Humble Beginnings
The journey of six years, that hadn’t even been birthed as a dream prior to 2018.
The journey really goes back all the way to 1992 at the ripe age of 11. This little girl was shy, timid, afraid to be in groups or crowds outside of family. I joined the track team as a student at Conniston Middle School.
With white Nikes, likely not suitable for running, I stepped onto our uneven field where we practiced as we didn’t have a track at that time. With that first step I instantly fell in love with running. Addiction is probably a more accurate way to put it. I loved the runner’s high I was left with after each practice and meet. I did the 400 meter dash and the mile run, but the mile run is what my heart longed for. Something seemed impossible yet so easy about the mile.
I was in cross country in HS, where at my first meet in Boca Raton I was warned to go easy on the first drop as many have twisted their ankles going down. To which my cocky 15 year old response was, “Oh that’s not gonna happen to me.” Yeah. I twisted my right ankle pretty good on that first “little” hill and cried a good bit. But even then I wasn’t a quitter so I dusted myself off and I’m excruciating pain I finished. Last, but I finished. My coaches said that was a dumb move but I didn’t care. I finished, it was mine, and I limped from class to class for three weeks.
Que my early 20s where I worked at a gym as a personal trainer and was still running. Running up and down Village Blvd, running on the treadmills, running my first of 5ks, I didn’t stop. I heard about this race called a marathon and something about it intrigued me. I specifically heard about the New York City marathon and by this age I had already been there and that sounded like the best of all worlds. I attempted to enter the NYC marathon via lottery for four years in a row with no success. I had even bought myself and read the book The Essential Guide to Running the New York City Marathon and the New York City Marathon Cookbook and read them over and over in obsession.
2005 was the first inaugural Palm Beach Marathon so I figured I could start here at home. I trained for 20 weeks, only to wake the morning of the race with a high fever. I laid there in bed with my printed pacing arm band, because wearables like Garmins weren’t a thing back then, and kept seeing where I would’ve been at each mile. I was heart broken, I was jaded, so much so that I put up a wall to this marathoning idea. I literally said, “I will never do this again.” Be careful ever saying the word never.
Time to face the music
Fast forward to 2018. A lot had happened in between and will spare you some of those unpleasant details. At this point I’m a mother of three sons, working as a teacher, running a photography business, and the whole bit. Something slapped my soul so hard this year that I will also not get into here, but it left me stunned and feeling a lack of self.
I was at work, on my break, checking emails when suddenly I saw an email from Eric Stern, our school district physical education coordinator advertising 30 spots for the New York City marathon via charity. I froze, my heart rate when up. I heard the small voice in my head say, “This is it. This is for you. You have to do this.” To which I immediately responded, “What? No way.” Here that word “never” that I uttered a few years back found its way back but not to haunt me, but to humble me. It was time to face the music.
So I texted my husband a screen shot of this email, to which he responded, “You’re stupid if you don’t do it.” I responded, “Haha, message and blessing received, thank you Jose.” I emailed Eric, got connected with Action for Healthy Kids, got my link to begin fundraising $3,500 and that was the beginning of what I thought was an end. Friends and family poured out contributions and I met my goal.
I trained hard, almost daily, making sure to cross off all required miles off of my list. I overdid it. I developed pain in my right hip and left outer shin. I made an appointment with local sports orthopedic doctor, Dr. Matthew Steibel. After X-rays and MRI’s he found that I had bursitis in my right hip and a stress fracture in my left tibia. He did not give me his blessing to continue running and did not recommend that I follow through with this marathon. I told him, “With all due respect Dr. Steibel, I know you’re the professional but I’m crazy and I’m going to go even if I have to walk a lot.” He explained that this was a bad idea and presented a worse case scenario in where my tibia could completely fracture in half and I’d have to be airlifted to Bellevue or other local hospital in NYC to then be put back together with metal screws and plates. That sounded terrifying to me, but not enough to stop me from moving forward with my dream. He gave me a cortisone shot and I went on my way.
New York City Marathon – Sunday, November 4, 2018
My eldest sons and husband alongside me embarked on this journey to New York City. Isaac was to little for Jose to manage all three boys on his own while I was out doing the marathon. I went to my first expo with vendors selling all the things, all the photo opportunities, and my first bib number, which at the moment I thought would be my one and only ever.
This trip was so nice seeing Jacob and Caleb’s eyes light up at all the cool sights in New York City. I was proud to show them around to all the places mommy used to hang out at and where I went to school at SVA in 2008 and 2009. They loved riding the subway, a few taxi rides, and especially loved the Statue of Liberty ferry ride and tour and the World One Observatory tour.
I went for a nice shakeout run starting at 31st street and headed north to just outside of central park and back, giving myself a nice 4 mile run. It felt so good to be back in the city that I lived in an spent so much time running in. One of the best places in the world for running, I am convinced.
The night before I had the most perfect cacio e pepe at Fiaschetteria Pistoia. I washed it down with a nice glass of Pinot Grigio and topped it off with the most delicious and creamiest affogato.
The morning of the race I got up bright and early at 5:00am to uptown 6 train it then crosstown walk to the NYC Library where all of the marathon buses would be waiting to load up all of the marathoners. There was already an incredible line but it was moving quickly as we got loaded onto the bus. Once at the village we had to have bags checked and show our bibs and a special bracelet to be let in. I made my way to my start corral, laid out a plastic bag the damp grass, and sat down to eat what will become for the rest of the majors, my famous and weird marathon morning breakfast that consists of Pizza Combos, Vitamin Water Energy, a Chocolate Cliff Bar, and a KitKat bar. Only thing was shelf stable and I knew would not wreck my stomach so really that’s all there is to it so don’t ask. lol I got into the long que for the bathroom and was able to take my pre run poop so I knew I was ready to go!
My wave was called over to the start where we heard the national anthem played and the start gun thereafter. That first mile of mostly Verrazano-Narrows bridge was the most magical moment. It’s the most highest incline in the whole NYC marathon but I never knew the difference because running up to those two arches was something surreal. I couldn’t stop laughing and crying at the fact that I was living in my dream that I had had since I was 23. I was so grateful.
Brooklyn is long and huge and just feels as if the incline button never gets set to off. There aren’t major steep hills or anything its just going up for what seems to be forever. By queens my knees were over it.
I ran that race so hard. I was so happy. The start on the Verrazano Narrows bridge was the most magical experience. I couldn’t stop laughing and smiling. I had lived in NYC 2008 and 2009 so I knew the city and it felt so good. The energy of the spectators was unlike anything I’d ever experienced up to that moment in my life. But then cue in mile 16 where things go a quiet and you’re on your own for a bit as you go through the very anticipated 59th street bridge. Mile 17 I hit the dreaded wall on this marathon. Not only did I hit the wall but so did my phone as it died. I should’ve upgraded my old crusty phone before this trip, but knowing me I hold onto things until they’re done for. There are good, heavy crowds again so that helped pick up the spirits. Whatever the cortisone shot had done for me was dead and gone at this point. My hip hurt, my tibia was definitely hurting too. I walked as needed.
Mile 20 I was in the Bronx and those crowds can be sparse so I had to draw within again and just keep telling myself one foot in front of the other.
Coming into the last borough, Manhattan, the crowds roared. It gave me second wind. A guy around mile 25 was handing out Dunkin’ Donuts munchkins and I took two. What an angel. What I really needed was a fat, greasy cheeseburger and a beer. As I rounded the corner to enter Central Park and take the finish line I was greeted by and hugged by then NYRR’s then director Peter Ciaccia. What a moment to give me that final wind I needed to finish. I was star struck. I headed the last of the small inclines, which seemed way worse after 26 miles. I saw that finish line and those blinding lights. I was overcome with emotion. I put my hands up in two peace signs in praise. I was so grateful. I did that by myself. Something only I can have for me. I overcame. I had a long and grueling walk out of Central Park after getting my bag of snacks and my poncho. I was freezing cold and hurting everywhere. It took a mile until I could finally hail a cab back to the hotel. I wanted to cry so bad from the pain, the extra walk, and I felt just plain alone at this point.
I got to the hotel (Hotel 31…not much to look at but it’s NYC and how long are you going to sleep each night at the city that never sleeps?) and the moment the water in the shower began running down my body, I could collectively feel everywhere I had chaffed. Yes, I let out a scream but after a while I had never been so happy to feel water like that and appreciated that shower so much. I laid in bed, took a selfie holding my medal and went to sleep.
