Four More Days!

It is almost here - four more days to the high holy day in Boston - Monday April 18, 2011 - the 115th running of the Boston Marathon. Streets are closed, the MBTA runs on a holiday schedule, runners awaken from a sleepless night of slumber before sunrise, eat their pre race breakfast that they have planning for months. Pick up all of the items that were meticulously laid out the night before. Some will pray, others will meditate - whatever you call it - there are no atheists in fox holes or in marathon corrals. From across the globe runners make the holy pilgrimage to Hopkinton Massachusetts where they begin their journey of 26.2 miles to the finish line in Boston.

I am not one of the runners this year. I have a unique role to play in this high holy day. I am the marathoner's wife. We did it ladies! We made it through. We made it through another season of training and for many of us, another season of fund raising and the past few weeks of taper madness!

For the past seven months I have been doing laundry, waking up at 5 am (and then going back to sleep), driving around to cheer on my husband on long runs, fund raising, providing support to a team of 5 BU photojournalism students who have been documenting Tom's journey, keeping the bath tub clean and ready for ice baths and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

All the runners are blogging about their goals for this year. My dear friend Matt Wilson (Luau) talked about his goals in today's post and I realized that it's not just the runners who have goals. So does this marathoner's wife:

To rise and shine when the alarm goes off at 5 am
To see the tote board at $10,001 the morning of the marathon
To have everything ready and waiting for Tom to help him stay cool, calm and collected on race day
To not make a fool of myself with hysterical blubbering when I send Tom off on the bus for Hopkinton with his teammates
To find a parking space somewhere in the Back Bay (on the other side of the holy grail finish line of course)
To be able to find a bathroom when I need it throughout the day
To stay hydrated and fueled – it’s exhausting watching a marathon
To maintain phone service throughout the day to stay in touch with the students along the route and our children who will be texting and calling for updates
To remember sunblock and work on my tan if the sun is out.
To not blink at the moment when Tom crosses the finish line and miss his triumphant finish
To find him in the sea of runners
To make it from the finish line to the Westin Copley hotel – it’s easier for Tom to get from Hopkinton to Boston than to get from the finish line to anywhere else.
To remember where I parked my car and figure out how to get back to the Holiday Inn Brookline where his patient partner and family will be waiting for us to celebrate the culmination of seven months of incredible work in this labor of love as part of the Miles for Miracle Team.

To get ready to do it all over again next year! (I know there is a reason why Tom did not return the Childrens Hospital banner and is talking about when we do next year's a cappella benefit concert....)

So here's to all of you marathoner's wives and especially to those who are also mothers of young children. May your husband's have a PR and may you find your way through race day logistics with light, laughter and love!

God bless, be well and live like you were dyin'
From my heart to yours with love and gratitude,
Mary

Some inspiring pre-race Botson Marathon reflections:
Run Luau Run
Really not a Runner

Help us make that tote board climb baby climb
Tom's Boston Marathon Fund Raising Page