Journey or Destination…You Decide
November 2002. I told my sister, Annie that I had a dream of running a marathon. It was one of those dreams that was so far out there, yet doable. Christmas 2002 I received the book, “The Non Runners Marathon Training Guide” and the training began. The plan was 16 weeks long and I found that the Cleveland Marathon was April 27, 2003. Perfect. Close to mom and dad, Annie would drive from Boston and Hope, Mo and Mari could also come and cheer. The book was divided into 16 chapters so I would read a chapter each Sunday evening. There was no real pace to follow, just miles. I just wanted to finish this crazy thing. While I was training, I had a dream, a dream to qualify and run the Boston Marathon. I trained in a Red Sox hat and never washed it. The hat could stand alone and nearly clear a room on its own. (I have since washed it) It is a dull gray now, but I promise, it started navy blue. I finished my first marathon, 3rd race ever, in 4:54:19. Boston? Seriously? A BQ is 3:40:59. Keep dreaming Katie.
I caught the running bug, and still have it. I wish I could count the number of races I have done since April 2003, but I could not even start. Hundreds, I am sure. I do not have numbers from all of them, but if I got a number, I still have it. In the spring of 2006 my left ankle started to really bother me. I went to the orthopedic doctor and found out that I had a crack in my talus (the bone that connects the foot to the leg) and I needed surgery to get the blood flow back into my foot. I was told that I was not allowed to run until I had the surgery. Good Lord, what am I going to do with all of this energy? Well, I can swim and I have that bike in my basement. I started swimming and struggled to do a 100 without stopping and a 20 mile ride just about wiped me out, but I never stopped. October 27, 2006 I had surgery and was off of my foot for 6 weeks. I taught PE from a wheelchair, and managed crutches the rest of the time. Once my stitches came out, I was allowed back in the pool. No walking, but swimming was okay with no kicking. I loved it. After months of PT, my goal was to do Apple Blossom and I did in 1:00:21. A 10K in over an hour…Boston??
My first tri was in 2007 and I nearly placed. I registered as an Athena, but if I would have done age group, I would have placed. Kind of backwards, but oh well. After 2 years in tris, I was ready to tackle that coveted ‘BQ.’ My times had gotten faster and there was a chance that that dream could possibly become a reality. When I have a training plan, I do my best to follow it to a T. I spoke to my brother in law’s brother at our nephew’s christening on November 1, 2009 and he was confident that I could qualify in Phoenix in January 2010 and he would send me a plan. The plan arrived and I started training. I had 12 weeks to train to run a 3:40:59. On January 17, 2010, Allyson and I flew to Phoenix for the big weekend. Brian was meeting me at the start line to keep me on pace. Allyson was to run the half, but sprained her ankle in December, so she was in a boot. I met a new friend on the flight and he ended up being a great support in Phoenix, being our driver and cheer leader. Allyson was going to hang with Stephan for the day while Brian had decided to fly in and pace me to qualify. At the end of the race, I crossed the line with a 3:35:40 and I am now an official Boston Qualifier!!
October 18, 2010 was sign up day for Boston. At 9 am, I started to register. No luck, so I called my mom and she tried as well. No luck. We went through the registration process for 2 hours and 47 min before I finally got to the second page. I was officially registered for the 2011 Boston Marathon! 27,000 people registered that day and it closed at 5:03 pm. I was so lucky to get in. Now the training begins.
Through my 6 months of training, I trained over 1,000 miles through heel pain, shin splints, and knee pain. 2 marathons in training, many, many long runs with Brad through all parts of VA and PA. Wind, rain, snow, sleet and sunshine, but as I got closer, my body fell into a groove and I was feeling really good. Plans were being made and the whole family was going to be in Boston for the big day.
On Friday, April 15th I flew into Boston so that I would have a couple of days of rest prior to running. My mom and dad were already there and Betsy and Brad were arriving on Sunday. For dinner we had pizza and just hung out in the evening getting geared up and making plans for the rest of the weekend. I made it to bed just after 9, as it was important all weekend to get enough sleep.
