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THANK YOU TO THE KIDS ON THE COURSE
by Heather Gardiner
Heather after the Marathon
Can Young Kids Train for the Boston Marathon? | From 26 to 46 (Years Not Miles), Dick Beardsley at the Boston Marathon | Thank You to the Kids on the Course | Hibiscus Marathon Team
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April 16, 2002 - 4:30 am. I can't sleep. My heart is racing, my head is aching and every muscle in my body hurts. It feels like freight trains have just finished taking turns running over my body. So what is the cause of my agony? Could it be a bar room brawl, malaria, or a fall from a 20-story building? No, I just ran the Boston Marathon. Despite its many nasty side effects, the Boston Marathon was one of the most positive and memorable experiences of my life. Nothing that I have ever done has been more rewarding or made me feel so incredible. I ran one of the best races of my life there and sliced over 12 minutes off my PR. Going into the race, I had no idea what to expect. As the race began I told myself that I would not focus on running a certain time or worry about a specific pace, but just enjoy the day and the experience of running Boston. It seems that this strategy was the best one I could have used. The initial miles of the race were fairly slow as I tried to wind my way through the crowd of runners and settle into a comfortable pace. Watching the spectators that lined the streets really helped keep my mind occupied and hearing their encouragement totally lifted my spirits. I went through the half marathon in 1:25:30 and could not believe how comfortable I felt. Everywhere I looked I saw the faces of children smiling back at me. Many of them were handing out orange slices or cups of water to the runners. They were having a blast cheering and giving high-fives to the runners as they passed. Their enthusiasm and excitement was so contagious that it was hard not to feel great, even at the most difficult parts of the race they made me smile. Before the race I had been told, "There will be lots of cute kids who will want to slap your hand as you pass, but don't do it because it will tire you out and take away from your time." Not giving high-fives to every cute little outstretched hand was one of the hardest parts of the race. The children had helped me so much and given me so much encouragement it felt wrong not to acknowledge every one of them. Without their support and genuine enthusiasm there is no way I could have ran as well as I did. If I could thank every one of them personally I would. |
Heather grew up in Canada but is living in the United States now. Boston was her second marathon. Her first was in Mystic, CT in October. She ran
3:01:20 there and 2:48:58 at Boston.
Running takes up so much of her time that there's not much left for other
hobbies, but she recently started rock climbing and she likes roller blading,
cycling and ice skating.She's just 23 years old. She loves all animals and is a vegetarian. When she moves out of her apartment and gets a house she would like to get a greyhound from a greyhound rescue program.
We'll invite Heather back to write for us again and we'll also follow her marathons. A 2:48 is a very fast time. She was the 24th woman to finish Boston and she's still young. Her marathon running should get better as she continues to run. Email carol.kids@rodale.com.
