This is the version that makes me laugh and cry...
~~~~~~
After reading Rocketman's recap of the marathon, I thought you may be interested to hear what it was like to experience the trip with him. From my perspective....certain fictional liberties have been taken...
Start....December 2005. Bruce ramped up to his training program back in December. Five days a week minimum. He felt he needed to run that much in order to enter in Hal Higdon's 'Boston Bound' training program that started in January - not for the faint at heart.
January 2006. Nutrition was really a focus for Bruce. I have never had so much organic, multi-grain everything, ground flax seed containers, yoghurt smoothy machine parts around our house in the 15 years we have been married! Zehr's (our local grocery store) was also a benefactor in this training program - talk about grocery bills. Reports of running on snowmobile trails, getting frostbite (not from snowmobiling but from running in the bitter cold) have all been documented in the infamous blog.
February 2006. The cold, ice & hard running surfaces would push Rocketman out into the malls to shop! Right up the coach's alley...what a plan! 3 pairs of shoes in 2 days...not bad. The coach introduced Rocketman to her new gels (concentrated carbohydrates necessary to fuel your body during endurance sports).
March 2006. The aches & pains started for Rocketman. He has never been injured to the point where he had to stop running. The coach suggested that he implement a little bit of rest into his training program. It worked for her, why not him??
April 2006. Spring. The ice has long melted. The feet were feeling good. The coach had to shop for new shorts & shirts because she could not keep up with the laundry. The piles of things started to mount around the house in preparation for the road to Boston. A pre-race party at the house the week before helped to raise the excitement for both of us. Naps, early dinners & early bed times were the focus for this month. What a great plan!
April 14. The packing begins. The coach has to stop her athlete from putting almond butter into his travelling case. Rocketman has never eaten almond butter on the day of his long runs. She insists that he pack what he's used to...peanut butter. The fact that Rocketman could not have done this without his coach jumps to the forefront of her mind....
April 15. Depart for Pearson. Reg, Barbara & Tracy met us at the airport. Bruce is instantly surrounded by other runners heading to Boston. Our normally quiet & reserved guy is chatting to everyone wearing running shoes or a previous year's Boston Marathon jacket. He is especially interested in people who have run the race before to gather insight & tips from them. He hears of carnage when the temperature reached 85+ two years ago. He hears of people who hadn't done any research into the type of course Boston is (hilly) & those who have done all their hill training on interstate on-off ramps. Take it with a grain of salt the coach tells him. It takes all kinds to run marathons. Stay focused. Stick to your game plan. Arrive in Boston. It is marathon mania. It is crystal clear that this city and those that live there love the marathon. Head to the race expo. Pick up race kit, bib number, timing chip and a few goodies: shoes, pants, t-shirts, caps - all the things necessary to walk the walk & 'posture' as Rocketman calls it. He will not wear the race jacket that his coach has given to him. "Not until after I run the race," he says.
April 16. Girls go shopping & tour the finish line area. I figure that there is no way I'll ever run this marathon so I ham it up for the camera & crawl across the finish line. Boys do sight-seeing trolley & boat tour to allow the runner to stay off his feet as much as possible. Nap in afternoon. Ride to dinner & we are joined by a professor from U of T who is leaving town to fly back to Cape Town & had run Boston the year before. She is also married to a guy named Bruce. Coincidence? I don't think so. Rocketman sleeps well until about 5am.
April 17. Race Day. Nervous energy everywhere. Rocketman orders oatmeal & fruit for his 1st meal. Tracy & I go down to get coffee & return to the room to find the runner & all his gear gone. We head back to the lobby only to find him coming back up in the next elevator to meet us. Formal good bye's & good lucks are given & Rocketman heads off to get his bus that will take him out the 26.2 miles to Hopkinton where the race starts. The rest of us have 5 hours to kill before we even need to think about getting to our viewing spots. Showers, leisurely breakfast, more shopping & we are off. The coach takes the "T" (subway) out to Boston College - directly after Heartbreak Hill - 21.4 mile of the course. The rest of the family stay close to the finish & family meeting area. I find a spot on the left side of the course beside a couple from Chicago who are cheering for their son. Behind me is an elderly couple who are there just for the experience - they don't know anyone running the race. They know nothing about running marathons. They are lovely & funny to listen to. I put on my Dr. Seuss Canada hat (it makes it easier for Bruce to find me in the crowds). I start receiving the updates from Bruce's timing chip to my blackberry. His first 10k time is slow or so I thought. It was clock time & not his chip time. I relax when I see he is right on track. Projected finish is 3:07. Next update is 21k. Projected finish is 3:06. Heart jumps. He's fast. Next update is 30k. Projected finish is 3:07. Good. I start looking at the runners more closely. He should be coming by me in the next 10 mins. 12 mins pass. Worry. 14 mins pass. Pit in stomach. I see him. He sees me. I fumble with my lens cap. Try to get a picture. I panic when I see he is stopping to hug me. I know he's faltering. He gives me the most salty kiss I've ever had. All I can get out is, "Are you OK?" He tells me, "I'm OK." I know he's not. I snap a picture as he leaves. His head is down. Feet barely off the ground. He still has 4+ miles left (6.4k). 
I jump back onto the T to head for the finish. I know I can't catch him again on the course as the traffic is too busy. I hold my blackberry willing it to tell me that he has finished. Nothing. The race started at 12:00. It's 3:15 and I haven't heard a thing. 3:20 - I'm feeling nauseous. Others around me are hearing that their runners are done. Finish times of 3:02 to 3:07. Finally Tom emails to tell me he's done. 3:12 was his time. I know Bruce wanted faster so I am sad for him. I am totally relieved. Thank God it's over & he finished well. I get to our meeting spot & at first glance I can't see him. Tracy meets me first. I tell her that he's not standing so we need to look at all the people laying on the ground. I see a guy who looks like Bruce but his shirt is different & he doesn't have his cap on. I touch his shoulder & then apologize - I've got the wrong person. No...this is Bruce. He's crumpled sitting sideways on the hard, cold concrete. His lips are blue. He has no colour in his face. I hug him & let him cry. My parents arrive & don't say much. Tracy hands me a cap she has bought to give to Bruce. I ask her to hold onto it for a few minutes. Bruce is cooperative & tries to eat & drink when the Red Cross guy & I ask him to. Slowly, he comes around. His smile is genuine. The pride he is feeling for finishing is able to creep into his punished body. Soon he is standing & looking for his fellow competitors. He eagerly puts on his Boston Marathon jacket & new cap. He tells me in all sincerity, "Jode, you don't want to do that." (meaning you don't want to run that course!). I believe him and firmly remove running the Boston marathon from my list of things to do.
Rocketman has completed something that less than 1% of the world's population has done and he did it in a great time against the world's best runners. He respects the course. He gave it his best effort. He knows he could not have run any harder & had left nothing in his tank. Running at this elite level is incomprehendable for me...heck, I think I can train twice a week & run a 30k race. Bruce set his goals high. He requalified to run the race again next year. Will he? We're not sure yet but what I am sure of is that his coach could not be more proud.
No comments:
Post a Comment