Phew.

I’m still alive. I can once again descend the stairs without gripping the railing as if my very life depends on me holding on to it. Tuesday and Wednesday were the roughest days – not only from muscle soreness, but I was absolutely overcome with utter exhaustion. My energy level was nil, and I walked around in a complete fog. Yoga on Thursday did wonders for me. By Friday, my appetite returned with a vengeance and I speculated that running would be in my future. Sunday, I climbed onto the bike, and spun the legs for 14 miles, outside in the spectacular spring sunshine. Exactly one week later, and I’m ready to get back out there. I cannot wait to see how my legs respond. (Has it really been a week already? It all feels so surreal...did all of that *really* happen?)

Interesting post-race facts (interesting to me, anyways):

Areas chafed: 4 (areas with and without Bodyglide)

Gels (Gu) consumed: 4 packets

Fluids taken in: Too many ounces to count.

Amount of rain: Negligible. More Gatorade landed on my shirt than raindrops.

Girls kissed at Wellesley: 2

Number of time I felt *really* nauseous: ZERO

Number of time I felt *really* nervous: ZERO

Blisters: ZERO (thanks Bodyglide!)

Purple toes: Delayed onset – 1.5 toes, 2 days later

How each 5K ticked off:

5K - 26:07
10K - 25:07
15K - 25:07
20K - 25:01
25K - 25:03
30K - 25:39*
35K - 25:28*
40K - 24:57
Final 2.2K - 10:53 (7:57 mile pace!)

(*Can you tell where the Newton hills were?)

Negative split: By 12 seconds

Overall placement: 6339/20348 (31%)
Gender placement: 1092/7975 (14%)
Age division placement: 907/4534 (20%)

Number of times I smiled: 10,346ish.

Now…the big question…what’s next? Honestly, I have no idea. There will be more marathons, for sure. I will run Boston again – no question there. But the very next thing? Dunno. Maybe an Olympic-distance triathlon this summer, or maybe my first ‘century’ ride (that’s 100 miles on the bike to you non-bikers). Maybe both. At this moment, I’m going to keep soaking up the good vibes from Boston as I ease my legs back in to the right-left-right-left routine and focus on getting through the last few weeks of the semester. After that, who knows what the next adventure will have in store!

Stayed tuned for one last post about Boston.

To read Part One of the Boston Marathon race report/weather miracle, click here.

-Part Two-

After we crossed the half way point, I began searching the swelling crowds for signs of our race crew. I recognized the spot where we had 'spectated' from last year, when we were desperately looking for jeff, only to learn that we had just missed him. As we approached mile 14, my hopes of seeing the race crew began to diminish, and I worried about them - were they lost? were they OK? It would have been a good spirit-booster to see them, and I had wanted to pass off some of my gear to 'lighten my load' but I also knew how tricky it was to get to just the right spot last year. Jeff helped keep my spirits up by scooping up a ton more 'high-fives' from a million little kids. It was awesome to watch the sidewalk explode with cheers as he would run over to them. It never failed to make me smile.

The temperature had a dropped a bit, and we were feeling more of the winds. We attributed this fact to our approach towards the water and away from the sheltered inland.

There were some interesting moments during miles 15 and 16. We spotted a red Staples 'easy' button on the ground, and instantly regretted not picking it up. How cool would it have been to press the button at the finish line and hear "That was easy!" It also reminded me of my friend Joan, who bought me my very own 'easy' button after I qualified for Boston.

We also spotted a male runner with incredible legs, especially his calf (gastroc) muscles. He shaved his legs too, so they were all smooth and shiny, flexing spectacularly with each foot fall. I lost all control of my internal filters, turned to jeff and blurted out 'I just want to lick his calves!' Of course, jeff found this hilarious and made sure to tell the guy that I liked his calves as we passed by. When I confirmed what jeff said with a 'You have great legs!' the runner modestly remarked that he wished they were stronger.

