Heart and sole: Harrisburg woman runs her first Boston Marathon

HARRISBURG - When Abbey Reeves decided to go for a run back in 2011, she didn't imagine it would lead to Monday's Boston Marathon.

But she loved the run so much she started training for her first 5K race, though she had no idea what she was doing. It was good enough, though.

"I won first in my age and I was hooked," she said.

After spying a "13.1" sticker on a car, she did an internet search and learned that was shorthand for a half-marathon. Reeves set another goal.

"I decided I needed that sticker," she said.

As she trained for her first half-marathon, she developed iliotibial band issues. The IT band is the ligament that runs down the outside of the thigh from the hip to the shin, and can become inflamed or tight. Runners are particularly susceptible.

With therapy, though, Reeves got better. She ran the half-marathon, and a few months later, she ran her first River-to-River Relay, which she enjoyed immensely. Still, she wanted to go farther, figuratively and literally.

"The next fall, a few of my running friends and I decided to hit that 'register' button for the St. Jude marathon," Reeves said.

It would not be her greatest moment. A running companion had broken her foot prior to the race, meaning she wouldn't be able to run with Reeves. Reeves also had physical issues.

"I went and had an IT band flare-up at mile 11. It was awful," she said. "I had to run-walk the rest of the way and finished in tears in 4:54."

Despite the pain and disappointment, Reeves wasn't going to turn away from running.

"I was bound and determined to do better," she said. Her next marathon, she finished in 3:45.

"I was hooked again," Reeves said. She registered for St. Jude's again and got back to training with her friends.

It was at this point she set her sights on the most famous marathon in the nation. To qualify for Boston, however, she needed a marathon time of 3:35 or faster. Her first attempt, she finished achingly close to 3:35, but just over.

When she turned 36, she gained another five minutes of qualifying time. She made a qualifying run, then qualified in multiple marathons.

Prior to Monday's 2018 Boston Marathon, she had completed races in 11 states.

Like any long-distance race, Boston would be challenging. This year, though, Mother Nature dumped on Boston.

"The weather made it just completely a mess," Reeves said. "We had pouring rain and some wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour. We had incredibly tough conditions."

After being shuttled to the starting area, she waited about three hours in an area that normally would be grassy. On this day, it would be mud.

Friends who were experienced gave her tips, like bringing a garbage bag to sit on in case the grass was muddy. A runner who started in an earlier wave gave her an old robe to put on to keep the chill off. She also brought chemical hand and foot warmers.

Despite the discomfort, for Reeves the run was worth it. She finished the marathon in 3:34:15.

"It was an incredible experience, running down the same road that the running elites had just been running down," she said. "I was so humbled and blessed to be a part of it.

"Even though the tough conditions were things I didn't expect, overall it was an incredible experience."

And, Reeves certainly isn't done running.

She said she and her family, husband Benjie and sons Jacob and Matthew, enjoy traveling to different states for her marathons, so a race in another state is a strong incentive for a future vacation.

Plus, she's a "runstreaker," meaning she has a continuous streak of running more than a mile each day. Tuesday was day No. 1,052.

What's more, the River-to-River Relay is this weekend, and she'll be participating in it as well, she said.

In the end, each race is a goal, and each goal is a race.

"I always go into every race never knowing what could happen," she said. "I learn from each experience and am always humbled."