Top 5?

I was having a conversation at a baby-shower today, and made an off-the-cuff statement that running Boston may be in the top five or 10 things I do in my life. I've been considering the accuracy of that statement ever since.

I don't think it's true in terms of "most useful/world-changing" things I have ever done. But in terms of peak experiences, I think it's accurate. So far, my peak experiences list would be:

5. Getting the letter telling me I was getting an "all expenses paid" final year of grad school
4. A particular dinner with my grandmother
3. Immersing in mikveh for the first time
2. My wedding day
1. Giving birth to my son

I think crossing the finish line of Boston could easily knock off the grad school thing.

The more important outcome of this thought process is the realization that finishing is the accomplishment. Galloway is one of many to report that less than one tenth of one percent of the population ever completes a marathon. (Here's the 2007 Marathon Report, if you want to see recent finish stats, times, etc.) And Boston is the grandmama of all marathons, both in history and difficulty. Whether I finish in 4 hours or 5 (the average for U.S. women), it will be an accomplishment.

I'm trying to keep this in mind as I prepare to run the Hyannis Half-Marathon tomorrow as a tune-up. I'm getting over a cold, and it's going to be 40 degrees and raining on the seaside course -- hardly optimal for a PR. I should probably not race, but I'll make the final pace decision in about 12 hours.

Current favorite motivational running ad: "No one has ever been humbled by jogging."