Walking around the city the next day was interesting to say the least. I was doing this bold legged walk (the way cowboys do in movies after dismounting their horses) along with going up and down the stairs one step at a time. My family and I headed to Central Park for medal Monday where they were engraving medals for all of the marathon finishers. As I was standing in line I catch a racer out of the corner of my eye ahead of me in line. He had a medal just like mine but had this additional, large, weird looking medal. Jose and I were trying to figure out what it was. After staring at him enough he asked if I wanted to see it. I said sure and then went on to ask what his special medal was for. He said he had completed the world six majors. I asked what that was and he explained how they were 6 marathons that included New York, Chicago, Boston, London, Berlin, and Tokyo.
I was impressed, congratulated him, Jose was left looking at me, speaking with the eyes as if to silently suggest or invite me to this idea, to which I responded aloud, “Absolutely not. Im done marathoning and I’ve actualized my dream of running the New York City marathon.”
I came home to my classroom door decorated as my coworkers welcomed me back with open arms, proud of me.
Chicago Marathon – Sunday, 13 October, 2019
Que April of 2019 when I received a phone call from Action for Healthy Kids asking if I’d be interested in running in Chicago for half of the fundraising commitment of New York, $1,500 in October of 2019. Keep in mind I was one and done with the New York City Marathon. I asked them how long I had to make a decision and they told me 24 hours. Fair enough. I told myself, “You know what? Why not?” I called them back and accepted and I remember fulfilling my fundraising commitment quite quickly this time. Training went well as I did a lot of my long runs along Lake Trail in Palm Beach, most with my coworker Janine. There were a lot of 4/4:30am start times, but nevertheless it was a good training this time around with no injuries.
Que in my cousin Johnny calling me asking if Jose and I could photograph his upcoming wedding. I pull out my planner and he tells me his wedding is Friday, October 11, 2019 and the marathon is on Sunday, October 13, 2019. I agree to do the wedding, hang up, and slightly panic as my left eye begins ti twitch, much like Scrat the squirrel from Ice Age when he encounters yet another challenge involving risking his life.
Jose and I fly out to Leesburg Virginia on Thursday, October 10, explore around, find a Wegmann’s taking me back nostalgically to my Ithaca, New York days in 2001-2004. They had a full roasted pig, in proper Cuban style, cigars being smoked left and right, and it was so nice to see family gathered after so long.
Saturday morning, Jose and I parted ways at our gates at Washington Dulles International Airport as he headed home and I headed to Chicago. The nerves started to kick in as I handed him all of my camera equipment and I headed to Chicago alone. Not that traveling alone was a problem, just the nerves of it all. The wedding, the traveling on traveling, the marathon. Phew. It’s helpful that I had been to Chicago before so I know what to expect and some places to eat, sight see, and etc. I arrive to Chicago just on time for the Action for Healthy Kids welcome luncheon where I knew I was going to meet up with my best friend Jocelyn. I walk into the restaurant where AFHK CEO, Rob Bisceglie is giving a speech. As a result I’m trapped by the entrance and can’t cross to where I see Jocelyn on the other side of the restaurant.
The speech ends, I make my way to Jocelyn and as I round the column she’s standing next to, there, hiding behind the column, is my niece Crystal. I immediately break down in tears at this very unexpected surprise from her. How’d these crazy girls pull this secret off? The weekend progresses with our check in to Jocelyn’s hotel at the Saint Claire Magnificent Mile, as my “cheap” Airbnb was much further away and it was decided I should be closer to the start line. Life saved and good thinking. We get dressed and head to dinner at Monteverde Restaraunt & Pastificio. I had a nice Carbonara as I started the trend in New York to have a white / cheese sauce based pasta for my pre marathon dinner for carbo loading. No shakeout run for this race as the time was so limited. We headed back to the hotel where we had befriended the two gay guys at the front desk and invited them up for share two bottles of red wine that Jocelyn and Crystal picked up earlier. I wasn’t going to drink at all as usual the night before a marathon, but here I was.
As usual as well, I didn’t sleep a wink the night before. I had laid out my outfit and breakfast the night before so once the alarm went off, I got ready, grabbed my bag, and walked the few blocks to the start village at Grant Park. Despite being layered properly it was EFFING FREEZING. I entered the village to my start corral area and huddled down trying hard to meditate on warmer days back home. After a hearty breakfast of Pizza flavored combos, a Vitamin Water Energy drink, a chocolate Cliff Bar, a KitKat, and water, I headed to que in the port-o-potty line. The lines here were long so by the time I was done going it was time to head to the start line. No headphones at this race. I practiced using no headphones during my training and I was ready to let the crowds carry me. It worked.
I ran the first bit with my drop / throw-away clothes since it was still so cold. This was my most layered up/coldest marathon out of the six, so much so, I couldn’t feel my feet for the first three miles so it felt like I was running on peg legs. Only way I can think of describing it. I didn’t look down at my pacing until about mile 3 on my FitbBit and it I started out at an amazing pace and couldn’t believe it. Around mile 6/7 Jocelyn and Crystal were tracking me on the app and caught a video of me but didn’t realize I had actually passed by in the video right in front of them. Passing by the Chicago theater on foot was one of the first coolest moments. This was the first time I marathoned with no headphones and there was absolutely no need for it. There were amazing DJ’s and some bands every few blocks and the crowd energy here was good and carried you. I would say there were some spots and towns where there were little to no people around to yell at you and support you so you had to dig deep to pull out positive self affirmations to keep going.
Around mile 16/17 this spectator lady on my right busts open a box of assorted World’s Finest Chocolate. That teenage entrepreneur in me could spot that box and logo from miles away, haha. I was already past her but that wasn’t going to stop me. I carefully made my way around and back to her, grabbed two of the almond bars, and put them in my jacket pocket. I ate one about a mile later and it was so delicious to enjoy after so many years of having them in middle school.
Mile 21 we are heading the lake wind and you can see everyone collectively clutching themselves for warmth along with hearing a collective moan of pain. That cold wind cut so bad at this point. Mile 24 or so there was the Biofreeze station where I pulled over and got sprayed down really good on my calves and tops of my feet where I was feeling some soreness. I’m nearing the finish line at this point and I know it. You hear a bit more of a roar up ahead and I knew there was one corner to turn and the finish line would be in sight. As I see it, I begin to cry. My second marathon finish line and at no point during this marathon did I ever hit a wall. Energetically I felt amazing and like I could keep going. Teary-eyed, I get my medal, and heard over to the next few lines to claim my poncho and a 40 oz can of Goose Island Beer, a local Chciago beer. This is the only marathon I’ve participated in to date that does this. Boy did that beer get into my system quick.
By the time I reached my niece and my friend I was a bit toasted and felt so silly. We walked and walked for what seemed to be forever to find a public bathroom and food. We happened upon Giordano’s on 223 W Jackson Blvd for deep dish Pizza. I enjoyed a slice of deep dis pizza, a nice cold beer, and finished it off with a dessert of that second bar of Almond World’s Finest Chocolate. The following morning I knew I wasn’t going to have time to go to get my medal engraved so I would have it done back home at Things Remembered later that week. I gave hugs and kisses to Crystal and Jocelyn as I headed to the airport to head back home.
Berlin Marathon – Sunday, September 26, 2021
So I have two majors under my belt and I was only ever going to do NYC. It just seemed obvious that this now natural progression meant that I needed to keep going. Upon the opening application date for the Berlin lottery for 2020 I applied with expecting nothing out of it. To my absolute surprise I got in. I was using the ladies room at home on Thanksgiving morning, with phone in hand, scrolling through new emails, as I read that I got accepted into the lottery. I start screaming that “I’m in, I’m in Berlin,” to which my husband yells back, “What’s in?” as I sit on the toilet. Ensue laughter. I register and secure my hotel and flights and I am on my way to my third marathon major in 2020.
Que in Friday, March 13, 2020 at work. The news of the now widespread Covid 19 hitting the entire globe finally made landfall in Palm Beach County, Florida. At around 1PM I send myself some items to print at our school’s printer and start packing a bag of my books I will need to lesson plan from home. I knew in my gut we were shutting down. As I wait at the printer for my job to finish printing, my principal walks in for her printing job, with tears in her eyes and a pale white shade washed over her face. At that moment I knew, we were shutting down. She spoke the words and confirmed it. Here my head began to swirl with that what if the marathon doesn’t happen so now what? Months go by with no word from the SCC and then two months out it’s confirmed that the Berlin Marathon won’t be happening in 2020 but we will have an option to defer to next year. So not all was lost. I’d have to pause my training and find something else to do in the meantime and this is where I picked up Yoga Teacher Training and became a certified yoga teacher and boy did I need that in so many ways along this journey of healing and caring for myself.
