Twelve years earlier, Heartbreak Hill seemed like nothing; this time around, it kicked my butt!
Our Cruiser running group enjoyed a fun weekend filled with attending the huge Boston Marathon expo and packet pick-up, the guys’ 5K on Sunday morning, and our pre-race dinner on Sunday night. After dinner, we got back to our hotel, and before heading to bed, I tied my chip to my shoe, and set out my […]
I got a bit emotional as I realized these people didn’t know me, but were cheering for me anyway.
My first attempt to train and qualify for Boston came in 2004 with the Chicago Marathon. I was training really well, and then while playing a large group game at camp, I did an unintentional back flip. Afterwards my knee wasn’t the same, but I decided to run the marathon anyway. I came so close […]
I Learn “You’re not ready to run another marathon until you’ve forgotten the last one”
In May of 2009, the day after I ran my first marathon (Cox Sports), I went online to check post-marathon protocol. Specifically, I wanted to know when I could run again. Overall I felt pretty good, although my thighs were killing me when I walked down any stairs. I knew I should probably take at […]
Three Boston Medals
In 2006, I visited my doctor weighing 104kg. With medicated high blood pressure, dangerously high cholesterol, and a shocking liver reading, I was on a path to destruction! I started my own butchery business at the age of 19, and that was the end of my exercise years until 2006. That day the doctor told […]
“The joy is in the journey: Boston is the reward.”
I started running to lose baby weight with a 2001 New Year’s resolution. My goal was to lose the last 10 or 20 pounds from my second pregnancy. I initially used running as a tool to see how ‘small’ I could get. I truly believe running saved me. One day after an eight mile run, […]
Easier than hunting game in Zimbabwe…
I would consider myself a rookie compared to many other guys and gals on this site, but I’ll tell my story as well. Boston was only my second marathon. I had qualified with my first 26.2 mile race, even though barely making it in after running a 3:09:50! But for Boston, I had set a […]
Rewarded by the Smile on the Face of my Biggest Fan
My journey as a runner began in 2004, when a group of friends challenged my husband and me to train with them to run a half marathon. Until then, I had logged many miles as a race walker. Since I’m always up for a new challenge, the training began and I transitioned from being a […]
“It was the Boston. How could I not finish?” – Mary Elaine Shirah (April 19, 2010)
My Boston Marathon story is simple. All I had to do was run 26.2 miles. Oh, and be fast! I grew up in the Alabama Children’s Home in Troy. According to statistics and the high school guidance counselor, I was not exactly “going places.” But as a teen, I was introduced to running by a […]
From a “Two Packs A Day” Smoker to a Boston “Rock Star” – Bridgett Jolly (April 19, 2010)
Seven years ago I could have never pictured myself as a runner. Probably because seven years ago I was a “two packs a day” smoker. I put cigarettes down on August 21, 2006 and I haven’t had one since. Six months after I quit, I was going nuts, and had to find something to do. […]