Boston 2011 - Disappointment turns into panic

A few weeks ago I posted about not getting a bib for the 2011 Boston Marathon through our fund raising team at work.  It would have been a nice fit and relatively easy to raise the money, plus it would be a nice way to find other runners here at work to train with.  Unfortunately, with a limited number of bibs and a lot of people interested in running I was not selected.  Such is life, and there are other marathons in the spring that would be a good fit. Running is becoming a big part of my life and running a marathon now seems like the right thing to do.

Enter Robyn, who would have helped me train this winter because she's training a fund raising group from Community Rowing.  If I had a bib I could join them on training runs and benefit from her coaching.  When she heard that I didn't get a bib from work she said that I should consider getting one from CRI.  I think her main motivation was making sure she could punish me all winter, but never look a gift horse in the mouth, so I sent in my application.  After speaking with Alice on the phone I had a good feeling about my chances.  And yesterday, I got the message that I'm part of the team!

I'm not sure how much of this has sunk in yet.  Running the actual marathon, that's too abstract right now.  The training all winter, that is what I'm focused on and what is consuming my thoughts. How will I handle my skiing commitments? Will I be able to do pottery or should I just drop it for a semester? Will I be out in the snow and sleet, plodding along dangerous roadways while trying to dodge cars and puddles?

For my birthday Monica got me a marathon package that included a Daruma doll.  This morning I filled in one eye and put it on my kitchen shelf.

He'll keep a watch on my progress and I'll hopefully give him a second eye come spring.