I reschedule flights and opt for an Airbnb after a snafoo with getting my money back from the hotel after fighting with them and then my bank. If you’re going to Berlin please hit up Alex’s Airbnb. He was courteous, his place is super clean, and right next to the start/finish in Tiergarten. There are plenty of restaraunts, great shops, and Berlin sights/attractions all in walkable distance.
The time came and my coworkers made me a care package with all kinds of goodies for long flight like earplugs, warm socks, hair ties, wipes, hand sanitizer, and etc. This was my first time on a long flight and to Europe and I took TAP Air from Miami to Lisbon then Lisbon to Berlin. The food in Lisbon, holy moly. From stew-like beans, cured meats of all kinds, and one of my favorites, Pasteis de Nata I was in heaven. Upon arriving in Berlin I had to show my Covid vaccine card, proof of negative Covid test and man was it intense. The German guards at the airport were in your face and not playing. Once I got passed that I headed straight to the Expo as I knew I was going to be limited on time the next few days and didn’t want to get scraps to nothing as far as Berlin gear. A word of caution, if you do this straight from the airport just be ready to struggle with all of your luggage. Also, this Expo is at Templehof, which was originally built by the Nazis. It is a cool looking place yet eerie knowing it’s history. I travel with one small carry on bag and that sound nice but when you’re walking around that many hours it becomes cumbersome. I got my bib and the guy who handed it to me said I will see you at the race, keep this in mind for later on.
I got to my Airbnb where I waited for Alex to show up and let me in. I had dinner downstairs while I waited at the cutest Italian restaurant called La Sardegna. I had the most deliciously creamy white cheese gnocchi and washed it down with a nice glass of Moscato. Alex came up and we chatted a bit then I got to settling into my room upstairs where I slept like a baby after a day of traveling. The next day I went back to the Expo to explore and to get my Covid test for heading back home. I did a 5K shakeout run from the Expo all the way to the Brandenburg Gate. That was impressive to run up to, especially knowing that that was .2 miles from the finish line. Equally as impressive and shocking as well is knowing the history that took place in that area from the Nazis presentations and speeches given by Hitler there and then the building and tearing down of the Berlin Wall that divided Germany into East and West.
The night before my race I went to L’Oseteria in the concept mall called Bikini Berlin for my pre-race carbo load pasta dinner. It was a nice spot, felt weird to have a small table to myself and be by myself. At least at my two prior majors I have been with people I know the night before the race. This one was kind of strange but way cooler to be on my own and rediscover myself in this way all the way across the globe. Upon looking at the drink menu I got excited when I saw they have a Cuba Libre and they use actual Havana Club from Cuba so you know what your girl ordered.
I walked back to my Airbnb, laid out my race outfit, most of which I had to purchase there at Lululemon and at the Expo via Adidas because of the last minute change in weather where it was going to be trending much hotter than usual.
Again, another pre-marathon night where I do not sleep a wink. I woke up tired but excited. I was a short walk away from the entrance into Tiergarten. I managed to snag a photo with the Berlin Marathon’s mascot, yes they actually have a mascot for their marathon, Fridolin Flink. I made my way to my start corral area, sat down and got into my usual “marathon morning breakfast.” It didn’t take long before the weather started warming up and I started peeling of the layers of my drop/throw away clothing. My stomach wasn’t cooperating and getting my usual pre-race poo going and all I could do is keep looking at the time wondering when it would come.
Now this start line out of all of the six majors is next level. Once my wave was called to the start line the music they played were mostly songs I knew but there were two songs that just blew me away and those are:
Crowd Control by Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike and W&W (this was cool because they got us interacting with moving left / right for a warm up.
Jerusalema by Master KG (I really lost it crying to this one although I didn’t understand the langauge but would later come to learn it’s in Zulu, an African dialect, and it is a very spiritual song…the power of spiritual music, right?)
The other songs I knew were:
Hello by Martin Sloveig & Dragonette (Jacob used to love singing this in the car when he was little)
Try Everything by Shakira (I used to run to this on repeat when I took my dad for chemo and I lapped the building to stay distracted)
Mr. Saxobeat by Alexandra Stan
Sirius by the Alan Parsons Project (This is t he Chicago Bulls theme song so I recognized it right away but now every time I heard it I can only think of Berlin, go figure lol)
Did I need to mention that I had no headphones at this marathon either and they were definitely not needed. So much good music a the beginning and all along this course.
Now let talk about “The Clap.” No other marathon does this but Berlin. The marathon MC has everyone clap and you start of slow until the clap speeds up and it almost become like a drum beat, hyping all of the runners up. The energy felt and the roar from that moment is imprinted on my heart forever. The moment our wave started was intense with the same energy. You can see the start but if you look back you can see the finish. There was something comforting about that, knowing I’ll be back here in a little while. The temps went up quickly, by about mile 6 the highs had peaked at 76 degrees with a humidity of 60%. It was hot. I quickly went from coming to Berlin to PR to surviving this marathon without a trip to the hospital in a country where I am both alone and don’t speak the language.
Let’s talk about hydration here. Berlin only uses Maurten for hydration and energy gels at the stations outside of water so you’ll want to order ahead of time and incorporate it into your training strategies. It wasn’t too bad, maybe a little off on taste but my stomach felt right. Also, Berlin had made an exception this day to allow marathoners to run with hydration backpacks due to the unprecedented heat. I had mine with my luckily so I ran with it and took water more often than there were stations but also took hydration every time I saw water and hydration at the stations.
At about half marathon my thighs were badly chaffed since I had to wear shorts. I was feeling uncomfortable by around mile 22 but I kept on pushing. Up ahead at around mile 16 was a massage station with gurneys all over the place. I laid on one and had this girl work on my calves a bit and I was ready to go. Down the road, I called my brother Al and spoke to him for a bit. Once we were making our way closer to the finish line people kept screaming, “You’re almost there,” but dude 2 miles out isn’t almost there, ok? lol The moment I rounded the corner I texted with my friend Annie that I can see the finish line / Brandenburg Gate. I ran harder and faster as I spotted more course photographers and did my usual poses for them. I was so happy and screamed such a loud woo hoooo at the end. Remember the guy that handed me my bib at the expo? Well, he did say he was going to see me at the race. He was the one that handed me my medal too. How wild was that? He said to me as he placed my medal on me, “You did wonderful Teresa.” I got a nice picture doing a not so ugly cry with my medal and took an ugly cry selfie with my medal on the way out of the park.
I had to stop a few times on the way as my knees and quads were so tight that they felt like they were locking up. I made it in time enough to shower and feel that chaffe burn, and head over to L’Osteria for dinner again. This time I got myself a charcuterie, an arriabata pasta, and a large pint of German beer. I waddled my way back to the hotel, showered again, and hit the bed because I had to be up at 2am to make the trek to the airport to start heading back home. I had heard about an after party and I knew that the only party I was gonna have was the sleep I was gonna get in bed that night. I realized I didn’t do my bed selfie with my medal the night after the race so I took one once I got to Lisbon for my connection. Once I got home I had quickly remembered that I had to drive Jose’s truck from Miami back home. With my legs all locked up and getting stuck in the usual hour+ additional Miami parking lot on 95 wait time, I felt awful. I will never fly out of Miami again after this experience and will fly out of PBI and gladly connect elsewhere as needed.
London Marathon – Sunday, October 2, 2022
London Marathon was made possible by the lovely people at Marathon Tours that offered a package deal whereby you purchase your hotel and your bib together for $2,500. For a five star hotel stay at Intercontinental Inn, Park Lane just outside of Hyde and Green Parks and a hop skip and jump from Buckingham Palace, with resident celebrity chef Theo Randall and all breakfasts, a dinner, and cocktail reception included, yes, sign me up and surprised I didn’t do it twice! Once I had my package I purchased my flights leaving PBI and connecting to Heathrow, London via Atlanta airport.
At my connection in Atlanta I stopped for dinner at Ecco, an Italian restaurant. I had ordered the Buccatini carbonara. I didn’t even have time to take a photo of my plate because from the first bite I was ravenous to finish the whole thing asap. I remember snapping a photo of it right after I had nearly licked it clean. Next, the waiter must’ve twisted my arm some kind of way because he couldn’t stop going on about the citrus olive oil cake and the port wine. Port is my favorite so I went ahead and said yes to both. Oh my divine heavens. The olive oil cake was to die for and that port was a nice way to wash it down. If you’re in Atlanta airport please hit up Ecco in concourse F.
The flight to London was smooth and I was able to sleep some. So many people on this flight were either heading to marathon, judging by all of the past marathon jackets that were worn and also a lot of Saints fans who were heading to London for the game against the Minnesota Vikings. This is the first time I had heard about NFL games happening overseas. Upon arriving to Heathrow I made my way to the Underground or as the real deal Brits call it, the tube (pronounced chube). I took the tube all the way to the hotel. I only had to cross one street and I was there and it only cost me $7. Score!
