Four Weeks Until the Boston Marathon

Me and Bill at his store in Boston

I  heard from a few fellow marathoners today… “Four weeks from today we’ll be at the starting line..”

For those of you who don’t know what that feels like, it’s torture.

We’ve been training for this event for months. We’ve endured low temps, high mileage, emotions that run from the lows of “Hell’s Alley” to the top of “Heartbreak Hill.”  We’ve calculated, we’ve conserved, we’ve raised funds, we’ve set our alarms every Friday night,  we doubt ourselves every Monday morning. Our minds are as tired as our bodies. And yet, we’re geared up for four weeks from today. Could it please come sooner?

There are some people who help us get a perspective. Bill Rodgers was one of them for me.

I had the privilege of meeting Bill Rodgers in person two weeks ago at his store in Boston.  What an amazing role model, not only for elite runners, but for those of us who aspire to make a difference at Boston, regardless of our time.

Bill is a running legend. And you have to respect that. But he’s also a guy that just loves Boston and loves the marathon. And he communicates that infectious infatuation in a single, easy smile.

I have been forever impacted by Bill, by Patti Dillon, by my teammates and coach at the Alzheimer’s Association, by my former coaches Rick and Lori Muhr from Team in Training. And by my mom, Alice Cunningham, in whose memory I am running this year.

These are a some of my heroes. They represent excellence, hope, and life. They all play a part in my seventh running of the Boston Marathon.

So can we just get started already before I get an injury?

If you are running this year, you can relate.

Footnote: I’ve been following Lance Armstrong  on Twitter @lancearmstrong ever since he ran the Boston marathon last year for the second time. He is an amazing inspiration. While I don’t know him personally, my heart goes out to him as he recovers from his broken collarbone. This is not the biggest challenge of his life, but it is the biggest one at this moment. I have no doubt he will recover.

Life is hard. Do what you can to make a difference. Lance is doing that, as well as many other not-so-high-profile-people every day, incuding many Boston 2009 marathon runners.

Run your race. And may the next four weeks fly by 🙂