Be Free For Me Blog

The Boston Marathon has once again encompassed the town in which I live and work – Hopkinton, Massachusetts. Snuggled 26.2 miles away from the heart of Boston, this sleepy town comes alive each and every Spring.

I’ve called Hopkinton home for the last 17 years, and each year I have stood just mere feet from the start of the most prestigious marathons of all times cheering & encouraging every single runner that crosses that bright blue & yellow starting line. And year after year, without fail, it amazes me that all these people take one-step after another and make their way to a finish line that seems so far, far away. How do they train? How do they prepare? What do they think about during that 26.2 mile trek?

I asked a friend who has run the Boston Marathon numerous times what thoughts are passing through runner’s minds as they attempt the most challenging marathon in the world. She told me that for most runners, come race day, it is not a physical challenge, but a mental one. She quoted Mike Fanelli, a running coach, by saying most runners “Divide the race into thirds. Running the first part with their head, the middle part with their personality, and the last part with their heart”.

And after 17 years, I finally got it. 

I understood.

I realized that all of us with celiac disease and/or food allergies are just like those runners that I have been in awe and mystified with for years.

Like the runners, we all start our journey with “our head”, making sure we read and research, learn as much as we can, ask questions and most importantly act smart.

Once we get comfortable with the pace of our new dietary lifestyles, we add a bit of spice & our own personalities… we develop our own signature dishes, try new things, determine what we like and dislike; we get a skip in our step, and yes… we get a rhythm and a momentum that get us through even the Heartbreak Hills of life.

Then, comes the good part… action from the heart. This comes when you round that final corner and see the finish line and you know, just know, that yes, you have run the marathon of your life… that you’ve done it. Defeated it. You become aware that the support and cheering of others has illuminated your journey. And most important, it is at this time you are able to root for and encourage others that are on the same course you have just traveled.

Welcome to the marathon of your life. Lace up and take it one step at a time.

They’ll be plenty of us be cheering you on every step of the way.

One day a year, on the third Monday in April, my tiny world, my universe, becomes larger than life.

Hopkinton, Massachusetts, the tiny town in which I live and work, is the start of the Boston Marathon, the world’s oldest annual marathon, and one of the world’s most well-known road racing events.

The BeFreeForMe offices are located in downtown Hopkinton right at the starting line, and my home is right down the street, the one that is lined with runners anxiously waiting in corrals; apprehensively waiting to begin a challenge that they have been training for months, or even years.

The weather this year was chilly, and windy. The runners were lined up, looking athletic, lean and muscular; obviously ready physically for the task ahead. But what surprised me was the looks of doubt that some of the runners had. I couldn’t help but think: Maybe they had missed a training? Maybe they were sporting a slight cold? Maybe they were not use to the New England temperamental weather? Did they now fear Heartbreak Hill? But why the doubt…visually these people were obviously physically ready for the 26.2 mile task ahead.

The deer-in-the-headlights look of these doubters reminded me of the expression many newly-diagnosed celiacs and food allergic have – including, I am sure, the look I had myself. The task we all face seems overwhelming, yet we are all physically ready to tackle it, one step at a time. Our obstacles may not be a missed training, sniffles, or rainy weather; yet we have obstacles of our own to undertake one incident, and, one day, at a time.

Staying focused, using self-encouragement, remembering our mission of health and rising to the challenge ahead are things we all must remember when that doubt sneaks in.

And remember those crowds. Those that are cheering us all on. They are the positive energy that will get us through the Heartbreak Hills of life.  

And lastly, remember it “All Starts Here”… right here at home – where your biggest supporters and fans will be cheering you on, every day in the marathon of life as a celiac or food allergic.

*Note: The cute puppy in the photo with me is my incredibly sweet Boxer, Sadie. =) She is very excited about the thousands of visitors she saw on her daily “run” on Marathon Day; Hence, she was having a hard time posing for the camera. Maybe the next photo shoot.