Upon arriving I was greeted by the wonderful people from Marathon Tours where they chatted and informed me of all the events and such that would be taking place that weekend. For my package option I chose to be paired with a roommate. They will only pair you with a same gender roommate, grateful for that, and boy did I hit the roomie lottery with my roommate Janet! She wasn’t in the room when I arrived but I did see that my roomate’s belongings were already on the other side of the room. I put my things down quickly and headed to the expo. Downstairs I met two ladies, Whitney and Gheeta. We decided to split a cab to take us to the expo. There were many stairs leading to the top at the entrance of the expo, but our legs were ok. The expo was nice but the gear at this one was odd in regards to the merchandise. I guess with New York, Chicago, and Berlin spoiling us with loud gear, synergized just right and with large logos or city names in large print, it made these tiny logos with London written smaller than an ant a bit of a buzz kill. I still picked up my gear, my bib, and headed back to the hotel where I met my roommate Janet. We immediately hit it off as she wanted to see all of my expo goodies.
Friday was a nice day as we took the London bus tour. We got to see all of the major sights, Big Ben and Westminister Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Charles house, London Tower Bridge, Princess Diana’s / Spencer home. London was packed! Between the marathon participants and spectators and the many still traveling to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth the II, everywhere was packed. We ended the day with dinner at the Hard Rock and a tour of the original Hard Rock itself. Whitney and I hit up Selfridges. What an incredible mall. All of the stores are not in individual “units” like we see here in the U.S. They are blended together. For example Lululemon and Sweaty Betty were together so you could try on all of their things in one fitting room. I picked up some gloves for race day since I didn’t have a sleek black pair but more like mittens. They had a neat food hall downstairs so I picked up some pantry items like tined fish and olive oil to take back home. We ended the night with dinner at Alto Rooftop Restaurant at Selfridges. It has a neat view of the city and the whole place was decorated with lemons.
Saturday morning I did my shaekout run to meet up with Night Runners WPB Ryan at Bill’s restaurant. It was a cute, colorful, and eclectic spot. It was giving hints of home with the tropical palms and wallpaper. It was nice to see a familiar smiling face from home. He didn’t get to stay for the marathon as his flight left Sudnay. Afterwards, Janet and I went out for walk as she’d lived here before and knew here way around. We got to see the start line and all of the set up just outside of Buckingham Palace. We eventually ended up at the Apple store then Harrods. Oh my God, Harrods. I was definitely not ready for all this. From the assortment of desserts, fine chocolates, macaroons imported from France, coffee and tea selections, and the cheese and meet room…none of which we could bring back home. I did bring back some Laderach chocolates to share with my family though and those were absolutely divine! Now that was just all the food hall stuff on the first floor, the rest was floors on floors of fine shopping of all high end brands you could think of. Not my jam but neat to see again how all of the brands share the same floor in UK malls. Friday night ended with a not hot bath and a hot tea with my new cookbook, The Italian Pantry by Theo Randall. You’d think I really started becoming a Brit. Well, 4% of my DNA is Welsh you know? Haha.
I hadn’t decided on a race day outfit until the night before because there was major drama surrounding race day weather. It was supposed to be in the 50’s and raining. Janet and I picked up some trash bags to figure out how to fashion some rain coats for ourselves to use at the start village. We had more fun just being silly with it than anything else. The night before the race at the Marathon Tours dinner we looked outside in horror as we saw the wind tossing the flags around like leaves. I prayed so hard and truly believed we were going to see no rain and that it was going to be a perfect day for the race. After dinner I went upstairs, figures out my race outfit, laid it out, took a nice hot bath and called it a night. Like all other marathons, I didn’t sleep well at all.
The alarm went off and it was up, get dressed, and be on our way. Marathon tours had buses outside for us that took us directly to the start, which was really a nice treat instead of figuring all of that out. The start line is out there. No one is up in that town at that time. It was overcast and dreary. I made the line for the “loo” since now we are in England and all. The ground in the village was damp so I took out my makeshift raincoat and sat on it to chill and preserve energy. It was cool out, but not cold by any means.
Our wave got called and it all seemed to happen so quickly. We started but there was no party like Berlin to hype you up. The first stretch was lonely and quiet with no crowds, no one screaming to push you. I had to draw within and stay focused on my positive mantras. I had no headphones at this marathon either and again music was so good when we did start reaching crowds that I wouldn’t have needed headphones anyway. I would have to say this was the spiciest of the marathons. I got shoved out of the way a handful of times. People at this marathon were pretty rude, especially at the beginning.
I was coming up on mile 6 and had completely forgotten that this was the spot I was looking for. Cutty Sark. I’d read the history behind this ship and knew they had it on display along the course. I heard Gaslight by INJI played by one of the DJ’s and was totally in my zone at this point. We reach a narrowing part of the course when I take a quick look left and there is Cutty Sark. It’s definitely larger than life and pictures do it no justice. I tapped a lot of signs being held my kiddos with, “Tap here for power” on a mushroom or star from Mario Brothers. High fived a lot of little hands screaming, “You’re smashing it.”
Mile 12 was one of the coolest. That’s when we crossed tower London Tower Bridge. It’s one thing seeing it in person and walking over the sidewalk but we were running over it along the center. It’s truly on of my favorites. The crowds before and after London Tower Bridge are really great. They’ve been at the pub getting sloshed since early on so they’r ready for you, full of screaming, support, and many pints of beer.
At around the half marathon mark I see this lady and see her walking and give her a good, “You’re doing fantastic keep up the great work,” shout. We immediately clicked and kept encouraging each other along the way. Sometimes I’d lose her but we always seemed to find each other again. Keep this in mind for later.
The costumes on this course are a real marvel on their own. This is the marathon where people come to run in specific costumes to make it into the world Guinness book of records. I saw two Rhinoceroses, six guys dressed as fruit while running in tandem carrying a makeshift fruit basket, I saw a beer who I am now friends with on Facebook, I saw the original viral DJ that marathons while he DJ’s. The tops of my feet are hurting really bad around mile 21 and I pull over to a massage station and have them massage the tops of my feet. With some relief I carry on, knowing I am almost done.
I remember the moment we crossed the last bridge that takes you right up to Big Ben and Westminister Abbey. I was so happy. I knew the end was near. The same lady, Louise, was nearby struggling and so was I. I kept telling her we were almost there and told her to put her hands up at the finish and look up right at the cameras.
We rounded the corner with Buckingham Palace at our backs and got ready to cross the finish. Louise and I gave each other the biggest hug and congratulated one another for a job well done. We are now friends on Facebook too and she’s a wonderful athlete who has also completed her six stars. I start walking back to my hotel, which is nearby. I check my messages and see that my roomate had finished a while ago and was showered and getting dinner. Once I got there, I took two Aleves and headed downstairs with her to have my dinner. I was excited when I saw they had Santa Teresa rum so of course I had a rum and coke just like in Berlin, but this time in post celebration. My meal of choice was a most creamy and delicious Forest mushroom and chicken pasta with tarragon cream. I polished that plate off, it was perfection and my belly was so happy. I went hobbled back to my room and got right into bed.
I was up early enough in the net morning to watch the most beautiful sunrise over London, gathered my bags, and headed to the airport, this time via taxi and my legs were shot. The first flight to Atlanta was so fun. The flight attendants handed out little boxes that included everything we needed to have an official tea time in the sky. We had little tea sandwiches, tea, and the most delicious truffles for dessert.
London was beautiful and it’s a place I plan on returning to, to see more removed from the marathon.
Tokyo Marathon – Sunday, March 5, 2023
I made it into the Tokyo Marathon via charity because this is probably one of the hardest to get in to. I chose Care International because of their global humanitarian efforts and impact. It was a little over $700 USD so I didn’t bother fundraising and just paid it myself. If you take this route you do still have to pay for the bib at this race, unlike Chicago and New York where AFHK covered that fee for you. Either way this is still great with all things considered. I got a cheap flight going from PBI connecting in Toronto and then Narita. This wasn’t the original schedule flight as AirCanada changed my final destination from Haneda to Narita. It was frustrating as Narita is much further but transit did make it quick and easy to get into Tokyo. I do recommend flying into Haneda. It’s a hop, skip, jump, and cab rid right into center Tokyo. I also highly recommend having your hotel be closer to the finish rather than the start, which isn’t necessarily close.
