The Boston Marathon: I Can’t Wait

In three days I, along with 25,000+ other runners, will participate in the 114th Boston Marathon.

It feels like it’s been two days away for weeks now. Ever since I ran the Eastern States 20 nearly 3 weeks ago as my last long run, I have been suffering through this thing we call the Taper.

I.

Can’t.

Wait.

I don’t want to wait.

I can taste the Marathon.  I want to start right now.  The horses are itching to be let out of the barn.

The odd part  to me though, is I know, at least based on my last marathon, that at some point this coming Monday I am going to be miserable.  At some point I am going to think about calling it quits.  At some point I am going to wonder what the hell was I thinking.  At some point I am going to falter.

And I can’t wait!

Without the trials, the tribulations have less meaning, less weight.  I am relishing the thought of facing these moments and pushing through them with a big grin on my face. And if I don’t?  Well, I will know at least I went down trying.

The anticipation for Boston is absolutely killing me.  I have played out all kinds of scenarios in my head; anticipating every little setback and minor triumph I may face in my 26.2 mile trek from Hopkinton to Boston.

Here’s the thing though, I find that in my limited experience, the marathon can be a lot like life, just compressed down to 26.2 miles.  Like life, a marathon has it’s ups and downs.  Like life, you can approach your race in a million different ways.  Like life, the marathon can be a cruel.  But just like life, the marathon can give the gift of knowing you can do anything.

And so I wait.  Pacing.  Visualizing.  Anticipating.  Ready to compress 80+ years down to 26.2 miles.

I can’t wait.

Editors Note: The author of this post, Matt W. (@luau on Twitter), is a runner from Boston, MA. You can add him as a friend or view his training log by visiting his dailymile profile. You read more about Matt and his running on his blog, Run Luau Run.