We pushed up a hill, heading over an overpass (might have been the 128) and I was instantly struck by the crowd support there. People were packed onto the bridge, waving signs, hooting and hollering like crazy. I saw one sign that say 'We are so proud of you Stephanie' and felt myself get all emotional, eyes welling up. How amazing...to have our family and friends be so proud of us...proud enough to come out in the cold, windy, awful day to cheer for us - for all of us. Even though they would get to see their runner for only a few seconds, they were out there, cheering like mad, like each one of us could win the race. It was overwhelming.

Then I realized it was way too soon to start crying, and I was starting to hyperventilate which made getting up the hill even more difficult. I managed to pull myself together without jeff noticing that I was turning into a mush-head again. He would have yelled at me, reminding me that 'there's no crying in running.'

We passed the sign for Newton, and jeff announced that we had 4 hills to tackle, the last of which would be the infamous Heartbreak Hill. I was already starting to tighten up, and was beginning to worry about my calves cramping, but I steeled my resolve and got to work.


Mile 14 - 8:02
Mile 15 - 8:13
Mile 16 - 8:03

I was struggling on the up-hills. Always my cheerleader, jeff would wave his arms and egg on the crowd to get them to cheer for us/me. Again, I was amazed at the crowd support. People would even make eye contact and yell encouragement right at me. (I really wish I'd had my name on my shirt, but with the weather forecast, I figured I'd been soaking wet the whole time and the tape would just fall off my shirt/jacket so I didn't even bother. I'll never make that mistake again.)

As we passed the mile 17 marker, I reluctantly asked for our split and coach replied with "8:19." That was the slowest mile since the start and it made me angry. I didn't want the hills to beat me. I didn't want the infamous Boston course to chew me up. I had worked hard to get there, and I didn't want it to end on those hills. I began to 'pull inwards' and grew even quieter than I had been.

I could tell jeff was getting a little concerned about me, as the reminders to keep my 'chin up and chest out' were coming more often. As we tackled each hill, he would try to get me to celebrate by tapping fists. It got to the point where my fingers were so swollen, I couldn't even make a fist to tap against his. The swelling, and the dull headache, alerted me that I might be over-hydrated, and I decided to slow down my fluid intake.

I completely missed the statue of John Kelley on Heartbreak Hill...how disappointing! I wasn't sure where it was located, and I just kept looking towards to crest of the hill for something shiny and brassy. Heartbreak was challenging, but not nearly as tough as I had imagined it to be. I think what made it manageable was the fact that I knew the worst would be over once we crested the top.

Mile 17 - 8:19
Mile 18 - 8:13
Mile 19 - 8:09
Mile 20 - 8:20
Mile 21 - 8:20

The temperature continued to drop and the winds were still present, but we had yet to encounter any real rain. I was flabbergasted, relieved and grateful.

My muscles were really starting to ache and tighten - pretty much everywhere. Neck, shoulders, low back, and every inch of my legs and feet. It hurt. I wasn't having any fun, just working hard to get it done. Panic set in when heard jeff utter 'Oh sh*t.' I knew without even asking. I said 'You OK?' and I believe his response was 'I'll be fine.' We both knew he was getting a cramp, but neither one of us said anything. If we uttered the word, it would happen. And if he got a cramp, I was certain to get one too. (They are contagious you know!).

But we pushed on. I was determined to not let all the training go to waste. I was determined to not feel like all the early mornings and weekends were for nothing. I wanted my friends and family to be proud of me. I wanted to run for the people in my life who would love to be able to run, but are physically unable. I still wanted to beat Boston, and prove that even in less than ideal conditions, with less than ideal training, mental fortitude could win the day. I wanted to make sure that jeff didn't spend 16 months training me, as well as a plane ticket cross country, for a performance that was less than I truly had to give. With all that other people had given to me, I had to give something back. Boston had to be the gift I could give. For me, and for them.

At some point during mile 23, jeff said 'Flipper, you do realize..." and I cut him off with a finger to my lips and a "Shhhhh." I knew he wanted to tell me that I was about to set a PR. But I didn't want to break the spell. Stay focused on the task - left, right, left, right.