For Toronto I stayed at the Hampton by Hilton. It real nice here, clean, and had free full buffet breakfast. It was also packed with snow here. I hadn’t run in the snow since 2001-2004 times when I visited my ex in upstate New York for my spring breaks. I laced up and went out on the my morning before my connecting flight since I had to spend one night here to connect. The run was fast and cold but it felt crisp and nice. I missed running in this kind of weather. I played in the snow for a bit too. I think that’s the most important aspect of these marathons/trips. Have the eyes and heart of a child to see the world differently and your experiences will be that much richer and beautiful. The airport in Toronto has a bank that will get you Yen before you head to Japan if you want to wait until then, otherwise you can order it in advance to exchange at your bank of choice here at home.
Here’s a big one I was told about and it will be the life saving thread to your trip to Japan whether you’re marathoning or not…download Google translate and Google lens. I was able to point Google lens at signs, menus, and etc. and translate what I was reading. I was able to speak what I wanted to say in english and click Japanese to have it spoke back translated to my cab driver another day and he understood exactly where I needed to go.
The flight to Tokyo was long but I was unable to sleep or rest. I felt fine arriving in Tokyo. I stayed at Courtyard by Marriott Tokyo Station. This wasn’t any old Courtyard by Marriott either. It was the same price tag but this was so much more upscale and close to everything in center Tokyo, including the huge Tokyo Station that could take you anywhere in Tokyo. I took transit as close as I could to the Expo center since it was getting late and it was about to close and I wanted to make sure I got my bib and expo goodies. I got my bib and got many compliments on my marathon mani. My nail lady Nhi hand painted the rainbow colored plaid like on the Tokyo marathon medal ribbon. The gear here is really off. Not much to pick from like other expos and there were a lot of complaints throughout all of the Tokyo Marathon groups I was a part of on Facebook. I heard the following day of the expo was a madhouse as they had a line wrapped around the block and this place is huge to begin with. Glad I went the night before with luggage and all in hand. Phew!
I make it to my hotel but the restaurant is done serving and everything in the area is closed for the night. So I rough it without anything to eat until morning. My room was small but cute, my toilet was incredible as it had a bidet (I have one of these at home and can’t live without it), and a robe and slippers to walk around your room in. Fancy. I make it to the 7-11 across the street and everything I had ever heard about 7-11’s in Japan was true. It is the BEST! The snack options and the fact that all of the boxes/bagged snacks are free of crappy chemicals is even better! I spent the time after exploring the area on my own. Of course I had to find a Sanrio store and marvel at all of the Hello Kitty things. I got some pens and kept walking around.
The next day was a special day. It was Friday, March 3, my birthday. I was halfway around the globe, by myself. I felt so alone, but this time it was kind of sad. It really revealed to me who my friends were being all that way doing something great and being shown who was not thinking of me at all. It changed me forever. It made me realize a lot about reciprocity and I was not going to go home and continue my friendships the same way ever again. I knew Gheeta and Whitney were in Tokyo for this race as well. Whitney would be receiving her sixth star here, which was so exciting! Whitney and I linked up for the Tokyo tour to Mt. Fuji. This felt better. I had breakfast at the hotel where all of the elites stay at Keio Plaza Hotel, didn’t realize this until afterwards when someone pointed out to me. The bus ride out to Mt. Fuji was beautiful and you could see it plain as a day. It was huge and majestic. Our lunch was out of this world. We pulled into a small town and into a dining hall that wasn’t much to look at but at each table was a spot for each individual person packed to the brim with a bowl of rice, a personal hot pot with a soup loaded with meat that had been cooking for hours, veggies galore, and desserts. That was a feast fit for queens and kings and I am sure we all felt like it by the time we were done. The tour continued as we took a people mover over an actual active volcano. It smelled like rotten eggs so bad and our people mover was being tossed around by high winds. Just a bit scary when you’re wondering if this is how it’s gonna end at the age of 42. We made it to the other side to a shop and then to our bus. The tour continued on with a boat ride on Lake Hakone and concluded with the bullet train ride to center Tokyo. That was a nice birthday and way to see Japan and I highly recommend booking it via Viator.
I got back to the hotel and managed to get a seat at the restaurant for dinner. I ordered myself a wagyu steak, medium and it came with rice and sautéed veggies with soy sauce. Oh my heavenly goodness it was so good. I met my neighbor sitting next to me who was from California also there to do the Tokyo Marathon. We met another girl who was also running the race and decided to connect together on race morning to make the trek to the start line together. I showed them 7-11 across the street and we came back and enjoyed sake and other goodies.
The following day I did more walking and sight-seeing within reason since I didn’t want to overdo it on my legs. Before leaving the hotel I picked the pieces for my marathon outfit with the bib, took a picture of my “flat-lay” and headed out. I met up with my friend Richard, who I also found out was racing in Tokyo on Sunday. We ate at the most amazing Ramen spot called Soba Hanaichi that cost all of around $11 a person for all of that delicious ramen and rice. It was so much food that I took the last half back to the hotel to enjoy as my marathon breakfast.I grabbed dinner again at the restaurant downstairs in my hotel and was able to get squeezed in at the bar. The pasta was all sold out, imagine that the night before a marathon and all, haha. I ordered the same as the night before, a wagyu steak, medium with rice and extra rice, and veggies. I polished my plate off, headed upstairs, and got ready for bed.
I slept ok but it wasn’t as bad as previous marathons up to this point. I wake up, eat my ramen, get my race layer on then my drop/throw away layer, grab my bag of pre-race breakfast/snacks and head out. Robert, Milena, and I meet up downstairs and Robert had the transit directions all written out and we made it with one transfer seamlessly.
The process of getting to this start line started a whole few weeks before the marathon. You had to have downloaded a special app that the race put out and log your temperature everyday. Part of your packet pickup were to Covid tests that you had to take each day in the 48 hours leading up to the race. You had to scan them into the app and once you showed up at the entrance you had to show it to a race volunteer and they checked you in so your screen would show green, meaning you were clear and allowed in the race.
The entrance to our start corral was at Shinjuku Park right behind the start line and was full of cherry blossom trees that were in full bloom. I am glad I got to see them even though the peak for full bloom wasn’t for another two weeks. I had some of my Pizza combos and In 10 seconds energy jelly from 7-11 that was so delicious. You can hear all of the announcing and starting of the elites when it began. An announcement was made that should there be an earthquake during the marathon and I was like wait, what? that’s right, that crap happens here…but oh dang, that can’t happen today tho ok? Anywho you had to follow the volunteers into a shelter if that happened, glad it didn’t.
Our turn was up. There was originally drama about drop clothing not being allowed at this race but they changed that back to the usual permitting of the drop clothes two weeks prior, they just wouldn’t allow it to be throw around at the start or after so you had to commit to throwing it out at the village before entering the start area. We were off as quick as we arrived to the start. There was some pushing since it was the last wave and you had six hours to complete this marathon. I was trying to avoid being pushed and just stayed off to the left to start.
The first two miles sucked with hydration since the first two stations were wiped out and had no water or hydration. This made a lot of us really mad, how could you run out of water/hydration and at a world major? Also, at this race you couldn’t have a hydration backpack or bottles. This is my own major gripe about Tokyo Marathon, you’re a major, be organized and act like it.
At mile three the coolest thing happened to me that never happened to me at a race before. I ran into someone I knew. I was coming up behind this girl that looked familiar, just like Whitney and what would you know, it was! What a moment, of course I cried as I got a selfie of us because when has that ever happened before?
At around mile 6 it happened again but this time with Gheeta. I started crying again because wow halfway around the globe and here I am seeing people I know during the marathon. Of course I took a selfie with her too. There were a lot of beautiful temples, great costumes ranging from Mario to Anime, especially so many from Demon Slayer dressed up as Tangero and Zenitsu. You’re probably wondering how I know all of this, keep in mind I have three sons who have all been into anime at some point or another.
Mile 10 royally sucked. Do not under any circumstance go to the bathroom in this area. I swear it is a time wasting trap. I needed to use the bathroom here but was directed to what seemed to be behind a building. This building lead to an elevator where we were taken down to the subway to then walk quite a distance to wait in the longest cue I’d ever seen in my life for the bathroom. It ate up a total of 26 minutes in that mile split, I would’ve done a bit better than my final time as a result.
I’d run into Whitney and Gheeta again a second time towards the end. I tried pacing with Gheeta and her friend for a few miles but the tendonitis on the top of my foot was starting to get to me. They handed out the most amazing tasting jellys around mile 22 or so. They’re Calorie Mate Jelly in Apple flavor. You can buy them there online and add them to your training for Tokyo so you can adapt to it or choose not to have it too. Also, their hydration drink is Pocari Sweat and if you’re in West Palm Beach, my guy Geoffrey at Fortune Cookie Supermarket has it so you can also try that in advance and see how it does with your stomach.
