I get it.
There's some sort of race thing this weekend in Boston. A marathon, maybe?
A marathon that thinks it's so special that it's held on a Monday - ostensibly a holiday Monday, sure, but only a holiday in Massachusetts. And, more extraordinarily, tens of thousands of runners play along with this and take days off of work to participate. Even more runners than that were willing to participate than could, this year!
Being so far out of the field in terms of Boston, I both get it and I don't get it, at the same time. I get how it's an objective standard - an obtainable objective standard - for non-professional runners. But at the same time it's just a race. A hilly race. And I'm going to say something else here: your blue and yellow jackets are kind of ugly and I wish you wouldn't wear them for casual wear because I get it: you're a better runner than I am and you don't need an Adidas jacket with the logo screen-printed or embroidered or written in sharpie to tell me that.
Whew.
With that out of my system, a sincere and heartfelt (really!) good luck to anyone running Boston. Sure, I might have just said that "it's just a race," but it's an amazing and historic and difficult race that you've worked hard to earn a spot in. (I mean, Meb couldn't even get in this year!) You can do it.
I'll be here, supporting you quietly from New York while following the elite race.
There's some sort of race thing this weekend in Boston. A marathon, maybe?
A marathon that thinks it's so special that it's held on a Monday - ostensibly a holiday Monday, sure, but only a holiday in Massachusetts. And, more extraordinarily, tens of thousands of runners play along with this and take days off of work to participate. Even more runners than that were willing to participate than could, this year!
Being so far out of the field in terms of Boston, I both get it and I don't get it, at the same time. I get how it's an objective standard - an obtainable objective standard - for non-professional runners. But at the same time it's just a race. A hilly race. And I'm going to say something else here: your blue and yellow jackets are kind of ugly and I wish you wouldn't wear them for casual wear because I get it: you're a better runner than I am and you don't need an Adidas jacket with the logo screen-printed or embroidered or written in sharpie to tell me that.
Whew.
With that out of my system, a sincere and heartfelt (really!) good luck to anyone running Boston. Sure, I might have just said that "it's just a race," but it's an amazing and historic and difficult race that you've worked hard to earn a spot in. (I mean, Meb couldn't even get in this year!) You can do it.
I'll be here, supporting you quietly from New York while following the elite race.
I have to admit, I don't get the Boston appeal either (I think NYC Marathon or the Marine Corps Marathon are much more the kind of races I like!), but I do love love love the blue and yellow jackets. LOVE them. But this year they changed it to black and green and just looks fugly.
ReplyDeleteSo my one thought about not being able to ever run fast enough for Boston was: "Damn, it means I'll never get that jacket. I want that jacket!" (hello! I'm the person who runs races just to get more medals!) but now that they changed it, I could give a crap about it.
Hahahahahaha! LOL! You said it! :) However...I wish I was fast enough to qualify one day. A girl can dream right? I might grow Paula Radcliffe legs overnight. I might. ;)
ReplyDeleteYou know, it's also a holiday in Maine.
ReplyDeleteI think the race has different meanings to different people:
ReplyDeleteSome people qualify in their first or second marathon and so I think it's just a race.
For me, it's so far out of the attainable that to one day qualify might mean ... the same as running my first marathon meant - it was something unbelievable and unbelieved until I actually did do it!
I don't necessarily want to run the race but if I could run that fast one day ... wow.
I do reserve the right to feel very differently about Boston if I'm ever within the realm of possibly qualifying. However, lately my times have drifted farther from the standard, rather than closer to it...
ReplyDeleteBut happy Patriots' Day to the people of MA! (And, as I just learned courtesy of wikipedia and Mike, "Patriot's Day" to the people of ME!)
I'll juice for you and me perhaps!!!
ReplyDeleteI am off for vacation for two weeks, but when I'm back we must set up a run. I can't believe you're registered for so many halfs and wholes! Makes me crack up!
Oh, snap!!! You just called out the ugly Boston jackets! My boss (well, actually my boss's boss's boss) is a runner and ran her first marathon in NYC in '09, just missed qualifying by 6 minutes, then ran it again last year and ran something ridiculous like a 3:30. She's in her early 40's. And I really get the sense that she could care less about racing it, whereas I would have to PR by something close to an hour and forty minutes to even have a shot at being allowed to try to enter in one of the later waves (at least with the new setup). The moral of my lengthy and somewhat pointless comment is that it's all a matter of perspective, right?
ReplyDeleteLOVE it!
ReplyDeleteI agree, I think its a little overrated...I'd rather run a 50K ultra or something than qualify for Boston, though in fairness Boston has the Wellesley girls. Aron
ReplyDelete