Mile 24, and jeff starts telling bad jokes. He sees a runner with a faux-hawk (fake mohawk) and begins to comment on the ridiculous nature of the hair style, questioning why the young man with the bad hair couldn't just commit to a REAL mohawk. All I can do is smile feebly. Then, during Mile 25, as if it were a hair style convention instead of a marathon, we come up on a runner with a REAL mohawk, shaved properly. My marathon partner ponders out loud, wondering if the Mohawk Indians used egg whites to make their mohawks stand up. I overheard a spectator say 'How can he even be talking right now!?' I thought to myself...'Easy...because he's the Amazing Hip.'

Mile 22 - 7:59
Mile 23 - 8:03
Mile 24 - 7:58
Mile 25 - 8:02

Mile 25. We can do anything for one mile. And we do. We run. For one more mile. We pass our cheering section just before the turn up to Boylston Street. We smile and wave, and push on. As we round the corner for the finish, jeff asks me if I'm ready to be a rock star, because what I'm about to hear is all for me.

Sure enough, a deafening roar hits us, and we give one last push for the finish. The blue finish banner looks so far away, almost like it's getting farther as we run towards it, but I try to turn on the jets. I open up what is left of my stride and go, go, go...just wanting to cross the line. To be done. To stop. I see the clock says 3:34:xx and I gun it, hoping for the PR by the skin of my teeth...not remembering that the clock is net time, not chip time.

Side by side, we cross the mats. I stop. I start to hyperventilate. I put my arm around jeff and say 'Thank you.' He looks at me and says 'We did it flipper!' We're both elated.

Mile 26.2 - 9:42 (8:05 pace) - official finishing time 3:33:12 - a PR by a minute and 50 seconds.

We are both hobbling through the finish area with slow, precise steps. We get some water and the volunteers are smiling and congratulating us, telling us how amazing we are...I start to hyperventilate again, and begin to feel emotional (again). Coach gives me permission to cry, but I manage to hold it together...mostly because I am quickly becoming aware of just how sore I am, and how cold I am beginning to feel. We find a spot to stretch for a couple of minutes and then get our heat blankets.

We hobble over to get our chips removed, and again the volunteers are wonderful - just bursting with enthusiasm and pride for us. We receive our medals, and I give mine a kiss. We grab some snacks and make our way down the increasingly cold and windy street to locate the buses that have our gear bags. Getting the bags is almost harder than the marathon.

We accomplish the Feats of Strength of Festivus. Eventually - probably about 30 minutes later - we find each other again, and find our way to Jason (thank goodness for cell phones!). I continue with the Festivus theme, with an Airing of Grievances when I realize that Jason has forgotten the backpack with our jackets in it.

We are reunited with the race crew, and we are officially introduced to the exuberant, warm, wonderful Jeanne. There are photos, hugs, smiles, jokes, and stories swapped and shared. We slowly begin the long walk towards the car, shivering and chattering away the whole time. The best way to sum up how it felt to have run Boston is to quote one of the signs that we saw numerous times along the route: 'It's a pissah!'

-End of Part Two-

Part One

After my usual restless pre-marathon night’s sleep, I got up at 5:00 a.m. and immediately checked the National Weather Service web site for Boston. Last night, things were beginning to look a little more optimistic, with the heaviest of the rain ending by 9:00 a.m. and winds ‘breezy at 20-25 mph’ diminishing to 16 to 19 mph as the day progressed. However, the tune changed by this morning, and the weather was back to being ‘heavy rains and winds until 3 p.m.’

Oh well. It is what it is, and we’ll have epic stories and amazing bragging rights.

My poor, sweet husband was once again dragged out of bed at an earthly hour to haul my butt somewhere to make my marathon dreams come true. Specifically, he delivered Jeff, Charlie and me to a town about 30 minutes from our house to ‘catch a bus.’ We all had reserved spots on a local track club’s chartered bus to Boston – complete with bathroom, and access to a hotel room for hot showers post-race. Perfect! No driving! No parking! A bathroom! A place to stay out of the elements until the race started!