Saturday was expo day. My dad and I caught the 10:00 train into Boston, then the green line to Copley. This put us right at the finish line of the Marathon. The station will be closed on Monday to ease congestion, which was virtually impossible. When we were standing on Boylston St. my dad realized just how crazy and big this was going to be. I said to him, “dad, I tried to tell you, but you kept saying that you knew.” He then said, “I really did not know!” We walked through all of the barricades that were being set up, the finish line and just took it all in. What an operation to put this event on. One truly has to experience it at least once. There is actually plywood put up right at the finish line so that no one can be even with the line. It also protects all of the equipment at the line that is used to track and photograph the runners. Along one side of the road is a huge set of bleachers and the other side basically has 4’ walls with flags for each nation represented. There is no possible way for a spectator to get onto Boylston St.
My dad and I then headed to the Hynes Convention Center with throngs of others to get to the coveted expo. We had to go up to the second floor to get our bib numbers and t-shirts. I was able to walk right up to where my number was, 14030, showed her my license and participants’ card and she handed me my bib! I was so excited!! My dad was recording me and I turned to him and said, “here it is, it is official!!” The number comes in a sealed plastic bag with your number, pins and a big sticky number for your gear bag. We then walked into another hall to get my shirt and bag. The bags already have the shirts in them, so you walk up to the shirt size and get everything in one. I stopped to get my picture taken in front of several HUGE billboards and then we needed to move onto our next stop, the 5K room. My mom entered her first 5K, but since she was at music class, my dad and I got her bib and shirt. We also picked up Paul’s bib and shirt, it made it so much easier. After all of that, it was time to enter the expo.
OMG!! Talk about TONS of people!! It was runners, and families and just those who are here to experience the event. My dad said, “this is like Christmas shopping on steroids with no fat people.” He described it to a T! We walked to the back of the expo hall and they had a small store there, so I tried on some stuff, but we made our way to the big store of official gear. It was a mad house. There were things on wrong racks, hangers on the floor and people everywhere!! It was past my lunch hour, so I was getting tired and just did not want to be with all of these people!! We headed back to the smaller store and I got my official jacket, a sweatshirt, t-shirt and some other smaller things. Hey, this could be a once in a lifetime experience, take it all in. The next thing on our list was to get my dad a new pair of sneakers. I told him he needed the Brooks Adrenaline, so he tried them on and really liked them. There was also a deal that if you spent so much, you got a free Heart Break Hill t-shirt, so I helped get the total up and we got our shirts! After more pictures were taken, we headed out to the finish line to make sure I got to cross itJ We were allowed to climb on the videographers stand for a photo and take all kinds of pics. Wow, I sound like a little kid, but I also felt like one. I am smiling as I write this. After the photo shoot, we headed to The Parish Café for lunch. While in line for 30 min, I started to talk to the lady next to me. Very nice, a runner, but not running on Monday. She asked about qualifying, so I mentioned my coach, blah, blah, blah, then I happened to say ‘Brian.’ She was dumbfounded and then said, “MIT – Mondays and Wednesdays?” I said, YES! My coach is her coach, even though I live 500 miles away, and she works with him personally. I think I convinced her that she can also qualify, Brian will get her there! I hope it works for her. We were seated at 2:18 and had our food by 2:30, amazingly fast service and it was SO good! I had a steak tips with portabella mushroom sandwich, it was so good! I am not sure what my dad had, but he loved it as well. One thing that is small, but stands out about The Parish Café is when our waitress asked me about my sides, she said, “would you like, A or B or a little of both?” GREAT question/offer! After lunch, we grabbed the T and the train back to Acton.
Saturday night was nice and relaxing as all the chaos was going to start on Sunday. I was actually feeling like the race was on Sunday since all of my other races have been. It was nice to have another day off before the big race. I did not feel well as I think I did not drink enough and my eating was off. Not the smartest thing, but some things are also out of our control.
