2013 - "I thought my friends were asking me if I was OK because everyone knew I was running injured"

Beth Allen

I ran my first Boston Marathon in 2011, my second Boston in the record breaking heat of 2012, and my third Boston Marathon in 2013, the year that Boston would not be broken by terrorism.

Training for Boston 2013 was different from other years in that I truly didn’t train hard. I had a severe case of plantar fasciitis: even up until the day of the race, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to run 26.2 miles. 

Most runners I know will attempt Boston with any injury because, well, because it’s Boston. The medal alone is coveted by all serious runners. I figured even if I dragged myself across the finish line, injured foot and all, I’d get the medal.

2011: “With God as my DJ, the songs I needed came on as if on cue.”

Beth Allen

Marathoning is like a solitary journey into the deepest depths of a runner’s soul. When you are out on a course, it is just you and the road that lies ahead. The only resources you have are your body and your soul. You hope your mind will carry your body through the 26.2 miles you face. You pray your body will not give out before the finish line. And lastly, you hold the dream way down deep in your soul that all your hard work to get where you are is not wasted and you will indeed succeed.

For me, marathoning is not about being the fastest or the best against the other women in my field. It is a personal challenge I make each and every time I sign up and enter a marathon. It is a race where Beth competes with Beth. The idea of working hard and training for a goal appeals to me, and is ultimately what drives me to run 26.2 miles. And eventually will drive me to run the more extreme distances of an ultra marathon. The satisfaction obtained from crossing the finish line is the ultimate for a marathoner.