When I made it to the 42k mark Jose texts me “Paty Pepo” which is our inside joke from the time we first visited Japan at Epcot together. I about died laughing and so desperately needed that.
I talk to him almost all the way to the finish, tell him I’m about to cross, put the phone in my fanny pack, cross the finish trying so hard not to cry, receive my medal ugly crying, and get back on the phone with Jose to “celebrate” with more continued crying and sobbing.
I walk to the international building where Care International is hosting a small and informal reception for the marathoners to receive snacks, drinks, and a massage. I was so grateful for that massage. From here it wasn’t a far walk to my hotel, where I showered, went downstairs and met up with Robert to go to a restaurant that was over a mile from the hotel and yes, we did that on foot. Helpful at first yes, but we cabbed it back to the hotel per my request because my legs were shot. I had a warm and filling ramen soup since it was a little colder that night.
I woke up early and went next door to Starbucks where I enjoyed the most insanely unique slice of oreo / vanilla poundcake and a double espresso. I sat there and people watched, hundreds of people poured out of Tokyo Station on heavy rotation. There was something so beautiful about that moment so I took a cinematic video of that moment. All heading to work, like programmed robots, shuffling mechanically to the call of work. I don’t remember how I discovered this album but I had it on heavy repeat and it’s kinda peaceful yet trippy. The artist is Mono/Poly and the album name is called Golden Skies. I discover the last track I didn’t realize was missing due to drama with the artist and iTunes later on right before Boston.
I wanted to go to one last spot and that’s to the little old man who has bee hand making all his coffee and Japanese pudding since the 1960’s in the same shop. I had heard about him through a TikTok post. The Japanese pudding looks just like flan but please do not call it that in front of Japanese people. Everything was delicious. I was even able to get a selfie with this sweet old man. Apparently I heard that after my trip there his shop went viral because of TikTok and the owner is actually aggravated and has had to limit customers daily. Wild.
After that I headed to the hotel, grabbed my bags, and headed to Tokyo station where I caught the bullet train that would take me back to Narita airport. When I got to Toronto it was about 7:30pm so I quickly freshened up and cabbed it to Ruth’s Chris down the street where I enjoyed a medium filet mignon, garlic mashed potatoes, and washed it all down with a nice Pinot Grigio. The next morning I enjoyed another magnificent breakfast downstairs at the Hampton by Hilton. I got to the airport plenty early and enjoyed my quintessential double espresso from Starbucks and had even treated myself to a pair of nice AirPods as my gift to myself for completing the marathon. I even hopped onto eBay and treated myself to a new / only used once Garmin Fenix 6S Pro that a highly rates seller was selling because she didn’t like Garmin.
My wonderful friend Ally at school had her class make me a banner all celebrating me again this time and surprised me with it by hanging it up in my office so I’d see it when I first walked in after coming back. I cried and cried and my boys thought it was really sweet too. Thank you Ally!
Boston Marathon – Monday, April 15, 2024
Oh Boston. Well, the last of the six stars that I knew I had to do. I also knew I’d never qualify for it because at the age of 42/43 I’d have to be qualify with a 3 hour 40 minute time. I applied via charity with the Red Cross. I received a phone call back on the same day from Red Cross rep Sam Delaney where she left a voicemail while I was on my very hot lunch break run that day. When my run ended I called back and she interviewed me, asking me some questions on how my journey got started, what running means to me, and etc. and at the end of the call said she’d like to offer me a charity spot with the Red Cross for the 2024 Boston Marathon. Oh boy. I cried and cried, I thanked her profusely and she said I was making her cry. I hung up and was just walking on cloud 9 that whole week bragging to everyone that I had made it into Boston and I’d be receiving my sixth star there.
Funny enough I did some serious manifesting beforehand. I had already booked my Airbnb prior to this conversation. After the phone call I booked flights for myself, my husband, our boys, and both of our moms who said they’d love to come. Fundraising went well, I knew we’d be coming out of pocket quite a bit especially with a $10,000 fundraising commitment. We came out $5,500 out of pocket but were prepared to pay the full $10k if it really came down to it because this was once in a lifetime.
I had also manifested this marathon when I got back from Tokyo. I bought my Boston drop/throw away clothes at the thrift store the week I got back and put it in my closet for later.
Training went exceptionally well for 20 weeks. I missed a total of two long runs due to traveling forJose’s birthday in late January and traveling for my birthday in late February. I had the two most amazing ladies pushing me on every single one of those long runs, Lauren and Sarah. Between the showing up every Sunday at 6am, positive affirmations, our first mile stops at the bathroom at Bradley Park and the laughter it was perfect recipe for a training of my wildest dreams. There was the rainy morning, the cold morning, the mornings where we were sporting pains, there was my 43rd birthday morning with Victoria, Leo, Silvio there as well, fast mornings, slow mornings, sunrise mornings. They were beautiful because of Sarah and Lauren.
I did have hip pain in right hip leading up to the start line the day of the Boston Marathon. I remained faithful it would go away.
Along the way my brother Al and sister-in-law tell me they’re going to be there as well. Remember my Airbnb? Well a month after they cancel on me with no reason or explanation as to why. I freak out and scramble to find anything at this point because with a month left until the marathon I don’t expect to find anything, well at least not cheap. I find a hotel room with a double queen bed at The Revere Boston Commons just blocks from the finish line at $3,000. That’s right, $3K for four nights. But domestic major marathon cities purposely price gouge on marathon weekends, and Boston, even more, because it’s Boston. The oldest marathon in the world, the “it / elite-est” marathon.
Time flew. Marathon week closes in and I pluck that bag of drop clothes out and pack it in my bag along with outfits, gels, sweaters, thinking in a magical disbelief, is this really it? This is happening already? My mother-in-law surprises me with her mani she had to match mine. She showed her nail tech my marathon mani I posted on FB the day before and had them match it! So cool! We had both of our moms spend the night at our house so we can get up at 3am and start our journey. Originally, this was going to be a direct flight via Jetblue from PBI to BOS but JetBlue had changed this a few months prior by adding a connection at DCA in Washington D.C. Both flights go smoothly. We finally arrive in Boston and each take the transit into the city for $2, major score.
We get off of the transit and only have to walk three blocks to our hotel. Along the way, there’s a huge sign from Nike that reads, “You didn’t run this far to run this far.” Holy shit! Pardon my French. Keep this in mind for later on. We arrive at our hotel and it turns out that our room is ready so we headed upstairs, dropped out bags off, used the restroom, and headed to the expo for my final bib. It was a bit of a maze getting to the bibs, but I found my number, the lady behind the counter handed it to me confirming that I have the QR code for the six star medal on it. I began to cry. This moment and all subsequent moments are the last time for the journey. Even shopping for gear was emotional. It was the last time.
We take a long walk back to the hotel and stop for lunch at Shake Shack on Newberry Street. We stop at a few shops along the way like Lululemon where I bought a bra in white like the others I have for Monday’s race. We go back to the hotel, unpack and chill. Jacob, Caleb, and I went for a walk into Boston Commons gardens to find where the ducks from the Make Way for Ducklings book are at. We find the ducks and then I realize that there’s a bookstore my friend Michelle recommended to me a few months back. Beacon Hill Books & Cafe, the smell of freshly baked croissants and baked goods will surely lead your nose there. Inside are four floors of books and the basement is the cafe. I grabbed a poetry book whose first three poems I flip through capture my attention. I also find a hardcover copy of Make Way for Ducklings for Isaac. I read that book to all of my primary groups and I had known the story myself since I was a little kid in elementary school. I head to the cookbook section and that was so dreamy! We head upstairs to the kids section and they have an adorable tiny little door for the smaller kids to enter through. I go to pay and the cashier says to me, “Oh you bought my book.” What are the odds I buy a poetry book titled The Forgetting Curve by Mollie O’Leary and here she is, working at this book shop. Of course I had to ask for an autograph and for a picture with her. How cool! We stop at a tiny Italian market down the street called De Luca’s Market. We picked up some snacks here. They even had a little section for marathoners with drinks, hydrations tablets, bars, bagels, and etc. I read Make Way for Ducklings to Isaac when we came back, knowing very well where we were going to take him tomorrow morning. We are tired and opt to eat dinner at our hotel’s restaurant The Rebel’s Guild.
Saturday was great. We started off for Dunkin’ Donuts for breakfast and they even had Boston Marathon donuts with yellow. blue, and white icing. We walked to Boston Commons park and not only showed Isaac the duck statues but little did I realize they actually have the swan boat rides like in the book so my mother-in-law and I rode with him. What an experience! He was so happy. Afterwards we got to go on a nice long walk around the city and tour Paul Revere’s House. We also stopped at Mike’s Pastry for canolis and donuts, Jose’s favorite. We walk and cross the bridge to head towards Bunker Hill to go have lunch at Warren Tavern, a place my brother has been to before for the best Chowda in New England. I did opt for a hotdog because I was craving one but I did get to try some of Jose’s chowder and it truly was the best in flavor and I had never had a chowder so perfectly chunky.