Sunday morning came awfully early. It was 5K Sunday and both of my parents were participating in the walk while I was going to jog the course just to stay loose. It was about 50 degrees and raining. I convinced the family that the rain would stop, so we loaded the car and headed into Boston. While we were waiting, the rain slowly went away and we lined up with about 5,000 other people. After the National Anthem, in which everyone stopped to honor America, unlike in DC, I looked to the sidewalk and my cousin was walking by! I ran over, shouted his name and he came right over. What were the chances?! He wished me luck, I told him Annie was at some Dunkin Donuts and I was off. I felt so relaxed and felt sooooo good! I got warm as I was running, so I managed to take my long sleeve shirt off from under my short sleeve shirt and never missed a step. As the crowd never thinned, we took a left on Hereford and I remembered I had my camera still on me…and it hit me…record the finish line! It is the same finish line as the marathon, so people can get SOME idea, even though the crowd support does not compare, you can get an idea. When I got to the bleachers, I heard crazy screaming for me and I looked and it was Annie and Mike (our cousin that I yelled to) going nuts for me. I panned over to them, then the finish line, a very dizzying video. I did not stay in line for water and my medal because my parents were on their way and I did not want to miss them. I went and spoke to Annie and Mike for a while, then we saw my dad! We went nuts for him and shortly behind him was my mom and cousin Paul. We were so excited for both of them. Just 2 weeks earlier, Paul suffered a heart attack and was not sure if he would be able to participate. It is his exercise that kept him alive through the attack. After they crossed the line, we met them to get our water and medal. We all stood around for a while and my mom and Annie headed home and I rode with my dad and Paul after talking to Mike about his first Ironman this fall! Time for a shower and to relax!
Brad was to arrive at 7:55 am, but when you fly standby, you are at the airlines mercy. With the terrible storms on the east coast on Saturday, flights were cancelled and passengers were bumped. He did not make it. The next flight was scheduled for 11:00 and it was going to be really close. It was all booked and all the standbys were taken. Someone who had checked in did not show up, so he got the seat and was on his way!! Woo Hoo! He had been up since 3 am and also raced a tri on Saturday. Betsy was to land at 1:20, but after the whole plane was loaded, they realized they did not have a pilot! After getting everything straight, she would land at 6:05.
I headed to pick up Brad from the train at 2:15. I was told to turn left and then go straight and I would run into the train station. Too bad the road splits and I did not know where to go! I did figure it out, after a phone call to Scott and Brad got off the train. He def. looked like he had been up since 3 am and was ready to just sit and relax. So that is what we did for several hours and it felt so good! We were having a dinner party, so it was nice to keep the couch in place. Annie’s neighbor had a friend who was also running on Monday, so she stopped by to meet us and make plans for Monday. Not only were we in the same wave, Amy and I were in the same corral.
At about 5:30, the guests started arriving. We were having spaghetti for 13 of us! What a great night. Homemade Steadman sauce and all of my favorite people together for dinner. When I had my plate loaded, Paul looked at it and said, “that is a modest portion.” I went back for seconds. After great conversation for dinner, I made my way to bed by about 9:30. I have a LONG day on Monday.
Today is Marathon Monday and I feel great! I woke up just after 6 and Pete was awake as well. I think he was just so excited! Breakfast was Wheaties Fuel, coffee and orange juice. I still have 4 hours prior to my race, so I knew I would be good. One by one, everyone started appearing in the kitchen. I was in high gear, but it seemed like I was the only one. We have these crazy bright yellow shirts that say “Run Steadman Run” on them with numbers on the back. My dad is #1, mom #2, Betsy #4, I am #4, Brad is 4 ½, Annie is #5 and Scott is 5 ½. Everyone was appearing in these and it was great. My mom was making lunches for everyone because they did not think that Gu would carry them through the day. We all lined up for several pictures before Amy arrived. My mom, dad and Brad were all riding together and Betsy, Annie, Amy and I gathered our goods and headed out the door. The next time I would see everyone would be at mile 16 ish. I knew we were going to Hopkington and Annie and Scott mapped it out on Sunday.
As we got close to Hopkington, there was more traffic and I was getting more and more excited. I was recording as we were driving and taking it all in. As Annie described it, it was like dropping your kids off at school. We followed the signs to a parking lot at Hopkington State Park, shared our hugs and kisses, I shed some tears and we loaded the bus. There are nearly 475 school buses used on Marathon Monday. If you do not live close to Hopkington, you MUST report to Boston Commons to load a school bus and ride for an hour to the Athlete’s Village at Hopkington High School.
