Special Guests

Now that the fog has lifted and I'm back to things as usual, I realize I forgot to mention two very special guests on the marathon course -- Mariana Silva and Melissa Jones.

Mariana, who was scheduled to run the marathon this year, but, sadly, had to forgo her space due to injury, cheered for us in Brooklyn AND in Manhattan. She made a pink flag in honor of Alison, Ciara, and pink shirts (not planned, btw), and, was therefore, easy to spot in the massive crowds. Plus, her arms did not get tired holding a bothersome sign, a lesson my fiancee and soon-to-be in laws learned very quickly. Mariana has been and continues to be our biggest cheerleader, coming out to races at 7:00a.m. to encourage us on (Nike Half), getting Alison entry into that same race, and, as mentioned, trekking around two boroughs to help us at the 'thon. And, she's cute as a button. Seriously, the girl is so freakin' adorable everyone she meets falls madly in love with her.

Melissa, who I met through Alison, gets so excited about our running. She's another one who supports every inch of the way. She was around mile 18 on 1st Avenue, then she high-tailed it over to 5th Avenue at mile 22ish with her big yellow sign to cheer us on to the last four miles. Unless you've run a marathon there is no way to express (at least for me) what a boost it is to see a friend in those last few miles. I was feeling like I was going to break, but I saw Melissa, and it totally recharged my will. Melissa drove in from Westchester, cheered for us, then helped Alison get home after her run -- above and beyond the call of duty. Melissa is pretty awesome.