I had a nice solitude walk to the Heartbreak Hill Company store where I was signed up for the Shakeout run with a group of 100 people. Along the way I listened to the Mono/Poly song Ra Rise on repeat. There was something so beautiful about that whole walk while listening to that song. I stopped for a selfie in front of a cool brownstone, but couldn’t get it to focus on selfie mode. Still was a cool pic though. I stopped at the Starbucks across the street from the Heartbreak store since I was super early and got myself a double espresso.
While standing outside as I was the first runner to show up a guy walks up and stands next to me asking what’s going on here. He was wearing the tiniest shorts but he was shivering. I said to him, “You must be from around here to be dressed like that in the cold. He tells me no that in fact he’s from Florida. I yell out no way and ask him what part and he says Melbourne. He tells me his name is Joel and we start talking about running, training, gear, the trip to Boston.
A lot of people start lining up so we split up and I had a chance to look inside the store and find a Nike Boston sweater that I like, buy it, and check my bag in before the run. We had surprise guest and speaker coach Dan and then Joan Benoit Samuelson herself! We had olympian runners lead three groups on a run all the way to Boston Commons where we stopped to circle up for a group stretch and pep talk/huddle before running back to the store. On the way back I couldn’t believe this one statue I saw. It was of Edgar Allan Poe with a raven flying out of his suitcase. I had to stop for a quick selfie. That whole run was amazing, feeling the energy of all of the fellow runners, the sights, the way I felt so good.
Afterwards, per Jose’s aunt’s suggestion we all went to a Boston Redsox game vs Los Angels Angels at Fennway Park or now that I’m a wannabe Bostonian at the Green Monstah. What a game! The energy, the screaming, the brats, we bought some hats too. The Red Sox players came out in yellow and blue and I came to learn that they do this in support of the marathon. Every business and group in Boston buys into this marathon in love and support from decorating in blue, yellow, and white or closing the day of as it is a holiday, Patriot Day up there on Boston Marathon Monday. It’s incredible. At one point in the game they started playing Sweet Caroline. The whole crowd went wild singing and enjoying the song including me. I couldn’t get enough. Keep this song in mind for later on. At night we went to dinner at Pasta Beach and I had the Carbonara, one of my favorite dishes, and it didn’t disappoint. We went back to the hotel and it took me quite some time this time to figure out my marathon outfit since it was the last one. I picked it out, took a pic of my flat lay, showered and slept pretty alright.
I started my morning with a 6am alarm. I had laid out my outfit and thrifted throw away clothes out the night before. I struggled with this outfit as it was the last and final outfit for the majors. I picked the long sleeve Boston adidas shirt they gave in our packet pickup, white ribbed Lululemon short, white Lululemon on cloud sports bra and the new Nike Alphafly 3s. I pinned my front bib, Jose pinned my back six star bib, my mother-in-law Bea gave me the perfect French braid, I put my drop clothes over my outfit, grabbed my bag of breakfast and snacks and off I went.
I walked from Revere Hotel to Webster Bank where we were to meet The Red Cross for snacks, water, hydration, place to chill, and group photo before walking over to the buses.. It was a quick walk that seemed to last forever, in a good way. I took it all in. The hundreds of yellow school buses, the people walking, running to warm up. This was all the last time. The morning was crisp, the sky was the perfect blue, weather was predicted to be warmer than normal. Upon arriving at Webster Bank the Red Cross members were welcoming. They had donuts, bagels, yogurt, coffee, and a myriad of snacks and drinks for us. I had a donut and some of my packed snacks and just sat until it was time to walk to the Boston Commons park as a team and hop onto our bus.
On the walk over to the buses I met one of my fellow runners with Red Cross named Brad. We were taken aback at how many buses were used not only for transporting the runners but also for housing belongings for the runners for after the finish. Notice I never talk about picking up my bags after any of these marathons because I decided everything I needed would be in a small fanny pack and I didn’t need to check bags in. We got to chatting and were mainly chatting about how real this was and how excited we were. This was Brad’s first marathon ever and his mom had run the Boston Marathon when he was 11 years old in 2007. We chatted the entire bus ride to the start while slowly slow roasting to death inside this school bus with no air conditioning and the windows all the way shut. We laughed, we cried, we exchanged Facebook accounts, and in that moment we became best friends. Our bus driver was apparently at the wrong entrance and he had to turn around, get back on the highway and drive 10 more minutes until we go to the right entrance. There was a long ling out to nowhere of buses trying to get it but it moved quickly.
We show our bibs and we are in the village. We keep looking at each other in shock and awe. We cue for the toilets first things and glad we did because it got packed right after that. I dumped all of my drop clothes before the bathroom break as it was already so very hot outside. The charities got to use the indoor gym at this high school where our village was at. We were there long enough for me to eat my pizza combos, some of my cliff bar, my In 10 seconds energy jelly that my friend Joh brought back from his recent trip to Japan, and we were off to the start. We are patiently waiting to actually reach the start line when they start playing Sweet Caroline and everyone starts singing and losing it in excitement, including me. Since our wave was 4th it was split into more numbers and we were number one and had to sprint to the front just as it was all starting.
Brad and I had pretty much decided we were sticking it out the whole marathon together, something I had never done with anyone before. I had tried my best sticking with Louise in London and we did end of crossing the finish together, but this was different. It was so unbelievably hot coming right out the gates. We kept asking each other, “Can you believe we are doing this?” It was certainly surreal. At mile 2 I looked down at the ground and saw one of those prayer cards with the face of Jesus on it. Talk about chills. The first 8 miles were completely packed, elbow-to-elbow, I had never been that deep into any marathon and been that tight for that long. Our pace could’ve definitely been better if it wasn’t so packed. I had to make a bathroom stop to pee at mile 3 already but thankfully that was easy and quick as there was no line for the port-a-potties.
Brad had a lot of friends and family along the way. We also got a lot of high fives in from spectators, especially the little kids, they’re always so cute. By mile 9 I saw Gloria, Jose’s aunt. She had described about where I should see her after this pond on the left and texted me a photo of her sign the night before that was neon orange. The moment I saw the pond I kept looking left for the neon orange sign and there she was. I had never experienced seeing someone in a marathon that I know during the run. I gave her a big hug and couldn’t stop crying. After a few seconds it was off to run again.
At around mile 13ish or so Brad and I both made a pit stop again to go pee. The urge was so strong to go and I was already fearing that it was a UTI creeping back up on me. This had happened during one of my longest training runs and had never happened before with any other training. I sat down and I can see that I am peeing blood, great. But the show must go on. I head back out where Brad confirms he’s experiencing the same. We knew that with how hot it was and the fact that this was happening we were going to switch to water only from here on out. We make it to Wellesley College and the screaming and energy were so good and so intense. At some point around here my sister sends me a text image that is called “Runner’s Blessing.” This really got me and it was everything I felt this entire marathon, just pure and sheer gratitude for it all and calling on to God for protection over my whole body to keep me safe and happy.
We kept joking most of the time to keep ourselves going saying things like, “This is easy, isn’t it. Hey Brad, wanna go on a 20K run with me. Everyone was outside of their house, tailgate style, grilling, partying with coolers of booze, bounce-houses for the kids, and tons of signs, noise makers, speakers playing music for us. I was most grateful for those people who ran their own water to hose us down to help us cool off. There were also many spectators with paper towels that had been drenched in ice cold water or even baggies with ice. I would carry some of those paper towels and baggies for miles, passing it over my face and neck and eating the ice along the way. We got orange slices further in too and those were also so nice and refreshing to eat. We kept seeing people puking, passing out through a good chunk of the course. It was simply too hot. Some of these people are from up here and trained in the winter. This was one of those moments where I found gratitude in all of my hot and humid long runs back home. It saved my ass at this race.
We were approaching Newton soon and you’d know it first because we’d go for flat stretches then hit these hills that you could immediately see. We hit a really big hit at around mile 18 and were wondering if that was Heartbreak hill and if it’s earlier. Nope. Not earlier, this is just a test and a taste. We make our way to mile 20 with no sign of Heartbreak hill just yet. Then at about 20.5 miles there it was. A slow, steep hill. Brad and I agreed were were going to take on the whole hill without stopping. I had done so much training for hill repeats that I knew it was in the bag for me. We did it. We ran all of Heartbreak hill and our hearts were flourishing and not broken. At this point I am in quite a bit of UTI pain and we stop for the bathroom again. My white pants were full of brown blood at my crotch from this UTI. I peed nothing but three droplets but persisted on.
