Boston was great! As you can see in the picture, the day was perfect and I was doing great at mile 4. I wished it had stayed that way, but it never does in a marathon.Thanks to Christy Youngblood DeSisto and her family who were waiting for me on the course and who cheered for me as I went by! That is her picture. Christy, that meant more than you will ever know. And to have a sign with my name on it. That was a first and a blessing for me! Thanks, Robbo! I did finish, and your encouragement helped.
You can see Greg Sankey running alongside me on my left. He and I were the "grace entries" with adidas this year. I had a great time catching up with him and sharing the entire event together. We were surprised with VIP status this year. I have never experienced that, but the VIP tent before and after the run, the police escorted chartered bus trip to the starting line, and the pre-run rest in the gymnasium was fantastic. Not sure how that came about, but just another serendipity of grace in my life. Thank you, Billy, Becky...whomever!
Sunday morning we saw the Olympic Trials for the Women's marathon, which was awesome. The runners are amazing, and it will be great to follow them this summer in Beijing after seeing them up close at the corner of Massachusetts and Boylston.
Before the trials were finished, Greg and I made our way to the Hilton Back Bay downtown to participate in worship with the Reunion Christian Church. Hank and the gang are doing a good thing and reaching the next generation for Christ. Greg and I were old enough to be everyone's father...okay, I definitely was! I was moved to emotion as I took communion from a young, tattooed woman who graciously offered me the elements and blessed me. The ekklesia is alive and well.
The run was typically Boston. A great first half (2:04:00) and then the hills. I did not have enough miles or hills under my feet, and if you watch my progression, I slowed to a crawl at the end. (I did stop and take a rather long bathroom break, which I had never had to do before, but that is probably more than you wanted to know.) I finished and came home with the finisher's medal, so, all is well.
As Jesus said, "You can't serve two masters." Surely, not three. You either run, ride, or write, but you can't do them all and be good at each one...lesson learned.
I was honored to be an entrant again in the most prestigious marathon on the planet, and I am blessed beyond measure to finish and return home healthy. I will muse on the lessons of the run and share them later...back to the wonderful daily experiences where God is always present and real.