When we got off the bus in town, we just followed the crowd. We were basically caged in the roadway. There was a huge parking lot full of port-a-potties, so we used them and just followed the crowd to the high school. The runners were kept off the yards of the home owners, and the locals could not get onto the roads. It was really kind of cool. I had been in contact with an Aquaphor teammate, so once Amy and I made our way though more school buses, the bag drop, we set our stuff down and I went and found Robert. It was too bad that I did not have my Aquaphor kit yet, but that was okay, we still made sure to meet. Amy and I sat and stretched for a bit and at 9:30 we decided to get in line for the bathroom. We knew it would be a while because the lines were so long! Luckily the first wave was already lined up, so that took care of about 10,000 people. In the village, there were roughly 27,000 people all gearing up to do the same thing, conquer the Boston Marathon. After our 25 min wait in line, we stripped down to our race gear and put our warm clothing in our gear bags. We headed out of the “village” and found our school buses for our gear. I was at bus #29 and I had to go to the window that corresponded with my bib. I lifted it up and handed it through the window, it was really kind of cool. Amy and I then walked with all of the other runners to our wave/corral. We were both wave 2, corral 6 and it was so easy to find. We were not even there for 3 min and the gun went for our wave!
We were off! There were people EVERYWHERE!!! Runners and spectators were in abundance! I felt like I was at a finish line, not a start. Because it was downhill, I could see the thousands of runner in front of me and it was awesome. I was feeling really good, but realized soon after I started that my shoes seemed loose, but there was nothing I could do. I guess I could have stopped to tighten them, but I would soon forget about them and think positive thoughts. I was still boggled by all of the people. I had heard that there were throngs of people the WHOLE way, but to “know it” and to “experience it” are two totally different things. One of the first major groups I remember was a biker bar on the left. They had all ridden to the race and were on the side of the road in their chaps, what a great group! Amy and I were running together and trying to find our groove. There were so many people that it was hard to get to an open area. Our 5K split was 25:12, right on target. I knew that I had to keep my pace in check with it being downhill, you do not want to get ahead of yourself. There are some hills in Newton and you want to own them, they hills cannot own you. The crowds never diminished and neither did their cheering. I did have my name on my shirt and it was awesome. I had done that for a previous race, but the crowds were not nearly as good in San Diego and I did not realize what it would mean here. I was constantly hearing my name and Amy wished she had her name on her shirt and if we got separated, she knew I was close from the cheering.
I started to get really warm, really fast. I had arm warmers on, but they were down by mile 4. I really wanted to get rid of them, but I really like them, so I was going to keep them around my wrist until I saw my mom’s cousin at mile 14ish. I knew it was important to take in the water at the stations and the Gatorade. I would be sweating quite a bit, and I needed to replenish my electrolytes. I had done so much of my running in the cold/cool weather that I was not used to the heat. My pace was starting to slip just a bit, but it was still a 2012 qualifying pace. 10K – 50:32. At this point, Amy and I had separated, but since we had never run together before this, it was okay, we needed to run our own race. I do not remember passing the 15K mark, but I was still running a good pace, 8:06 with a time of 1:15:20. The crowds are still amazing. There was never a time where there was not someone on the side cheering. There were little kids handing out oranges, twizzlers, gummie bears and tissues. The oranges were SO good. I remember thinking, ‘there is not an orange left in the grocery store in this town!’ It was obvious that the kids were told to stay on the curb and that if the runners want what you have, they will come to you. If you step on the road, you may get run over.
I was now approaching Wellesley College and the girls were screaming! You could hear them before you could see them. All of the girls were lined on the right hand side of the road with signs that read, “Kiss me, I’m from…” Most of the women runners moved to the left as the men moved to the right to get their kisses and photos. It was really, really cool! There were barricades to hold the girls back, as there were at several parts of the course.
My pace has slowed at the half marathon mark to an 8:14 pace with a time of 1:48:03. I was still in qualifying time, but was not hitting the pace I wanted. I knew this was the case and settled in that I was NOT going to hit the pace, but I now needed to just take it all in. I knew that my mom’s cousin was going to be past the college and past a stop light on the right hand side and I could give him the stupid arm warmers that I was sick of wearing and now carrying. I took them off early in hopes that I would see him early, but I did not see him until after the 15 mile mark, I think. I saw Jim before he saw me, but I did get his attention and tossed him the warmers, ahhhhh, relief. I was really warm and could feel the pace slowing. I was not sure what was going on with my body, but I was trying to listen and do as it needed. I knew that my family was going to be soon near the hospital between miles 16-17. My 25K split was 2:10:37 and the pace slowed to an 8:25 pace.