We saw many incredible people out there like one older gentleman who had a six star bib on his back but he was running with one prosthetic running leg. The incredible determination and grit of these runners is awe inspiring. A Brazilian lady came up to me and asked me if she could hug me. She said she was very inspired seeing I was going for my sixth star and watched me run ahead of her for a few miles. I started to cry. We all inspire and push one another. This is what the running community is all about.
This guy in a red singlet with “Ronnel” printed on the front, that later Facebook would suggest to me through wild algorithm, came up past us saying, “Come on guys, we can do this.” We had seen the really tall guy running in a Leprechaun costume and I’d later see him all over thew news back at the hotel and all over Facebook. We had overheard some guy in the crowd telling other people that he has been drinking since 7:30am that day, ouch, hahaha. We start making closer to mile 24 and there it is, the BIG CITGO sign that is just outside of Fennway Park. At this point after measuring it the day before, I know we were exactly 2 miles out from the finish. The next mile went fast and next thing you know we are coming up on the CITGO sign. Brad and I begin to joke and celebrate and he asks, “Come on what’s one mile,” to which I respond, “Psshhh, piece of cake, too easy Brad. Let’s go get that finish line.”
I could hear the crowds as I approached Boylston Street. I rounded the corner onto Boylston with my head cranked as far as I could to get the first look at the finish line. I was smiling so big and I started to cry happy tears. This was it, there was the finish line, but it went by so fast to get to my last finish line. It was a mix of emotions, all of it beautiful. Brad ran ahead and I told him to go get that finish. I kept thinking I might be PRing at this marathon but wasn’t sure just yet. I get closer to the finish, put both of my hands with peace signs, and look right up at the cameras overhead and smile big and proud. I just did that. After crossing the finish Brad comes running back towards me and gives me the biggest hug and said, “We did that! Teresa, we just did that.” I thanked him profusely and we both cried and cried. At no point in this race did I ever hit a wall despite the UTI pain and heat. I literally felt like I could keep going at this point. I was definitely not first, not that I would even dream of it, but I was definitely not last today. I’m first in my book with this wild first Boston.
I had gotten a phone call from my brother Al where he described where to find them after the finish, to the left of these two announcer people who are sitting on what looks like a high bench. I see exactly that, my eyes look to the left and there they are. My family. I had felt really strong up to this point but seeing them sent me into a full blown sobbing cry. I hugged each one and thanked them for coming to this and for their support. It was such a beautiful experience to have family waiting there. I continues walking until I got the the Boston medals and of course cried so hard when they put it around my neck. I made the next line for the six star medal and this one got me. The work of six years, and taking a negative and developing it into a positive was now culminating right here, right now, in this moment. They placed the medal on me and I sobbed and sobbed. Wow. My family walked alongside me the whole time on the sidewalk until we connected and walked towards the bank just a block in to meet back up with the RedCross. I had a sandwich, water, cookies, and chips. I was so hungry. My body was surprisingly ok. Knees hurt a bit once I stood up after eating. We started to make our way back towards our hotel. Isaac noticed a bunch of guys with the bike carts giving people rides. I was fine to walk but I could tell he wanted to try that so bad. We hopped on and the guy took us a few short blocks to our hotel. We got upstairs and I peeled my outfit off and jumped into the bathtub. That was the most divine feeling. Once I got dressed I laid down I immediately looked up my official Boston time and compared it to my last PR, which was in Chicago. My Boston time was 4:50:17 and Chicago was 4:50:54. 37 seconds faster. WOW! It’s only 37 seconds but for me, with my original hip pain, the heat and humidity, the UTI…all of those odds working against me and I still did that. I PRed despite the odds.
My last marathon. I kept saying that to myself, but there was a question mark as the hours went on the rest of the day. That was such a perfectly beautiful experience, did I want to feel that again? I wouldn’t mind. Cue in Thursday’s Night Runners WPB run with my youngest son Isaac. He was really booking it with the pace tonight. I said, “Isaac, what’s going on? Why are you running so fast?” He said, “I have to get better. I want to do a marathon too. But if I do one, would you do it with me mommy?” Could you imagine that? There’s only one answer I am supposed to reply to my baby boy and that is, “Yes Isaac, of course I would.” So there it is. Am I going to keep marathoning? The answer is simply yes. I am not done yet. This is just the beginning. I wouldn’t mine being like those older little ladies I see out there killing it at a marathon.
A Note of Gratitude
This is for God. This is for my dad in heaven. This is for my family whom I love with all of my heart, who came all this way to support me on my final marathon Abbott World Marathon Majors at Boston Marathon. Jose Gonzalez and our three sons, Elba Morejon, Susej Sosa Morejon and my brother Alfredo for always pushing me and believing in me, even when I didn’t. This is for my mother-in-law who I won the MiL lotto with, Betty Fernandez who has also supported me on all of my wildest endeavors, many laughs, many tears in the past 15 years of my life. This is for Glo Fran and Rick who waited for me and gave me the biggest hugs at mile 10 and have offered me so much love and support on this marathoning journey. My sister Mercedes Perera, my brother Robert, his wife Michelle and kids. My nieces Victoria Morejon and Crystal Marie and her family. This is for Brad Cicchetti who instantly became my best friend for life on our walk to the buses that beautiful Monday morning of April 15, 2024 and who I paced with the entire Boston Marathon, something I had never done with anyone in my life. The many laughs and now inside jokes are memories I will treasure for the rest of my life. I love you forever Brad! This is for my friends and family who has also believed in me, made contributions, and sent me prayers and love through this and all of my life’s journeys so far Annie Barrow, Allyson Nicole, Angela Ogden, Maria Lo Presti Sheikh, Rosina Bernardo, Olivia Sage, Gail H. Weinstein, Saidah Appleton, Silvio Rizzo, Night Runners WPB, Sarah Lima, Lauren Peterson, Annette Lara, Michelle Lara, Leo Hedlund, Brian Blohm, Abby Sanchez Rodriguez, Jocelyn Lapidus, Natalia Koh, Victoria Morejon, Graham Whitfield, Lindy Anducci, Christine Kitto, Tina Valdez, Amanda Carman, Donna Snyder Stipek, Cynthia Morelos Rodriguez, Annmarie Muir, Gaby Teixeira, Felix Hernandez, Romi Jaimes, Jennifer Humphrey Martindale, Amy Lopez, Blanca Perez, Jessa Hutchinson, Victoria Blanco, Lisy Rojas, Carrie Domis, Emma Carvajal, Floryn Schacht Needle, Janet Zimmermann, Nestor Martin, Laura Manley, Wayne Galli, Rudy Galindo, Lauren Altamiranda, Avion Goordeen, Maria Hernandez Rich, Her Day, Nina Trachtenberg Benaroch, Kennetra Moore. In this world nothing can be done alone or in isolation. In this world nothing can be done without faith and without a community and support system. In this world, nothing can be done without determination, a healthy fear, perseverance, and a bit of rawness. Do the thing that scares you everyday. Take care of of your mind, health, and body. Surround yourself with loving people and reciprocate that love. Thank you all. I love you dearly and I am indebted to you forever.
It will not let me post more than 50 people at a time. This is for my running group that has brought me through the world six majors must receive love and credit. If you haven’t found a local running club and have been curious to join/try come join us at Night Runners WPB. We invite people of all walks/runs of life, backgrounds, stages and ages of life. This is for Sybil Ortiz-Echevarria, Bricelia Valdez, Tio Carlos and Tia Sonia Gonzalez, my running club students, and all of my students at school…you can do the hard things, you can run, you can travel the world, you can do whatever your heart desires babies. For Father Tim Schenck who prayed for me and has also run this most prestigious marathon. This is for Nick Whyte and Lexie, for Seve, for my family in Cuba that has been cheering me on since day one Jesus Morera, Carmen Rosa Morera. This is for Marco Palacios, Robert Bueno, Skylar Mary, Robert Kessel, Brian Herring, Sebastien B-dance Cajuste, TJ, Ryan Thompson, Amancio Paradela, for Maura Hennessey, Antonio Barrios. This is for the many countless others that have supported me both in past and present.
This is for those whether young or old, future students, future running friends. Nike for making the shoes that have carried me throughout my running journey since I was 11 years old. To Team Red Cross Boston 2024 for making this a reality, to Boston Marathon, to BERLIN-MARATHON, TCS London Marathon, Bank of America Chicago Marathon, TCS New York City Marathon, Tokyo Marathon 東京マラソン, Action for Healthy Kids, I carry you all in my heart everywhere these little feet run.
