3 weeks to go!

I got the chance to do something on Saturday that I won't get to do on race day - stand at the top of Heartbreak Hill, turn around and look down.

After beginning at the starting line and traveling from Hopkinton to Newton on a 20.5-mile run, it felt good to look out on the hills I had just conquered.

It was a perfect day to run. It was cold, sunny and pretty calm. But more importantly, it was the annual charity long run, in which a number of organizations have their longest runs before the marathon and set up along the course.

It was fun to run with so many people training on the course and so many others giving out water and fuel along the road. The Alzheimer's Association had its tent at the top of Heartbreak Hill - a nice sight as I was coming up the last of Newton's many hills.

It was a great feeling to get applause from Association volunteers and staff as I hit the top. (And the cookies weren't half bad either.) I enjoyed hanging around for a while to chat about training and let the run soak in.

I felt strong enough toward the end of the run to maintain my pace as I went up the hills. I really focused hard on the hills and took it solo for those three miles. I just told myself to get there (something that Ryan Hall told himself as he toughed it out in the last six miles of Boston last year), thought of my grandfather - who I'm running in memory of, and got pretty pumped that I knew I could make it to the top.

For the first 17 miles, I had run with a great group of Run for the Memory team members. I thank them for the comfortable, steady pace and the conversation that helped make the run so good.

And now, let the tapering begin! My mileage will decrease until race day, which is but three weeks away.

Meeting Boston Bill

The Run for the Memory team was fortunate enough to have its monthly meeting at the Bill Rodgers Running Center in Faneuil Hall on Tuesday - and Boston Bill was there.

First of all, I did not realize the extent of his resume - winning a slew of marathons in the '70s and '80s, including Boston and New York in 1978 and 1979 and Boston and Toronto in 1980.

He spoke to us for a while, offering up his remembrances of Boston and some quality advice. Here are some bits and pieces:

-Your legs will be the most sore after running Boston, "but it's such a great feeling."

-Take it easy, especially at the beginning of the race.

-You're going to make it to the finish line - 26,000 other runners will be pulling you forward and a million people along the course will be helping you along.

After he spoke, he signed memorabilia and chatted with anyone who approached him. It was quite a thrill to meet him and get him to sign my Alzheimer's Association jersey from the Falmouth Road Race.