Marathon Monday

Today is the running of the most prestigious race in the country, the Boston Marathon.  Especially if you live in New England, but pretty much if you are a long distance runner, the marathon to run is Boston.  If you are not a runner, you may not know that running Boston is not simply a matter of entering the race and paying the fee - one has to run a qualifying time in another marathon, and that is no easy task.  Last spring, my sister Kathleen qualified for Boston by running the Ogden Marathon in Utah in under four hours.  After a winter of training, she will step up to the start line in Boston in a few hours with thousands of other qualifiers.  I couldn't possibly be more proud of her.
Having run a marathon, I can say this - anyone can train for a marathon, and anyone can run a marathon.  It might not be pretty, but it can be done.  But not just anyone can run Boston.  And to be part of the Boston experience is something I can only hope to accomplish one day - but she will be doing it today!!!  The weather forecast is not looking good - in fact, marathon officials have advised runners to defer their entry to next year and forgo running due to the extreme temperatures.  Kathleen is running despite the warnings - because you just never know.
So Kathleen - enjoy the EXPERIENCE (a word I had in this post before I saw the BAA email warning) of running Boston!  Of running a race that so many of us can only hope to do someday!!!  You are truly an inspiration to me!!!!

At the Expo.

Marathon Monday!!!