What about Bob?

This is the second to last installment in my Marathon series. Last time I wrote about my support crew, but I left out one person, Bob. I had never met Bob before Mile 21. He and I struck up a conversation. We were both in pain and suffering from the heat. So, we decided to stick together and help each other out.

When I tell people I'm not sure I could have finished the marathon without Bob, they usually say something about how we probably pushed each other. Actually, that's not what I mean. In some ways we encouraged each other, but at the same time, we could tell each other it was okay to stop and stretch or walk. If I hadn't met up with Bob, I wonder if I might have been one of those people on the sidelines receiving medical help. Sometimes, I can push myself pretty hard when left to my own devices. I think Bob helped keep me from overdoing things.

You can see some photos of Bob running next to me at the marathon photo site. He's the guy holding the beer in the air. I'll try to explain that in my last entry.

Christopher