The honeymoon with the bus was over quickly. We were unable to all sit together, and I ended up sitting in the last row…right next to the bathroom. Convenient? Yes. Stinky? Oh. Good. God. Yes. Runners are stinky people to begin with; throw in race day nerves and grab a clothespin for your nose. Within 20 minutes of departing, I had my shirt pulled over my nose and mouth and spent most of the ride breathing through my mouth.

As we rode to the race, the rain was coming down in buckets. People were calling their friends along the race route, asking for weather updates. We heard one temperature report of 50F. Immediately, I start second guessing my clothing choice – especially the tights. But, I didn’t have any shorts to change in to, which made my decision easy.

We arrived in Hopkinton, and watched the rain continue to beat down on runners scurrying across the parking lot. Folks had all sorts of plastic products strapped to their body like garbage bags over torsos and shopping bags over shoes (and inside shoes).

Expectantly, the lines for the port-a-porties were quite long, which didn’t affect my bladder personally, as I had access to the stinky bus bathroom. However, this did allow us to have a fabulous view of runners peeing behind the buses. My favorite moment was when jeff pointed out one ‘bus-reliever’ and I turned to look (of course), getting a full-frontal nudity shot of some very cold man.

We sent Charlie out for his first wave start, and began our final preparations: one last bathroom break, gear assessment, and 99-cent poncho application. We grabbed our gear bags, full of warm, dry clothes for later, took a deep breath and launched out into the rain and wind for the walk over to the start line corrals. On the way, we stopped to check our gear bags, only after being reassured by a friendly volunteer that my gear bag bus was just around the corner – ‘You can’t see them yet…but don’t freak out, they’re there!’

Of course, there was one last bathroom stop just before the corrals (lines were short!). As we finally made our way into corrall #13, we both let out a whoop and then, for some reason, did a body slam. Once jeff got his breath back, and my chest stopped hurting, we laughed at our silly selves and lined up. Just then, jeff noticed a banner over the church next to us – and it was the verse from the Bible that Joe named his site after (“and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” Hebrews 12:1) which made us instantly think of him. The RBF was with us before we took our first step.

Then, something amazing happened…the rain began to let up. Almost completely stopped. I was stunned, but skeptical. I was not going to let myself believe for one minute that this day would not have ‘apocalyptic’ weather. But it was nice to delay the anticipated soaking.

Before we knew it, we were off! Jeff made sure we took note of our very first step and then we were underway! Our rain ponchos were off, our smiles were big and we were ready of whatever the day had in store.

The first five miles clicked by quickly and looked like this:

8:49
8:13
8:15
7:58
8:07

By mile five, it still wasn’t raining. The winds weren’t *that* noticeable. I looked over at jeff and declared the day to be a Festivus Miracle. Jeff was scooping up high fives left and right. Our smiles were still plastered to our faces.

8:06

Mile 6.6ish and we spot Jason with the camera, capturing our joy via pixels. He lets us know that the ‘gang’ is just ahead. A few steps later and we see the sidewalk erupt and there are signs bouncing up and down. We slow down long enough to say “hi!” and I give my mom a smootch. With a quick glance, I read Michelle’s sign and it says ‘My hero wears orange.’ My heart tugs, not only because the sign was meant for me, but I knew that since the marathon theme color this year was orange, lots of runners were wearing orange and they might read the sign and feel inspired too. Mush head. I know. Jeff told me I wasn’t allowed to cry. I didn’t.

The wind picked up a bit here, and we encountered the first rain drops since the start line. Luckily, the rain disappeared within a half mile or so.

8:04
8:09
8:03
8:05
8:06
7:52

We hit mile 12 with the 7:52 split, and jeff turns to me and says “Can you hear that?” There’s a dull roar coming from up ahead…about a HALF MILE ahead is the infamous Wellesley Scream Tunnel. Half mile. And we can already hear them. Holy. Crap.

I was giddy with excitement.

The Wellesley experience delivered just as much fun and energy as I could possibly imagine. Hundreds of young college women screaming for us. It was overwhelming. And, yes, the first woman with a ‘Kiss Me’ sign, received a kiss from *me.* She was a little surprised at first but then smiled, laughed, and held on to my arm as I pulled away. But that wasn’t enough for me. I just had to do it one more time, and the young woman brave enough to wear a bikini top was my next victim. If only we had a camera.

