Autumn's Version of the Marathon

This is another post from my sister Autumn's blog. Again, copying it because I don't have pics and want her version for my journal:).

***********************************************************************************

My parents and I made a quick trip to Boston to watch my sister Afton run. We left Sunday and came back Tuesday. I have been uploading pictures since then--its been quite the task to try to sort these in some condensed fashion. I haven't been able to stop thinking about Monday-and how amazing Afton-and everyone else-did. I had NO idea how difficult the race was and how much I was going to love every minute of it.

I love these pictures because she just looks like a regular Jane--even acting like she would struggle on the famous "Heartbreak Hill"-a difficult hill at mile 20-which came after six miles of hills. She looks pretty regular alright but she is out of this world. Read on.

There are a few things you should know. I'm in a bullet point mood.

• You have to qualify to run the marathon. Depending on your age and gender, qualifying times are different. Afton had to qualify in 3:40.
• For those of you who need a reminder, the magic distance is 26.2 miles.
• Afton wasn't shooting to qualify-she just DID.
• So after she happens to qualify on her first marathon, she decided maybe she should run it while she's in supreme shape (since she was actually going to stop intense running-for marathons anyway).
• Note-some people try for years to qualify-like the lady sitting next to me in the plane-she has tried five times and still hasn't qualified. When a guy in our hotel asked if she had run this before, I told him it was her first time. He asked me how many marathons she had run-I told him one. He kind of scoffed and said "must be nice to qualify on your first time".
• So she decides to go for it. Even though she would actually be moving days later (like the race was on Monday, I believe they're flying out today).
• So she ran it. And ran it she did. With these special numbers:


• Official time (26.4 miles for this course) 3:32:22.
• According to my calculations, that's 7:59 minutes--for 26+ MILES!
• There were 25,000+ runners and she finished 7959 overall and 1467 in women.
• I think if I tried to go run ONE mile at 7:59 pace I might pass out. Seriously. No, really. Afton you're amazing!!!!

Some scenes from the morning.

Even Afton's toes even get stinky. Deodorant must go everywhere. Actually, its an anti-chaffing stick.

I love details. Charging her uber sweet watch. And I believe this was the "do not take" pile. (The yellow bag underneath-everyone got to take one bag with them, which they retrieved afterwards.)

This is on the elevator on the way to go get her bus. That morning I put on mascara and lip gloss, thinking I'd be back to shower, maybe even sleep, and then return many hours later. Turns out if you stand in place all day long you can get a REALLY great view. But I didn't know that until that morning. And so I stood outside and kept telling myself I was glad I at least put deodorant on-but was feeling bad for the 8 rows deep of people behind me who were trying to fight with my untamed hair. (Yeah, I didn't even have a clip-it was everywhere.)

And Dad and Afton on the way to the buses.

The morning of, the thousands of people got up and went to the 33ish buses (we never got an exact count), and were hauled off to never never land where they had to wait for a few hours. Afton said it actually went by really fast because for one thing the bathrooms had a line out to the outer corners of never never land. And so people make shifted for bathrooms. And I'm sure not one of them cared.

Like usual, this hardly paints an accurate picture of the crowds or excitement. There were buses UP the street and around the corner. And the line of runners getting inside--it was just unreal.

These are pictures Afton took the morning of in never never land (the waiting area before the race).

And now, a before and after. I love these because they are actually next to each other on the memory card.

Afton & Sheilah shortly after the race. Sheilah is Afton's friend from her home ward who she's been doing long runs with on Saturdays. Afton said she helped a ton and said it really helped having someone push her.

Entering the hotel and shortly afterwards. You can't tell too much here but her gait was a tad different from normal.

I had left my sign making materials at the hotel thinking I'd be back-so I made this-but she came through so fast I didn't get to hold it-but of course I still wanted a picture.

Afton said she had been looking forward to the post-run meal for a long time. We went to the Cheesecake Factory that was pretty close by. It was really fun seeing so many people with their metals and jackets on. This was a tiny sampling-some of the people who happened to be in the elevator on the way up after dinner.