MARATHON ADVENTURE

Well, I made it. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I finished the NYC marathon yesterday in 4:34:30.

I have been training since May, doing lots of long runs with the support of John and the kids on the weekend. My longest run was three weeks ago, where I ran for close to 4 hours. As some of you know, during that last run I developed a groin injury of some type, which had forced me to rest completely -- no running! I couldn't find any other form of exercise that didn't hurt, so I resorted to couch potato for the last three weeks. Over the past week, the injury felt a lot better and I tested it with two tiny runs. Unfortunately, on Saturday, it felt worse again, same with marathon day. I decided to attempt it anyway, because I have trained so hard, and it felt more weird than painful. But I knew because of lack of training over the past three weeks and an injury, I would have to run more slowly and just focus on finishing. (Turns out that half the marathoners are running through some type of injury. Literally everyone I met at the starting line was nursing a knee injury.)

After three weeks off, however, I definitely felt that I had lost a lot of strength. I still managed to get into some kind of zone, which is the only reason I made it. I just took it one mile at a time from 17 on ... very painful. The last 5 miles, everyone is in agony. By that time, I knew my groin injury was going to hold up, but my right quad felt like it was going to explode with every step! You realize that you cannot stop, or it's all over.

This is definitely the marathon to run. The crowds were unbelievable. The streets were lined the entire 26.2 miles. I passed at least 5 live bands. I should have written my name on my shirt -- people are just screaming encouragement the whole way -- and if they see anything at all written on your shirt, they'll scream that out too. They are a big part of the reason I was able to finish.

The final crowds were amazing on 5th avenue and in Central Park, and it's very emotional when you get to the 23 mile mark in the park and realize you are actually going to make it. I started tearing up 200 yards from the end and burst into tears after I passed the finish line. Somehow, after the injury and all the uncertainty and pain, it was just overwhelming.

As many of you know, I did this in part to raise money for ALS research. I didn't reach out to everyone I should have, as I stopped fundraising when I thought that my injury might stop me from running. However, for those that I didn't reach, if you want to help out, please feel free to do so -- I will accept all checks or cash: Just make out checks to: Johns Hopkins Center for ALS Research, and send to me at:

81 Maybury Hill Road Princeton, NJ 08540

I will make sure you get the tax-free letter from the Center.

For those that did give, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. The thought of letting you all down kept me going through some difficult moments! I raised $3,200 so far. I will be matching ALL GIFTS one for one directly to the Center, so you can feel excellent about your gift. It's never too late, everyone else -- I'm sending in an envelope of donations in a couple weeks!!!!

Anne