Stories

We ran up Heartbreak Hill this weekend…all of it. Though, we did start at mile 2 of 10 rather than 17 of 26! Quite a difference. But still. A very good exercise in gaining familiarity with the ominous and infamous totem of the Boston Marathon! While these training runs won’t necessarily make Heartbreak Hill a breeze on race day, they may at least dispel some of the mystique, release some of the charge, and deactivate some electricity from this 4 mile uphill stretch through Newton to Boston College.

But more than that, this run was special for other reasons. Sharing the road with my now running buddies, our stories powered us up to Boston. So much so that when I look back on Saturday morning with these fine ladies, I hardly remember we were running and not just chatting and sharing tales of those people who inspire us, those connections along the way up the hills that give us strength and encouragement.

For example, in the picture is my elderly Aunt Sylvia (at the Boston Marathon in 2008, right at mile 17), a gem of a woman. Full of life and energy and optimism, her life went from black and white to technicolor after her husband died in their late 70s. After she grieved, instead of fading into older age, she embraced her new-found independence and danced into her 80s, and now 90s, full of love and smiles and adventures.

Then there’s my friend’s family friend who ran countless marathons right into his old age, up until he died at 78, looking 45. Further along the route was Cristina’s picture – a young artist with cerebral palsy whose organization “A Brighter Way” touches millions in the Boston area through her compassion, warmth and hope.

And finally, the stories of those for whom we’re running, those beautiful souls who struggled so much in life and died so tragically. These human beings who make these uphill miles a privilege to run. And sharing these stories, all of them, with this sacred circle of companions, is making these trainings feel more like cups of tea in a living room than battles with 4 hills between Newton and BC.

(I wonder if I’ll still feel this way in a month or two when our mileage increases!!)

I like to fancy our stories as stones that we’ve placed along our route…little markers of lives touched and lessons imparted. Boosts of energy and strength as we struggle uphill. We’re placing them now, in preparation for that day when we start Heartbreak Hill at mile 17.