Thursday, March 15, 2007

I'm in the Boston Marathon!!

John McDermott was the first to win it.

Clarence DeMar won it seven times.

John Kelly finished it 58 times.

Roberta "Bobbi" Gibb was the first woman to do it, and ...

... on April 16th I will run it.

What is it, you might ask? Welllhhh, only the the world's greatest marathon.


That's right, 'BoomerNation, I am going to run in the 111th Boston Marathon!!

I've been invited, not because of a qualifying time, but through a business association with the John Hancock Insurance Company. The good folks at Hancock selected me, in their words, "... for your continued charitable and athletic efforts in our community."

What. An. Honor!

The good news is that I am invited. The bad news is the marathon is only a month away and I'm not prepared to run 26.2 miles. Maybe I could run 18 miles (and toss lunch in the process) but run the whole thing? Ummm... probably not. No worries, mate. I'll do my best for as long as I can and if I need to slow to a jog, so be it. I'm going to Boston for the experience and the reward of doing and being.

Plus, I was scheduled to be overseas the day before the race. But, through a lot of understanding and encouragement by my life's love, I was able to adjust my schedule and I'm Boston bound.

Woot!

As the race gets closer I'll post my bib number and keep y'all up to date on my crash marathon training.

Stay tuned...

35 comments:

SingletrackJenny (formerly known as IronJenny) said...

This is great, Boomer!
Just walk/run it - you will be fine. Take in the sights... stop in for a pint here and there... have fun!
We are going to Boston for spring break all next week.
The amount of fundraising and good works you do just as a natural part of your existance is appreciated far and wide. Christ's light shines right through you, Boomer...
Jenny

greyhound said...

Karma! SO.COOL!

Born To Endure said...

You do great things and are rewarded rightfully so...Boston is like a dream to me and so many runners who will never be fast enough to get there...you can carry all of our thoughts and good wishes..it will be like we are there in spirit for you!! And..ahh hemm...you were going to be overseas?, or out of the country??? hee hee
Well best of luck and you know this northern spirit will be watching you all through that race!!!

Kim said...

aghhh im crapping in my pants right now! so excited for you!!! unfortunately i will have to cheer you on from behind my computer screen... we dont get the day off, and i cant take it off this year (i cant believe one year ago i ran that thing). you are gonna do great!

:) said...

Congrats, big man!!!

momo said...

what a great honor, boomer. have fun there - even if you don't run the entire thing - just have FUN! i would love to run boston one day... i was there earlier this week and ran around the charles river and it was so beautiful.

Unknown said...

Way to go Boomer!!!!!! So cool!!! So well-deserved!!!!

Laurie said...

AWESOME!

You absolutely deserve this honor. Enjoy the experience, ready or not.

Anonymous said...

I'm in the same boat as you - I just found out last Friday (also didn't qualify but got it through a lottery of 300 people vying for 40 spots).

I'm not ready either! We did 14 last Saturday, we'll do 12-14 this weekend, and 20-21 the weekend after that then a quick 2-week taper.

I spent 6 months training for Houston, now a short 5 weeks for Boston. Something is seriously wrong with that picture! But it will be an experience I never forget and hopefully lots of good memories (and none that include an ambulance).

UltraMamaC said...

congrats -- how exciting! You will have a blast, and what everyone has said is so true -- what goes around comes around, and you have earned this with all your good work and good deeds!

Fe-lady said...

See blog below for my response...I scrolled down too far! Ha!
Yeah- Boston. The grand-daddy of them all!

Fe-lady said...

See blog below for my response...I scrolled down too far! Ha!
Yeah- Boston. The grand-daddy of them all!

Anonymous said...

congrats, tri-boomer. you deserve it...

Neese said...

they chose the right guy! congratulations this is WAY cool!

ShesAlwaysWrite said...

That is seriously cool! Congratulations!

Faithful Soles said...

Boomer, don't worry about your time. If I'm correct, you will probably be in the back corral, and if you were to try to make up time, you'd be weaving in and out of thousands of runners (and bandits). Just take it all in and enjoy it. 2 tips...

#1 - At mile 12, move as far to the right as you can against the crowd, you'll thank me for this (Wellesley College and you can hear them screaming from a mile away sometimes).

#2 - Enjoy the home stretch on Boylston Street. It's 600 yards to the finish when you make that last turn and can see the finish line. There are nearly 100,000 people lining the streets just in that one part. It is truly amazing.

#3 (yes, I know I said 2 things, but I just remembered this one) - Eat at Legal Seafood. It is incredibly expensive, but you'll thank me for it. You might want to eat there after the race so you can gorge yourself.

Donald said...

It's really a fantastic race. Go and have a great time, regardless of how fast you run it. Looking forward to hearing all about it!

Vickie said...

Good luck on your run. And if you are carrying any names, either in your head and heart or on your sleeve or wherever, carry my dad's again, since he recently lost his battle with lymphoma. If you are raising money for this particular event, I would like to donate something in his honor.

Joy | Love | Chaos said...

Wahoo!!! Knock em on their tails!

TRI TO BE FUNNY said...

Congrats and enjoy every step of the way!!!!!!!!!!!!

Unknown said...

Congrats and just enjoy being there!!!

Crash said...

very cool - congrats!

Taconite Boy said...

Cool!

Kewl Nitrox said...

YAY! What an honour indeed!

Lance Notstrong said...

Awesome Triboomer!!! I bet you'll do great :-)

Kim said...

NOOOO DO NOT EAT AT LEGAL SEAFOODS! BOOM! I love you too much to allow you to eat there! if you need restaurant ideas, let me know!

Michael Lardizabal said...

Man thats great all the charity work that you do ! Kudos and enjoy Boston.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today.

Mike

Afternoon Tea With Oranges said...

Congrats!! How exciting!

tri-mama said...

Yahoo!!!! You have a huge mental bank built up-you'll be just fine, and think of the site seeing.

Bolder said...

congrats!

and, well deserved!!!!

Run for Chocolate said...

Last year I got in at the same time because I people I know, most of my family lives in Boston, I ran a few 15s and one 16 and I finished the race with a big smile. It is the BEST race in the world. I'll be there cheering you on this year! Have fun.

the Dread Pirate Rackham said...

Wow - that is awesome! Yes, you should plan to Run/Walk it, and finish!

Besides - you have to go, because I'll be experiencing it vicariously through you.

Papa Louie said...

Congratulations on making it to Boston! Maybe I'll see you there.

Papa Louie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

One mile at a time. Hang in there! You'll do great. And what an experience!! Congratulations!!
K w/ ML