Running the Boston Marathon, part 1

About a year ago, I participated in the 127th Boston Marathon. My husband, a.k.a. my legs for the race, and the other part of my team, was of course by my side. Without him, I wouldn’t be racing!

We use a special running bike built just for me, called a duo bike. Our first race was in 2019 at the Chicago Marathon, and we have also completed the New York City Marathon and the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon.

My marathon experience was very different from the majority of the more than 30,000 runners. This isn’t a typical recap of someone running the marathon. I was a rider, so that’s the story I can tell. The other half you’d have to hear from my teammate. Even though we ran the race together, we had two completely different experiences.

Since we flew to Boston, the bike had to be disassembled and carefully packed up in a special bag. Our sons joined us for the trip, as it takes more than one person to handle the bike. Once in Boston, my husband put the bike back together and got it race ready.

Race morning arrived, and we headed out with all our race gear. It was piled high on top of me. Plus, I was juggling two coffees and our breakfast we picked up along the way. I can’t tell you how many comments I’ve gotten like, how nice you just sit back and enjoy the ride!

Well, not exactly. I’m in charge of managing A LOT of stuff. I have two bags attached to me with many different necessities. Plus, for colder weather and a wet race, the necessities are multiplied. I take all the pictures and videos and do live updates to share the experience as we go. Most importantly, I’m in charge of keeping open communication with my pusher. I help him with his nutrition and staying on track with his water etc. during his race, so he stays safe and able to run well. It’s multitasking at its finest.

So, leisurely ride, not so much! A good reminder that things aren’t always as they seem.

Probably the best, and most physically exhausting part of the race for me, is engaging with the crowds. For roughly 3.5 hours I am smiling, cheering, ringing my cowbell and thanking all who are engaged with us along the way. As soon as the crowds along the way see the duo bike, they go crazy! It’s really an emotional and awesome thing to experience. You really feel the human spirit in full force, and quite honestly it can be overwhelming (in a good way)! It’s amazingly moving and takes a lot out of me physically and emotionally.

We were then taken to the start line, which was an incredible experience. Just being there at one of the greatest marathons in the world was an experience I’ll never forget. We started before the elite athletes and right behind the hand cyclists, so we were all in this one special space. I was just in awe of the many ways I was seeing that one can “run” this race. It was, for lack of a better word, cool. Of all the marathons we have done, this one felt the most inclusive to me.

It’s a difficult course with several sizable hills late in the marathon. The last and most difficult hill is appropriately named Heartbreak Hill. Luckily, since my husband had already run the Boston Marathon twice, he knew what to expect and was great about telling me all about the course beforehand and during. I’m as immersed as I can possibly be in the experience, and I love that. We had trained together all winter long leading up to the April race.

Until next time …

Amy Shinneman is a former National Ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, disability blogger, wife, and mom of two boys. You can find her blog at humblycourageous.com and reach her on Instagram @ashinneman.