Thursday, April 22, 2010

Notes From A Marathon Runner

I received this great email today from Melisa Thorne, one of Dougie's Boston Marathon Team members describing her experience. Enjoy.

Well,

I ran the Boston Marathon last Monday and live to talk about it. I finished the marathon in 4h 49m and I am very pleased about that. The weather was great, the vibe was amazing and the experience is one that I will look back on with pride. I truly loved every minute of it - all 289 minutes.

Some notable moments of the weekend were (in no particular order);
1) Having access to a house on race day and not having to use a pot-a-potty.
2) Standing next to Ali Vincent and Mark Kruger (Season 5: Biggest Loser Winners) at number pick up.
3) Running next to 2 Elvis's, Flash Gordon and the Hamburglar (and fry-guys).
4) My husband at mile 11.
5) Seeing a teen-age daughter cheering her mother on at mile 18.
6) The crowds at BC.
7) The MRC gang at mile 21.
8) The Marine who carried a Marine Corp flag for the entire 26.2 miles.
9) Meeting so many extraordinary people on the course.
10)Getting my finisher's medal and mylar blanket.

I'm so glad I had the opportunity to do this. But moreover, I am grateful.

I am grateful for my wonderful friends who came out to cheer me on.

I am amazed by the number of friends who cheered me on 'Virtually'. I am overwhelmed by your kindness and support. Your positive thoughts were certainly felt.

I am eternally grateful for my family. The last 4 months of accommodating my training schedule took a lot of coordination and patience on their part. Without their support, running would not have been possible. Marathon aside, I am nothing without my husband and kids.

Finally, I wanted to thank you for supporting my running the Boston Marathon and donating to the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism. Because of you, I was able to raise nearly $3200.00 for this awesome charity.

Thanks so much for your support. I am truly grateful for it.
Sincerely,

Melisa Thorne

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