Hey FFF readers!  I am Lisa, the sometimes-blogger behind Want.Believe.Achieve.  Though in reality I have only known Ali a short time, it feels like we have known each other forever. Surprsingly our closeness isn’t just because of the fact we have a lot in common, it is also because we seem to have connected when some big things were happening in her life.  The BIG THING I am obviously talking about here is marathon training, of course!

Ali told me she and Dan had signed up for the Baystate Marathon back in May after we had completed Boston’s Run to Remember (my first half-marathon).  My half was slow and painful and could not end fastenough.  I definitely did not LOVE running 13.1 miles.  As you could imagine, I did not envy Ali at allfor signing up to run double that distance.  26.2 miles sounds like torture, but “to each his own” I thought and immediatley offered to run some shorter training runs with her and be the best marathon spectator there has ever been (anything to avoid her convincing me to run the marathon ).

Fast forward to race day:

When I woke up Sunday morning I was not so eager to be getting out of bed. As Ali explained in her re-cap, my family had thrown me a surprise 30th party the night before and I ate a ton of Italian food and drank a pretty good amount of wine and beer.  I also was battling a little cold.  

Turning 30 is fun when you’re face is on a stick in a beer bottle

I was scared that I wasn’t in any shape to motivate and keep pace with Ali during my miles I’d be running with her. But running a marathon is nothing to scoff at, and since I will never run one myself, I wanted to be as big of a part of hers as I could be.  Plus, my friend Adam printed us some sweet shirts that I couldn’t let go to waste.

The green shirts proved to be the best color…ever!  It was so easy to spot each other along the route and while we were running with Ali.   

My boyfriend Jack and I met up with Kristin and Maureen to head up to Lowell around 7:45.  Once we got there, Adam and Belle jumped in the car and we found our way to Mile 10.  Piling in my Mazda was fun.  The four girls were in the back, with Jack at the wheel and Adam reading the map.  Interestingly enough, I was the only one in the car who knew everyone in the car and it NEVER felt that way!  We were pumped and excited and I swear there was not a moment of silence all day!  Yay for new friends

Using a race map we made a game plan. 

Everyone in the car wanted to run with Ali so we decided on the following:

•   Adam: miles 10-13

•   Kristin and Jack: miles 13-16

•   Maureen: miles 16-18

•   Me: miles 19-21

In the end it looked a little like this:

•   Adam: 10-13

•   Kristin and Jack: 13-16

•   Maureen: 16-19 (story to follow)

•   Lisa: 19-22

•   Adam: 22-26ish

We got to mile 10 about 45 minutes into the race and within ten minutes the elite runners were flying by.  We got out and cheered for them, but they were in such a zone they didn’t even acknowledge us!  I didn’t take offense- it must be amazing to know you are a serious contender to actually win the marathon!

 Not us, but these guys get an A for effort:

[Source]

A little while after the elite runners, waves of others started coming.  We clapped and cheered yelled out things such as “You are amazing”, “You got this”, “Looking strong”.  We sang Happy Birthday to one of them and yelled a runner’s name anytime we saw it on their shirt!  I may have even “WOOOOOOOOOOO”-ed every once in awhile too.  Many of the runners gave us thumbs up, yelled thank you, or just smiled. 

There were A LOT of people to cheer for.  I never wanted a runner to run by me without him/her knowing I was rooting them on.  Complaining to anyone about how tired and sore my hands and fingers were from clapping, as Ali was making her way to mile 10 out of 26.2, would make me sound inconsidreate.  Just know that next time I am a marathon spectator I’ll be bringing clappers and cow bells and fun signs to hold

We anxiously waited to spot Ali running toward us and when we did we went crazy.  She was waving her arms like crazy and smiling.  She looked strong.  Adam hopped in and they were off.

Since the route of the Baystate Marathon is open to cars, we drove to meet them at mile 13.  On the way we stopped at a gas station to go to the bathroom and grab some snacks.  We made it to mile 13 with just minutes to spare.  Ali, Adam, and her friend Jess rounded the corner and I could tell she was still feeling great.  Adam hopped out, Jack and Kristin hopped in, and I headed to mile 16.

Once we spotted the crew coming over the hill we got ready to get a move on to mile 18. 

The traffic started backing up a bit so when Maureen joined Ali at mile 16 we knew it was going to be a close call. 

We sat in traffic for an eternity and even had to take a detour.  When Ali and Maureen ran past us we were trying to figure out how I was going to get in the race.  Should I get out now or should I wait?  I am not sure we came up with a decision either way, but by the time I decided to get out I would’ve had to haul ass to catch up, so I stayed put.  We watched the girls run over the bridge and out of sight.

Miraculously, we somehow found mile 19ish and waited there for Ali and Maureen.  When we saw them we were all yelling and cheering.  Ali still looked strong and Maureen looked relieved to not have to run with Ali until mile 26, haha.

The second I jumped in with Ali all the doubt I had in the morning subsided.  Seeing Ali in such good spirits and with such energy really helped me for the three miles of our run.  We chatted a lot about various things and I kept telling her how strong and amazing she was.  She had so many reasons in the world to throw in the towel on this marathon, but that girl was determined!  I couldn’t imagine how she felt being just miles away from her lifelong goal.  I think she was in just as much disbelief as I was.  It must’ve been such a surreal experience for her.

When we passed mile 20 Ali mentioned the “20 mile wall” had heard runners hit.  I kept encouraging her and talking with her to try to keep her mind off of any pain she was feeling.  Pretty soon we were at mile 22.  Our three miles flew by and I actually didn’t want to stop running with her! 

Kristin, Jack, Maureen, and I waited right behind the finish line.  We spotted Adam (thanks green shirts) around the corner and knew Ali was on her way.  When Ali’s name was announced and we spotted her coming down I started yelling (when you see the video, that’s me yelling in the background).  Of course I cried as she crossed the finish line.  I was so happy for her and thankful I got to be a part of this amazing experience.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6PegjiQAjQ&feature=player_embedded

Ali’s marathon was such a great experience for me as a first time marathon spectator.  Being there to watch a close friend fulfill a dream allowed me to be emotionally involved while watching the race and physically involved by running with her for a few miles.  Chasing Ali in a car with a group of newly-found friends Sunday made me think it “takes a village” to run a marathon, but it really doesn’t.  Ali put in all the long runs and hard work.  I am just really happy I got to be a tiny part of it.

Congrats, Ali!  You rock!

PPPPPPPSSSSSTTTTT! It’s me, Ali! Make sure you head over to Lisa’s Blog and wish her a Happy 30th Bithday! TODAY is her Birthday!