We entered the actual town of Wellesley, crossed the 13 mile mark in 8:03 and then hit the half marathon mat, scanning the sidewalks for our cheering section. We were halfway there!

-End of Part One-

At 2:04 PM, Dianna Hyland has finished.
Pace: 8:09 per mile
Finish Time: 3:33:22



And I think this might be a PR! Way to go Running Chick! You rocked the Boston Marathon in tough conditions and PRed! You are a true inspiration! Looks like that Jeff guy did okay too. You guys are great.



Thank you Michelle and Jeanne for all the phone updates and phone pictures! I couldn't have blogcasted without you!

Oh, and thanks to David for being the official statistician and go-fer for the reporter! (He made me say it.)

**Posted by Runner Susan

3:22:29 - just a few more minutes!

** Posted by Runner Susan

**Posted by Runner Susan

**Posted by Runner Susan

111th Boston Marathon 2007

At 1:03 PM, Dianna at 30K.
Pace: 8:10 per mile
Projected Finish: 3:33:53 (Net)

**Posted by Runner Susan

**Posted by Runner Susan

They are at the Half at 1:46:47 - pace now 8:09.

The cheering gang just missed them because they are too darn fast! Faster than the updates on the BAA website for sure.

**Posted by Runner Susan

Running Chick dropped her pace to 8:10! 1:41:22 at 20K. Predicted finish: 3:33:58!

Wow.

**Posted by Runner Susan

111th Boston Marathon 2007

At 11:22 AM, Dianna at 10K.
Pace: 8:15 per mile
Projected Finish: 3:36:08 (Net)

Just heard from Michelle and Running Chick and Jeff are all smiles and doing fine! Temp are dropping and still raining.

**Posted by Runner Susan

I thought you should know that Jeanne has officially downgraded the weather from apocalyptic to just sucky. She has that power you know.

She's on her way to meet RunninMomma Michelle at the Happy Swallow Tavern, which I hear is a dive bar located around Mile 7, where they will give me an official marathon update
_______
***Update from Michelle - the rain was horizontal and is now vertical!

**Posted by Runner Susan

At the same time I'm IMing with Jeff, I get a phone call from Jeanne who reports apocalyptic conditions in Boston – gusting winds, pouring rain and strong headwinds. Jeanne, who by the way, is reporting from the comfort of her friend’s apartment.

So I got "misty" from Mr. Fun and "apocalyptic" from Ms. Stillinpajamas. Who to believe?



**Posted by Runner Susan

According to the aginghipster, it looks like the national weather service has downgraded the weather conditions for the Boston Marathon. And by downgrade I think he means more rain, more wind and greater chance of limb loss. Which I guess, if you are mentally ill, worse weather equals more fun. These kids are CRAZY.

Pictures of Dianna and Jeff heading to the marathon:





**Posted by Runner Susan

Look at me! Runner Susan has complete power. La la la. La la la.

Just kidding, I’m testing to see if my posts work for tomorrow’s Boston Marathon blogcast. And what a blogcast it will be! Can you believe the weather conditions they are predicting? Ya know, there’s a reason I live in Texas – and it has to do a little with not ever getting hypothermia.

So tune in tomorrow so I can vicariously live my dream through everyone’s favorite Running Chick. Oh yeah, and I think some guy named Jeff might be running with her – I might throw in a word or two about him too.

Go Dianna, Go Jeff! Run fast, have fun and try not to let your body temperature drop below the level required for adequate blogcasting!


Oh . . . And for the record, there will be no morning margarita.

I'm excited and nervous and sweating the details. Finally.

It took until 4:00 a.m. this morning for this to really, really hit me, when I woke up in a panic thinking it was race day. I mean sure, I got butterflies yesterday when we were sitting in the car at the corner of Hereford and Boylston Streets, realizing that when I hit that point on Monday, I would be on the verge of being a Boston Marathoner.

