…goes through Sugarloaf – at least for me.
5 days until one of the greatest annual road races takes place. After traveling from all over the world, thousands will take the slow, what feels like forever bus ride from the Boston Commons to the town of Hopkinton, where they will wait – wait for their turn to run one of the greatest marathons on the planet.
I must admit, I have been more than a bit jealous as I’ve watched people post their bib numbers and complain about their tapers on Facebook, Twitter, dailymile and other social media. There is a part of me that feels like I belong right there with them, but I know that I do not. Under the modified registration process, I missed getting in by 33 seconds and I chose not to run for a charity – somehow, that doesn’t make the pangs of jealously hurt any less; especially since the new standards mean I will have to PR by 4 minutes and 20 seconds to re-qualify for next year.
The deceptive early downhill, the women of Wellesley College, the brutal hills of Newton, the deafening crowds in Boston – these are but a few of the highlights Monday’s marathoners will experience. What will I miss the most about Boston this year? I think it might be the waiting in the Athlete’s Village – seeing my friends Mike and Brian, who are running for the Liver Foundation; hanging out with the amazing Suman, Maddie, Steve S., and Andy O.; finding dailymile and Twitter friends along the way.
I will definitely miss you guys on Monday.
Have fun. Run strong.
If everything goes the way I hope it does at Sugarloaf, I will see you next April in Hopkinton.
Hopefully on May 2oth, I ‘ll be making this face –
BQing at Smuttynose October 2010
as I hit a sub-3:15, so I can get back to this place
somewhere on the Newton Hills - Boston 2010.
and share the journey with you once again.
Run Luau Run 
I hope so too, Luau. I can understand the feelings you shared in this post, and appreciate you being so honest about all that. Here’s to 2013!!!
Very cool post, Matt. You’re one badA runner and can’t wait to meet you someday.
One of these days you and I are gonna run a race together!
I KNOW you’ll be back. You train hard and you deserve it. The plan from “higher up” is for you to get there and when you do, have the best race of your life. It’s gonna happen.
I thought you were going though since you were pacing someone. That didn’t work out? If not, what about jumping in and helping me out? SERIOUSLY.
I’ll be pacing someone from mile 17 to the finish. It will be fun and I am looking forward to it, but it won’t be the same. If I don’t get in next April, you have first dibs on me as a pacer! 🙂
Gonna miss ya this weekend, Dude. Best of success, my friend. See ya again soon.
Good luck at Sugarloaf!!