To my biggest supporter: Tim

I know Tim loves it when I mention him in my blog, so Tim here's a whole post just about you!

They say behind every successful man is a strong woman, or something like that, but behind this strong woman is a supportive man: Tim. You are the best. 

Tim was the first person I asked back in May if running the marathon was a good idea or not. His response: "Why the hell not!" Not sure either of us knew what we were signing up for, but it's been a long journey. Just like me, Tim has lost his leisurely weekends. He's also gained a grumpy, tired, and often hungry fiancée and a Saturday 5am wakeup call. We joke that Tim is my athletic supporter, but he really is. He has come almost all of my races since we've been together, holding my bag, taking pictures, coming out onto the course to see me, waiting around for anywhere between 30 minutes to 2.5 hours, listening to me decrompress afterwards, and of course on many occasions, sharing celebratory brunch. He is who I look forward to seeing at the finish line, and it always makes me smile. I am very excited that he will be there to cheer me on during the marathon. The course even goes by the site of our first date! I will be very thankful to see him, my parents, and other familiar faces on the course. 

He has also been incredibly encouraging during training. He adds another layer of accountability for me when I tell him the game plan for the day. Tim is a great cook and loves to do it; it's nice to come home to a prepared meal, especially since I haven't felt much like cooking lately. He gets the pot of hot coffee ready on my way home from my long runs, so I can jump into the ice bath as soon as I get home. And of course he listens to me because I probably don't shut up about all of this, since it has consumed my life.  

On a few occasions, Tim has even run with me. Those times mean so much to me, especially since I know he hates it.  I try to make sure I only ask him to do fun races or things important to me, like the Terrapin 5K earlier this summer for my birthday or the Run Like an Antelope race in Memory of my sister Megan. He even let me sign us up for the Santa Hustle 5K in December--they give you a Santa shirt, beard and hat!

Tim and I at the Ravenswood Run

Tim has had to go along with a lot of my crazy ideas, and I love and appreciate him for that. A good sport doesn't even begin to describe him. He is truly a great partner, on top of being a good listener, caretaker, and my personal chef. He has been there so much for me in the past few years, I can't imagine how it must feel on his end to be asked for so much. Relationships are about give and take, and we've both had our share on either side of the equation, but lately I've been the taker. I ask him to take care of my blind cat while I'm away and I drag him (a true blue Yankees fan) to Fenway Park every April. He has met everyone in my huge family and bonded with many of them over good food and brews. It always made me so happy whenever I heard him joking around or laughing with Mom, Billy, Dad, Rusty and Megan, I know he fits in! He was supportive of me when I decided to get tested for the BRCA genetic mutation, listened as I weighed the options for having a mastectomy, was by my side at my sister's funeral, sat in the waiting room for hours with my Mom when I had my double mastectomy, again when I had my reconstruction, and listened to me whine about the tissue expanders in the meantime. I feel like I have asked a lot of him, but he's been there every time.

I couldn't ask for a better partner in life. He's my perfect fit. Here's to a long and healthy rest of our lives together!