My Achilles tendon is doing a lot better. I’m running short distances without pain, but I couldn’t make up for nearly two months of lost training, so I will be merely a spectator at the Boston Marathon starting line tomorrow morning. Nevertheless, I went into the city with Eric today to pick up my swag bag. Then I visited what I’ll call the quitter’s corral to return my transponder chip and bib. Registration cost me $200, and for my money I’m getting a $30 shirt.
This year there are two interesting American entries in the race. The Grand Master, Boston’s own Bill Rodgers, says he’ll be jogging it in four hours, which is literally half the speed of his heyday. The last time he ran it, which was the first time I ran Boston, ten years ago, Rodgers dropped out at Heartbreak Hill. Rodgers had prostate cancer surgery last year.
It was also ten years ago that I first read about Ryan Hall, who was in high school and running the mile in just over four minutes. Now he’s a marathoner, and he has a shot at being the first American to win in Boston since Greg Meyer way back in 1983.
The real excitement last Monday was the American I neglected to mention — Kara Goucher.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kara_Goucher_Boston_2009.jpg
Like Hall, Kara came in third. The women’s finish time was unexceptional, but photogenic Kara holding the lead as long as she did added excitement and suspense to the race, and the men’s event was a snore by comparison. Watching Kara on TV, it was obvious in the last few miles that her legs wouldn’t have the kick she needed to finish in first place. She ended up pacing the winners and breaking the head wind for them.
I’m back! Sort of. Tom had to erase my drive again. Can’t get into my e-mail as yet. Well, at least Ryan won third place.