The first 10 miles were great, and the crowds were absolutely fantastic!!  Then things went downhill, and I started experiencing some trouble with my feet.  My toes were killing me, and for some reason the balls of my feet were hurting too.  But I pressed on.  I knew that I’d see my parents and my Aunt Donna in Natick or Newton, so that kept me going, especially through Wellesley College & the “Scream Tunnel”.  I saw my family, after the first big hill in Newton, and that gave me a huge energy boost (along with the Gu packets I was consuming).  By then I was in some pretty intense pain, but I thought that if I broke down my run into sections, I’d be okay.  I was expecting to see two lovely ladies right before Heartbreak Hill (Shannon & Carrie), so that made me excited to get to that point and I kept my pace up as much as I could. Unfortunately, there were too many people to pick them out, but I knew that after Heartbreak Hill, there was only 5 miles to the finish, and it was mostly downhill.  The BC crowd was amazing, although I don’t know how they felt when I sang the Notre Dame fight song as I passed through the main gates.  Haha, go Irish!!  The crowds were great from there on out, and I saw 8 more friends along the way to the finish (Katie Bell, 2-J’s, Kathryn, Jeff Ayres, Nikki Shimshock, Ellie, Marty & Gustavo).  My quads were cramping, and my feet were screaming, but there were cheers all the way to Kenmore.  Everyone was cheering for the Duffman (what I had ironed on to the front of my shirt), and I must’ve heard that 1,000 times throughout the race.  I turned onto Boylston, and looking down 600 yards to the finish was probably the best feeling of my life, which only a Boston marathoner can relate to.  I crossed the finish line at 4:52:05, and a wave of emotion swept over me.  I had such a feeling of accomplishment (along with a lot of pain), it was tough to hold back the tears.  But I raised my arms, enjoyed every second of it, and made it over to the VIP tent to collect my medal, and get some fluids in me.  It took me a while for my feet and legs to calm down, but once I regained some of my composure, I hobbled over to see my friends and family, and enjoy the most incredible feeling of my life.  A few of us went back to Southie to shower, eat, and have some beers and a champagne toast, and we were all able to reflect on the day.  I wouldn’t change a single thing, and I definitely plan on running again next year.  Heck, I even would like to see if the New York, Chicago or Marine Corps marathon would be a possibility later this year.  I’ll keep everyone posted, but I want to thank everyone so much for helping with my fundraising, and keeping my spirits high throughout the entire training process.  I’m still taking donations, but it’s quite alright if times are tight.  I’d love to share more if you’re interested, and if you’re considering running a marathon in the future, I’d be more than happy to offer up some pointers.  For now, thank you again, and I’m sure I’ll talk to you soon.

Bryan