My woman
woke up at 4 am. It’s still early but she decides to get ready for the run.
Breakfast in bed with the two muffins and the banana. Woops, the tablet’s
battery is almost dead. Guess she won’t use it while running. The taxi was
already waiting outside. It took my boss to Wakara way almost along the way she
biked yesterday… well not exactly, it seemed less steep. At the start they
played Queen… And then at 6 am the national anthem was played. My boss sang
hers! Finally came the start: a walk to the line and then … run baby! The whole
time she kept her eyes on two women: they walked a few times but they ran
faster… while my boss kept a steady pace. Well, not so steady… She was happy to
find some sprinklers which made her shirt somewhat wet. Came the first water stop
…what a relief! My boss often thought about her runs along the dike in Ostend.
Must get there! The people sleeping outside on the road, waiting for the parade
to show up at 9 am, were just about to wake up. Some were cheering, giving
hugs, high fives… The 2nd water stop always seems to be further – my
boss needs it. Allright – just the turn around the corner and then 7 blocks
slightly uphill. Here there’s more active people around and they cheer more.
“Listen, woman, that’s your name I hear over the boxes…” And finally, the big
medal of the 50th marathon is hanging around my bosses neck. Some
water, please… and a cookie before heading to the computer box to get the
result. My woman was 3 minutes slower than last year… but I’m proud she did it
again. In her age group she ended 10th… And overall, she sits in the
middle group… Average… as always. Not outstanding good or bad. She walks all
the way back to first avenue – to Harmon’s to get a bagel with cream cheese and
a mint tea. The lady who’s behind the counter seems to be confused … but she is
friendly. The bagel tastes superb. The tea, well … it wasn’t mint tea, but my
woman didn’t want to embarrass the lady again. It was tea. The clock showed
almost 9 o’clock. Time for the parade. My boss finds a spot on the street, but
after one hour of watching, her back doesn’t find this too comfortable anymore.
Time to get up and find a new seat – somewhere in the shade. The 100 floats are
often very beautifully decorated. She also admires the students in the marching
bands… a long wait before a long march in the heat... At the end the streets
get cleaned immediately – there is no extra litter laying around! Time to go
back to the hotel where laundry is waiting. My boss shows us her medal… I’m
proud of her! Tonight I hope we can watch the fireworks from the hotel room.
