A daughter's first marathon caps off a great Sunday
1. Arianna Kessler flashes a big smile after finishing the Providence Marathon on Sunday, May 1 --- her first --- in 4 hours, 47 minutes and 51 seconds.
2. Arianna and her Dad Larry share a post-race embrace. After years of having her encourage Dad in races such as the Around Cape Ann 25K in Gloucester over Labor Day weekend, turnabout was fair play as Dad encouraged Ari as she finished her first marathon.
3. Arianna Kessler runs strong during Sunday's Providence Marathon.
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Mother's Day is a week away and Father's Day is a month and half away, but Sunday was a memorable day for my wife and I as we got to see our older daughter finish her first marathon in very good shape.
Arianna Kessler crossed the finish line at the Providence Marathon in 4 hours, 47 minutes and 51 seconds on a sun-splashed spring day that started out cool, and warmed up to the 60s. It was one of those rare days that was equally pleasant for both the marathoners and the spectators.
She had run a couple of decent half-marathons in the past, but never a marathon, and when she announced her intentions to run a marathon this year, I encouraged her, and coached her when she asked.
I had run 17 marathons, finishing 16, from December 1976 through April 1996 --- the 100th Boston Marathon --- but it's been a while since I even thought of tackling any race that long. So I was thrilled when she said she'd train for Sunday's marathon --- and train she did, very hard.
She carefully logged her miles on her training runs and they were trending positively for her to meet her goal and complete the marathon.
Thanks to the miracle of tracking --- which wasn't available back when I was doing marathons and other long races --- we were able to monitor Ari's progress throughout the day.
After she answered the starter's gun at 7:30 a.m., Ari was just past the 17-mile mark when we left our house in North Attleboro to drive into Providence. She was approaching the 20-mile mark when we parked our car, and was near the 21-mile mark when we stopped at the Panera Bread in the Providence Place Mall for a coffee.
There --- on a day that proved a much-welcomed respite from all of the COVID-19 pandemic paranoia and testing that has kept me from socializing much at all --- we had a chance meeting with another family from Ari's adoption group. Nicole had run the half-marathon and was there with her mother and fiance, and it was wonderful to see them after almost four years.
By the time Ari was approaching the 23-mile mark, we made our way over to the finish line area and watched runners complete their races for a half-hour or so. Finally, with Ari less than a mile away, we waited and --- there she was, finishing well under 5 hours to beat her goal.
We couldn't have been more proud of Ari. The day continued to yield dividends when our younger daughter Alana met us for a celebratory brunch at the Cheesecake Factory in the mall.
All in all --- on a day when the Red Sox continued their depressing slide into obscurity (their season may be over my Mother's Day!) and when the Celtics came back to earth in dropping their first second-round game against the Milwaukee Bucks --- the day left me feeling much more normal for the first time since last July, when I returned to road racing for the first time since the pandemic started.
It was the best news for my mental health in a very long time.
She had run a couple of decent half-marathons in the past, but never a marathon, and when she announced her intentions to run a marathon this year, I encouraged her, and coached her when she asked.
I had run 17 marathons, finishing 16, from December 1976 through April 1996 --- the 100th Boston Marathon --- but it's been a while since I even thought of tackling any race that long. So I was thrilled when she said she'd train for Sunday's marathon --- and train she did, very hard.
She carefully logged her miles on her training runs and they were trending positively for her to meet her goal and complete the marathon.
After she answered the starter's gun at 7:30 a.m., Ari was just past the 17-mile mark when we left our house in North Attleboro to drive into Providence. She was approaching the 20-mile mark when we parked our car, and was near the 21-mile mark when we stopped at the Panera Bread in the Providence Place Mall for a coffee.
There --- on a day that proved a much-welcomed respite from all of the COVID-19 pandemic paranoia and testing that has kept me from socializing much at all --- we had a chance meeting with another family from Ari's adoption group. Nicole had run the half-marathon and was there with her mother and fiance, and it was wonderful to see them after almost four years.
By the time Ari was approaching the 23-mile mark, we made our way over to the finish line area and watched runners complete their races for a half-hour or so. Finally, with Ari less than a mile away, we waited and --- there she was, finishing well under 5 hours to beat her goal.
We couldn't have been more proud of Ari. The day continued to yield dividends when our younger daughter Alana met us for a celebratory brunch at the Cheesecake Factory in the mall.
All in all --- on a day when the Red Sox continued their depressing slide into obscurity (their season may be over my Mother's Day!) and when the Celtics came back to earth in dropping their first second-round game against the Milwaukee Bucks --- the day left me feeling much more normal for the first time since last July, when I returned to road racing for the first time since the pandemic started.
It was the best news for my mental health in a very long time.
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