Marathon Monday: Christmas in April

Buckle down kids. This is gonna be a long one.

You should know, I'm not one who is easily inspired, though I envy those who are. It's a quality some of my closest friends have (like E who has been known to literally stop and smell flowers.) But, a better kept secret is I'm a totally softie. Give me a good human interest story (particularly sports related, who knows why) and I'll show you a good cry.

And the Boston Marathon provides just that. Thousands of human interest stories. More than that, we, as Bostonians, put on our very best face. It's one day we are incredibly kind, supportive, and welcoming to the masses (even if drunk while doing it). And it's a day I'm proud to live here.

Some highlights from yesterday & then a few pictures:

1. We took a crowded, pre-baseball game T. My body reacted by going into FULL-ON panic mode. It wasn't pretty.
2. Cleveland circle party to see the handicapped-elites and then the men and women front runners.
3. Congrats to Lauren, Molly, Kevin, Krysta, and the pilates girls. Also, all the other runners.
4. Brian and I used a stranger's restroom and rode in Boston's most terrifying elevator.
5. A bunny! On the street! Plus, tubas, children & old men serving hot dogs. Cue tears.
6. Waterworks ensued: Blind runners & guides, 'In memory of' shirts, 'Cheer for [insert name]' shirt, ultra-marathoners, general overwhelming kindness.

But I guess the highlight would be just passed mile 25 where a young man was walking alone. "Do you want me to run with you?" I said. "Fuck yea," he replied. So I handed my purse off to Rach and headed out upon the final stretch with him. We were pretty quiet, but we attempted some conversation. "I'd be walking right now if you weren't here," he said. "You're doing great," I said back. "Are you excited?" I asked as we turned onto Boylston, just yards from the Finish Line. "I am," he puffed. And there I left him, one stoplight from the end of his 26 mile journey. I ran into him a little later to say good job again. We exchanged numbers and he texted me this: "[It was] Nothing to you maybe...but in reality it was pretty awesome."

2010 Boston Marathon. Done right.