Boston Marathon Article

A couple excerpts from my recent article in Sparrow Magazine:

"....By mile five, I knew that the advice to “let go” and change my expectations wasn’t something I could afford to ignore anymore. It was just too hot. Everything that made this race so important, all the miles on the road, time away from my family, and dreams about how I would do seemed to melt onto the sidewalks right along with the discarded orange slices and popsicles that were being given to the runners as they made their way through the ninety degree weather in hopes of just making it to the end. For the first time in a marathon (or a race of any distance), I stopped at the side of the road and I cried. I was filled with feelings of defeat, fear, and loss. With my hands on my head, I let tears fall.  I cried because I was scared, and because I knew that even just finishing this race would require more out of me than I thought I had within myself. I cried because of the lack of control I felt. My breathing was off, my heart was racing, and my mind was playing tricks on me....


....The process of training for a marathon is so much more than just getting in shape so that we can make the distance of 26.2 miles. Training for a marathon doesn’t just start and stop. It changes us. We cross the finish line stronger, more determined and with a greater appreciation of what we are truly capable of. We test limits. We discover the depth of possibility in ourselves and in the life we have before us. Our goals aren’t always reached. And the doors we want opened the most, are sometimes closed and locked tightly. But in the end, there are always lessons to be learned and new doors to be opened that surprise us. I will forever be changed by what I learned in the Boston Marathon 2012. And I am only stronger for it."

You can read the rest of this article online at Sparrow Magazine.  Enjoy the article.  It tells a story about a race that I will surely never forget!  And while you're there, check out the other articles in the summer issue of Sparrow!  

Life has been a bit busy lately but I hope to connect with you soon!  In the meantime, I'm training for another marathon, feeling strong and happy, and getting ready to take off on a red eye flight to Texas with my girls for a wedding.  Why do Red Eye Flights always seem like a good idea at the time?  It certainly does not sound good today after a hilly 15 miler that has left me wanting to crash right this second.

Amanda