As I was approaching Newton, it all looked familiar! 2 years ago, I was running from Annie’s old house and ran part of this same route. I knew where I was. I am sure that added a pep to my step, in addition to the fact that the family was right around the corner! I came around the bend in the road and THERE THEY WERE!!!! My family was there for ME!! They were cheering so loudly and I ran right up to them and gave them all hugs!! They were so easy to spot in those hideous shirts, it was perfect!! I remember saying, “I am not breaking any records.” My mom assured me it was okay and I was off to conquer the rest of Boston. It was such a welcome relief to see them, now I just had 10 miles to go, I could do that in my sleep.
I got going, but the going got me. My stomach started acting up and I just wanted a bathroom. In total, I had to stop 3 times for stomach issues. As much as one trains, why is it that the stomach has a schedule of its own? I also started taking the oranges from the kids. If you think an orange tastes good on any given day, multiply that by 100 on race day. They were wonderful! I also decided to take a tissue to blow my nose. Snot rockets do not bother me, so why would I need one? Well, that was the best nose blow I think I have ever had! Just past the lady was a pile of dirty tissues that we had all left for her. Apparently she did not mind, or she would not have been handing them out! 30K split – 2:39:06 (18.6 miles@8:33 pace)
Less than 5 miles to go, I am going to get this! The Green line T is now on my left and the cheers continue. Because it is now nearly 2:00 pm, the alcohol has taken great affect on many of the spectators, and I am loving it. Going through Boston College was spectacular. The guys were great and loving life at the time. They definitely had more energy than I did. My pace was slowing, but there was never any doubt about finishing the race. There is a difference between uncomfortable and pain. I was just uncomfortable. From running downhill the whole way, my toes were really sore, and my quads were on fire, but I was going to keep pushing. As we approached Fenway Park on the right, the Red Sox had beaten Tampa 9-1, and the fans were out cheering. I think it was a parking lot of Red Sox fans, and it was awesome. I felt several times like I was in a parade, and I guess I was, but it was just incredible. I was now at the last split mark, the 40K, 24.8 miles in 3:42:04, 8:57 pace. If I wanted to qualify again, I would have had to cross the finish line in 3:40:50.
The course went down in an underpass and we made the infamous “Right on Hereford, Left on Boylston.” I was SO ready to be done! The crowds were absolutely incredible and I could not get enough of them. As I looked up, a friend of mine was in front of me! I recognized his shirt as a “Winchester Wheelmen” and I knew it was Jerry Brown! I caught up to him as we made the final turn and I yelled his name. I gave him a hug and high five and then moved to the left. My family was to be on the left and I was searching for them, but did not see them. I could not believe that I was finishing The Boston Marathon! OMG! It was for real! When I crossed, the clock read 3:59:xx, but my official time was 3:54:46. There must be something about 3:54:xx, it was my third marathon this year in 3:54:xx!
After crossing the line, there was plenty of room to walk, stagger, sit and stretch, just be done. There was PLENTY of medical staff and if you said you were fine, they believed you and let you be. I saw a lady on the side of the road and used her phone to call Brad. I did not know where they were, but I wanted them to know that I was okay and would see them at Arlington St. This was the first big race that I have been to where they let you stop and stretch after you cross. Typically you hear, “keep moving,” and that is the last thing you want to do. I was able to keep walking, got my blanket taped on, got my water, Gatorade, food, etc. About that ‘plenty of room,’ ya, that was gone. It was shoulder to shoulder again as we staggered to get our gear from the school buses. You had to look at the big sign in the road to find your bus. Mine was straight ahead and I almost missed it. There had to have been 50 or more school buses just in my row. I went to bus #29, got my gear through the window and made my way to Arlington St to find my parents and Brad. When I got up there, they were waiting for me, along with everyone else’s families. It was so good to see them and give them all hugs and kisses. We staggered over to the Commons, placed my table cloth on the ground and stumbled down. With my handy dandy silver blanket as a dressing room, I was able to get my wet clothes off and put dry warm ones on. With much assistance, I was able to stand, say good-bye to Brad and move gingerly towards the T. There were stairs DOWN to the T in which 2 other runners and I went down the stairs backwards! All of the runners were able to board the T for free, and I met my parents to head home.
Everyday for the past 9 years, my destination has been Boston. On April 18, 2011, it took me 3:54:46 to get there, but I did it. Dream. Dream big and believe in yourself. When YOU believe in YOU, others will also believe in you.
