Now that I am officially someone who travels to races to cheer when I'm not running them, I can honestly say it's ALMOST as fun as running the races. Last month, I flew to Boston to cheer on Coach Alysha in the marathon and a fellow WhatRunsYou team member, Amber, for her first 5k.
I spent the first day there making plans and getting my run in without getting lost. Of course my phone was almost dead by the time I ran so I couldn't rely on that to get me back to the hotel. Instead I ran the same stretch along the Charles River over and over until I finished the run. I actually enjoyed it because there was no shortage of people to observe and geese to avoid on that stretch so I was thoroughly entertained.
I was SO pumped the morning of the 5k knowing I would get to see Amber accomplish her first race! What I didn't know is that I was about to meet Keira D'Amato. WHAT?! Yes.
I climbed up a fence to get a good shot of the runners lining up and that's when I spotted her. I screamed "OMG Keira!! HI! I LOVE YOU!" and she followed with "I'M OBSESSED WITH YOU"! Um excuse me?! Is this real life? I thought she was joking because there's no way she knew who I was, but it turns out she follows me on Instagram!
Keira took the time to chat with me and she said the most validating thing: SHE has the same thoughts on her runs that I share in my struggle run videos. I knew Team Struggle Run was a concept that could unite runners of all levels but it really puts it into perspective when a frickin' marathon record holder relates to it. YYYAAAAASSSS!
Once I was done being star struck, I cheered for Amber and all the other 5k runners. Everyone did amazing! The weekend was filled with meeting new friends who watch my videos, taking selfies, food tours (thanks Boston Foodies!), special events and of course the ultimate Boston Marathon. What a brutal course! I hope to tackle it someday, but just watching everyone push through it was inspiring. I got to watch the race near the finish line at the New Balance party (thanks, Emma!) and cried when Coach Alysha ran by. She ran over half of the marathon with locked quads and still finished twice as fast as my marathon time which was not surprising. She's a badass!
Congrats to everyone who ran Boston, and I can't wait to get back to that amazing city.
