Head Over Heels: BOS

April 20, 2010

BOS - Run Faster

The Boston Marathon was yesterday, and I was lucky enough to catch parts of it. I've been watching that race since I was a kid and every year I would always say "I want to run that one day!" Watching all of the thousands of runners finishing 26.2 miles is just a thrill and an honor. Thousands of people, from all different backgrounds and running histories, actually get together to run, voluntarily, 26.2 miles. Some have one leg, some are blind, some are running because they can. But the thing is, everyone has a reason. They all vary, but they're all impressive, because it gets these people out there.

I cannot imagine what it must feel like to cross the finish line of the Boston Marathon. I know one day I will, and I also know I'll probably be an emotional mess. But every year I get more and more motivated to run. Not just run, though. I get hungry for Boston. I'm craving that finish line. I'm craving heartbreak hill, I'm craving those fans and that runner's wall and yes even all 26.2 miles. I will one day be one of the thousands who run, and finish, Boston. I'm determined.

I have this friend who is beyond impressive: He ran Boston yesterday in 2:49:36. He said the last 5-6 miles were absolute pain and that he was running on fumes. But he did it. He finished. And not only did he finish, he finished with such an incredibly impressive time! I could never do that. I could one day run Boston, yes, but not with a time like that. Just think about the training and the effort and the talent that goes into a finishing time like that! It's so inspirational.

I cannot wait to one day write a post about finishing Boston myself. I know I can do it, and that desire comes from watching friends and and strangers run. It's that one phrase that always comes to mind: "If they can do, so can I." And it's so true. I can, and I will.

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Welcome to Head Over Heels!

Like many 20-something women, I woke up one morning exasperated. It seemed like every day I would find a new passion, a new dream, and get excited about yet another project, just to find that they would all crash and burn. I wanted something that I could control and that would be all mine.

Because our 20s are a time of exploration and discovery, it's very hard to find that path that directs us exactly to our dreams, especially because our dreams have the habit of evolving overnight. I had worn myself into a tizzy of exhaustion, disappointment, and an overwhelming sense of having no control over my own life. And that's when I went for that first run.

Two minutes later, I arrived back at my apartment steps, panting. As long and as torturous as those two minutes felt, they also gave me a sense of liberation, a feeling that had been severely lacking in my life. The next day, pathetically still sore, I again put on my sneakers. Three minutes, yes! This routine was repeated daily throughout the summer and now, I'm a half-marathoner! My ultimate goal, a marathon, still looms in the distant future, but the even bigger goal is one I can actively work on every day: learning to gain control over my own life and learning to fall in love with myself one step at a time.