ahhh spring BOSTON MARATHON!

So spring is really here. Garden work is truly happening and ALL of the animals are shedding. Indra just finished her spring vacation week and is primed for summer. There was not a day this week that she was not on a horse. She and her friends were riding all week back and forth and all around the hill towns. She even managed to ride in Hopkinton at the mile marker of the Boston Marathon.

Some very good friends who grew up in Hopkinton invited us out for a play date to socialize and watch the Boston Marathon, and collect clothing from the race. This year was not my year for Boston due to injury but next year, next year, next year!!It was incredible to watch. We stood at the crest of the first uphill really in the race at the mile marker. The first crew to come were the folks who were seriously impaired. There were people walking with oxygen tanks, folks in wheelchairs only using their legs, people with prosthetic limbs. Then came team Hoyt and one other person pushing an adult in a jogging chair. Then came the wheelchairs! Flying at first. The folks in the lead make it look so effortless but it clearly is not, in the second wave of wheelchairs there were many people struggling mightily to make it up that first hill, rolling back a bit to make it up a bit. Next came the hand crank wheelchairs, amazing again. The came the ELITE WOMEN. Totally amazing to watch. Then came the elite men, then came waves and waves of every day people running and trying and succeeding, and finally chucking off massive amounts of clothes that we all harvested and stocked up on for running. Really it is amazing the mountains of clothes people throw off.

The marathon inspired Indra's friend to train more and we have set up a plan to work on getting her ready for a half marathon. She is motivated, strong, and enjoys running so i am excited. Let the fun begin!

found my good time

What a great race yesterday. It was a glorious selfish day to myself and i fully appreciated it. The beach was sandy with just a little snow, the crowd was huge and the sun was shining. I had no idea that there were fancy parts of Hampton Beach. The mansions were palatial in size and the grounds were quite like those of manors. I really had no idea. I thought Hampton Beach was all leopard print and half shirts. The run was really lovely. There were 3 other barefoot runners in the crowd, all men but 3 others none the less.

I met so many women and watched so many of them kick asphalt! It was so inspiring and it was certainly good timing for my morale with the olympics in full swing. I used a few key words in the last few miles of the race. I borrowed Leslie's COURAGE, and my STRENGTH, and POWER. I seemed to really have needed them from miles 10 to 13. It just goes to show again and again that training isn't really that necessary. I think i will train for my next race and see if i can really kick it into gear. Do any of you have any training vs non training stories you would like to share? Let me know...and get out there and play and feel proud of yourself.