I am going to Boston. Those are words many runners dream of saying. The Boston Marathon is historic, grand, some say it is the “grandfather” of all marathons, for the majority of runners it is unattainable, and for me, something I have never thought possible. But thanks to being chosen by the Massage Therapy Foundation to run for charity, I will be running the Boston Marathon.
I am going to Boston. Running is not easy for me. I have hardware in my knees, little to no cartilage in both, and I didn’t start running until I was 47 years old. How crazy is that? I first ran an obstacle run with a group of friends from massage school. It was short, just for fun, there was no training involved, and it raised money for breast cancer research. A winning situation all around! Well, I did it, had so much fun, went home and told my husband that I wanted to run a half marathon. He took it in stride, instantly became my coach (he is a trained athlete and coach), and just like that I trained for and ran a half marathon. That was almost 8 years ago. When I finished, I was good. I was done running. Famous last words…
I am going to Boston. Fast forward to summer of 2016. More than 4 years had passed since running that first half marathon. Somehow I decided I needed to start running again. It coincided with my career focus and eventual National Certifications in Medical Massage, Sports Massage, and SportStretchUSA. I felt like re-starting my running would give me a better understanding of everything that is important to me in my massage career. It is now January, 2020, and I now have 13 half marathons under my belt, a full marathon (Philadelphia, 2018), a handful of 5K’s, a handful of 8K’s, a quarter marathon, and some 10K and 15K’s. At some point, I finally decided to call myself a runner.
I am going to Boston. I am not the fastest of runners, but I do okay. I have my good days, bad days, and sometimes it really takes a lot to muster up that training mojo. I am so fortunate there is a great running community here in Buffalo, NY. I have formed great friendships, and I have a tremendous support network which starts with my husband. He continues to be my coach, he gives me that gentle nudge when I need it, he also knows when to tell me to take the day off, and he is my biggest cheerleader. I have many run friends whom I can count on for support, group runs, holding me accountable, and just being there to commiserate with when things are hard.
Thanks to the Massage Therapy Foundation for choosing me to run on their behalf. It is a huge undertaking on so many levels. I am not going to lie, the fundraising goal is just as, if not moreso, intimidating than the Boston Marathon itself. But I have a plan, and together with my husband we will reach all goals set before me. I will justify and validate that I was chosen by training hard and working hard to fulfill the responsibilities bestowed upon me.
I am going to Boston, I am running the Boston Marathon, and I am so very lucky.