When doubt set it in that I might not have the wear-with-all to run the Boston Marathon last April, one man removed all doubt. He said “Do not run the Boston Marathon. Your marriage, your kids, and all you do are too much in need right now to take this on.” Those were all the reasons I needed to at least try and run this thing. I needed a break, not from running but from working so hard to try an keep the circus of my life – sick kids, sick me, dying grandmother, struggling marriage, insecure family members, loud-mouth family members, desk job – in control.

I needed this marathon to set in stone what I always knew. I have no control over any of those things. I can however, control myself and this self needed to check out for a week and surround myself with people who run. All it took was one more well-meaning family member to say “Don’t run”! Are you kidding me? That is all I want to do right now.

My grandmother passed away, family drama and travel followed, and my marriage was being taken to the brink with game-changing information. My kids got the flu and then I got the flu followed by a bronchial infection that kept me from training for over a month. It wasn’t going to be the race I planned for way back at the start of the training.

No, I didn’t qualify for Boston Marathon.  My position on this point has been mixed and perhaps worth its own story. Boston is for the best, those people who are fast and committed. I am both of those things and I set a high expectation to run a qualifying time at  Boston! A one-and-done road marathon and back to the serenity of the trails sounded perfect to me.