But the full impact of all of it didn't hit until 4:00 a.m. today. Holy crap, I'm going to Boston.

As some of you may have heard, the weather will provide us with an opportunity to use the word "epic" when telling our stories of the marathon. I'm looking forward to the challenge, to proving to myself that I have the mental toughness and 'hardcore-itude' to survive any obstacle that is thrown at me. Having jeff by my side will certainly make that task a whole lot easier, and more enjoyable.

Besides, I've run a marathon in the rain and wind before, so this isn't completely uncharted territory. Just a little colder than last time.

Latest weather update from the National Weather Service:

Monday: Periods of rain, mainly before noon. High near 43F. Breezy, with a southeast wind 25 to 28 mph decreasing to between 16 and 19 mph. Winds could gust as high as 43 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible

(The irony of the rain being heavier before noon, and Boston changing their start time this year from noon to 10 a.m. is not lost on me.)

Jeff is in Connecticut and we've been gabbing and laughing almost non-stop. He's been whisked away from me by April-Anne until later this afternoon, which gives me time to study and get some shopping done.

All that's left is to pack the race bags and load up on pasta.

Follow along with us, right here, tomorrow. It's going to be an AMAZING ride!

Beyond the obvious signs of the seasonal change - flowers blooming, birds chirping and warmer afternoon sunshine - I've been witness to three signs of spring that never fail to make me smile.

Last week, when we momentarily warmed up to 50F in the morning, I heard my all-time favorite New England sound - the peepers were talking to me from their swamp. If you've never heard the mating call of a thousand tiny frogs, you don't know what you're missing.

About a half mile later, from out of the darkness I could hear the gooble-gooble-gooble chatter of a newly expanded wild turkey family. From what I could tell the family was split between the two sides of the road, so I got to listen to their banter "in stereo."

Then, this morning, as I passed over the oh-so-quaint stone wall "bridge" on my route, I caught a glimpse of two tiny ducklings furiously paddling to keep up with their mom as they headed downstream.

Always brings a big, huge smile to my face. What a great way to start the day...the day that is only SIX days before the Boston Marathon.

Runner Susan has been hired to be our official blogcaster for the Boston Marathon adventure!

She was easily the candidate to beat, having held the position last year, chronicling jeff's journey from Hopkinton to Boston.

For updates on race day, be sure to visit us here!!

(THANKS SUSAN!!)

Until then, it's taper time.

Boston is two weeks from today people.

Two. Weeks.
A mere fortnight.

In fourteen short days, jeff and I will be toeing the start line of the infamous marathon, taking part in the historical moment when the start times are moved two hours earlier. In an act of utter lunacy, and kindness, jeff will be moving back SEVEN corrals in order to run with me. He could be starting the race at 10:00 a.m. in corral #6, with me starting the race at 10:30 a.m. from corral #13. But, being the amazing hip that he is, he will be standing beside me and all the other slow pokes. That's a true friend.

As we've been discussing all our plans for race day - transportation, food, gear, etc. - it occurred to us that we would be in need of a blogcaster to record our action on the course as the day unfolds.

Here's where you come in!

We are currently accepting applications for someone to blogcast the race for us.

Job Requirements:

• Must be available on Monday April 16 from 10:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. (EST) with reliable computer access
• Must possess a sense of humor, but also take this job seriously
• Be familiar with competitors (that's me and jeff)
• Must be able to accept email, text messages and phone calls from a variety of strangers.
• Ability to multitask is a must!
• Be able to act responsibly with embarrassing photos
• Be familiar with blogger interface (race day posting will be done on Running Chick's blog)
• Willing to work for free

Your first test will be to follow this simple direction: If you'd like to apply for the job, please do NOT reply in the comments section. Send an email to dhyland01 AT snet DOT net. We'll give people a few days to submit applications and then we'll select the lucky soon-to-be-over-worked-and-under-paid blogger.

**If you are planning/hoping to meet us for lunch on Saturday April 14 at 1:00 p.m. please let me know via email - ASAP - as I'd like to make reservations. We've selected a restaurant that's a couple of blocks from the expo.**