Boston Photos
April 24, 2008
Here I am grinding it out. Do I look good in a muscle shirt or what? No need to test for steroids on this runner!
This was taken just after I crossed the finish line. I’m shaking hands with Tufts University president (and marathoner) Larry Bacow. I’m not sure what I said since I was delirious; hopefully nothing too embarassing.
Mission Accomplished
April 21, 2008
4:20:12. That’s what I ran in today’s Boston Marathon and it feels great! Well, aside from some very sore legs and a touch of post-race nausea. But that’s just temporary — the memory of completing this historic marathon will endure.
It’s quite a course. The infamous “Heartbreak Hill” is actually the culmination of four hills collectively known as the Newton Hills. Yes, they’re tough but it’s more their placement than the hills themselves — they stretch from mile 16 to 21 which is classic “Wall” territory.
I accomplished my main goal which was to run the entire course without stopping to walk. And when I got to the hills I wasn’t about to let Heartbreak Hill either break my heart or, more importantly, my spirit. The other thing I’ll never forget was the amazing crowd support. People were out in force from Hopkinton to Ashland to Framingham to Natick to Wellesley to Newton to Boston. They were amazing and loud.
For the first time I wore my name on my shirt during a marathon just to see if it would help. You see people do this all the time but I thought people calling out my name might get annoying — especially when I felt lousy and wanted to quit. But I wrote ”Father Tim” on a piece of tape figuring I could always peel it off if it got bad. It was awesome. I heard more calls of “Go Father Tim” than you can imagine and it really helped push me along.
It was most vocal around Boston College. Sure, the students thought I was a Roman Catholic priest but they were rooting hard and I had fun blessing them with my right hand as they yelled out my name. BC is also right along the route of Heartbreak Hill so the timing was perfect.
And in the end I raised over $3,000 for global nutrion through my alma mater, Tufts University. Thanks to my many sponsors and for those who supported me in prayer. I couldn’t have done this without you. Okay, lets be honest, I could have. But it wouldn’t have been nearly the experience it was. You guys are the best!
The Glorious Taper
April 17, 2008
One of the rights of passage for marathoning is the taper. After months of increasingly longer runs (up to 22 miles), you suddenly back off the training quite dramatically. Most marathon programs call for 20 miles three weeks before the race, 12 miles two weeks out, and 8 miles the week before.
In preparation for Monday’s Boston Marathon I ran for the last time this morning — about five and a half miles. Now come the pre-race jitters. Most runners start to go a bit nuts when they can’t run for even several consecutive days. Add in pre-race nerves and it’s a recipe for twitching. Or at least driving your family mad.
Granted it didn’t help that I had three cups of coffee while working on my sermon at Coffee Labs. I was only going to have two mugs of the El Salvadoran blend but just as I was getting ready to pack up the owner, Mike Love, brought me over a free latte. To paraphrase Vito Corleone in The Godfather, it was an offer I coudn’t refuse. But it didn’t help with the whole twitching thing.
This afternoon I’m sitting in my office, getting some work done, and hydrating. This used to be called “drinking water.” Starting tomorrow I’ll pay special attention to carbo loading. Or, as I like to call it, the Anti-Atkins Diet (whatever happened to that?).
I’m still about $450 short of my goal to raise $2,500 for global nutrition programs through Tufts. You can click here to donate. If I don’t get there it’ll come out of my pocket. That’s fine — I was planning to donate something anyway. And, as I told Bryna, they did send me (what might become a $450) t-shirt and hat.
Boston or Bust
March 17, 2008
As some of you know, I’m training for the Boston Marathon on April 21st. Running’s an important part of my spiritual life — the “body” part of the Benedictine concept of nurturing body, mind, and spirit. Training for a marathon takes discipline, perseverance, and flexibility when things don’t go according to plan. Much like our respective prayer lives. Training for Boston has also been an important part of my (quickly diminishing) sabbatical.This will be my third marathon (Baltimore in 2004 and Chicago in 2007) and by far the toughest course I’ll have faced. The 26.2 mile jaunt begins in Hopkinton, Massachusetts and finishes in the center of Boston at Copley Square. It’s considered one of the more difficult marathon courses because of the Newton Hills which culminate in the infamous Heartbreak Hill near Boston College.I’ll be running to raise money for global nutrition programs through my alma mater, Tufts University. I’ve committed to raise $2,500 (they have my credit card!). So…here’s a shameless appeal for money: consider sponsoring me in this endeavor. It’s quick, easy, and tax deductible. Just log onto my fundraising website and click “sponsor this runner.” I’ll be forever grateful.
I ran 20 miles on Monday – my longest training run so far – a great way to kick off Holy Week! A little medieval self-flagellation never hurt anyone. Much. I’ll try to get in another 20 miler in two weeks and then the glorious taper begins. And then, come Patriots’ Day in Boston, I’ll be doing my best to heed St. Paul’s charge to “run with patience the race that is set before you” (Hebrews 12:1).
Running Amok
February 10, 2008
Spent the First Sunday of Lent running the Bronx Half-Marathon (13.1 miles). It was a bit odd not being in church — can’t remember the last time I missed Lent I — but the experience was as penitential as enduring The Great Litany. So I take some consolation in that (around mile 11 the refrain ”Good Lord deliver us” came to mind).
Despite some major headwinds on the Grand Concourse, I was very pleased with my race. I PR’ed it (Personal Record) by 8 seconds, finishing in 1:52:20. I drove in with parishioner and fellow runner Kristen Nelson who ran a terrific race, beating me by 16 seconds to the finish line. Kristen was very respectful of my being on sabbatical and we didn’t talk about church at all. Thanks, Kristen! We rewarded ourselves with some Coffee Labs Coffee on the way home. Here’s a brief video from the race: http://www.nyrr.org/resources/video/local/2008/bronx_half.asp
The New York Road Runner’s Club http://www.nyrr.org/ of which I’m a member, sponsored the race. I’ve run a fair number of their races over the years but, of course, rarely the ones on Sundays. I half jokingly want to start an organization called Clergy Runners Opposed to Sunday Starts (CROSS), but I can’t imagine I’d drum up much support. It’s amazing they can get over 3,000 runners out to the Bronx on a Sunday morning in February. That would qualify as a mega church!
Turkey Trotting
November 28, 2007
Zack and I spent Saturday afternoon in Rye (an upscale NY suburb and home to Rye Playland). We were there for the 31st annual Rye Turkey Trot. And trot we did, running a 5K race (3.1 miles). Zack, Ben and I have started running together on occasion and the boys have done a few kids races the past few months — a quarter mile “fun run” in Central Park and then a community one mile race in Croton. But this was the big one. 3.1 miles for a six-year-old is a long way to go; those skinny little legs were churning hard. But amazingly enough, Zack ran the whole way! I was impressed. His favorite part? The water stop. As we approached it, I told him it was the one time in his life he’d be allowed to litter. He picked up the pace, grabbed a cup from the volunteer, took a sip, spit some out, took another sip, gargled, and then dramatically tossed the cup to the curb. With Zack, sty
le is key. That was also the case at the finish line. After a strong finishing kick, he lifted his arms heavenward, did a 360, and knelt down. Kind of a combination victory dance and touchdown celebration. Hey, he earned it.
