Forums >Racing>2015 Boston Marathon Thread
Nice job folks and way to go Julia. Well done!
I was pretty happy with my 3:30. My first goal is always to re-qualify and at the youngest threshold and I did so by 29 minutes (just an old-lady challenge I have going with myself). I ran the whole way with a teammate and we ran steady. First mile in an 8:37, first 5k in 8:01, overall pace 8:02. We crested Heartbreak and I thought of y'all and we picked it up. My legs were pretty much numb the last few miles, but this winter was good prep. as it turns out.
The toughest part was the walk to the club bus parked a few blocks beyond the meet-up area. I couldn't stop shaking for the longest time and getting my soaked clothes off was like performing a Cirque du Soleil act.
On to VCM and to run faster.
3:04:09
3:23:19 for me. 7 seconds slower than my PR.
Well I broke my string of 8 consecutive negative splits at Boston. Conditions were really not that bad at the start, so I went out on PR pace. By 8 or 9 it was getting nastier, the hamstring was hurting, and it wasn't easy to hold pace, so I backed off and made it a training run. That was the original plan anyway, so I'm OK with that. Ran 3:10:31 on a cold, windy, rainy day.
Thanks Julia!
3:30 for me. Considering my training (or lack thereof) and the weather, I'm pleased. Its something to build momentum.
The more I run here the more I like it. Its so much more than just a race.
Cheers.
"He conquers who endures" - Persius "Every workout should have a purpose. Every purpose should link back to achieving a training objective." - Spaniel
http://ncstake.blogspot.com/
I never had any intention of going after a PR at Boston. I just wanted another sub 3:10 run. Fortunately Bucci was up for that too and it was nice to run with Runnershawn for the last mile or so when we were working hard for that sub 3:10. Usually when you pass a teammate very late in a marathon you can't take them with you but Shawn was the exception. That was one of many highlights.
Bucci and I also ran a small negative split. This is huge for me since Boston has been the hardest race I've run for pacing. We really worked the hills well. I'm looking forward to using what I learned the next time I run it.
3:28 for me. The race turned into a pacing gig for my wife but she had some stomach issues and ended up gutting the race out. First marathon I've ever ran start to finish with her.
No Talent Drips
2:49:32 (1:25:13/1:24:19)...1 second (yes, 1) off of my PR. Ha. 22nd marathon and I somehow managed to forget my watch on race morning. I think if I had know how close I was to the PR, I would have been able to dig out one or two more seconds...BUT, I think if I had my watch, I might very well have not been in that position to begin with. First marathon without a watch, and I may never race with one again.
This was, by a good measure, the most enjoyable marathon of them all. From start to finish. Fecking love that race.
Thanks for the thread-work Julia. And huge congrats to all who ran.
Dei Gratia
Congrats to all of you for such strong races under tough conditions!
I had a rough time: I was injured going into the race and knew it would hurt, but was able to pace things exactly on point for the first half (thanks, bhearn!) However, my right hip/leg started barking at 10 and finally gave out at 17 with full on cramps for anything over a shuffle. At that point, I stopped reading splits and just concentrated on looking at everything and absorbing the sights/sounds.
Although the finishing time was lousy, I'm still glad I went and was pleased that I didn't give up. It is quite a humbling experience to be part of such a great race, and I had fun!
not bad for mile 25
Congrats everyone; sounds like you all did great in less than ideal conditions! ShuffleFaster, great job yourself; you gutted it out and got the Boston experience!
My race report is up.
I'm so glad so many people had a good race despite the less than desirable conditions!
Does anyone know where I can find video of the elite races? I tried the Universal Sports site but Comcast isn't one of the options.
My blog is JT Running DC. It's awesome. Guide to Washington DC Area Running Routes. Guide to the New York City Marathon. Guide to the Boston Marathon. Guide to Running Gear. Guide to Running Clothes.
some call me Tim
Hey, just looked in at the right time. 3:10:08. xhris, I finished seconds behind you and bhearn, seconds in front of you. Wish I'd known! We could've had a shivery meetup around one of the street vents (at the time, the steam billowing from below was like manna from heaven) Congrats to you both!
ME WEBLARG
Feeling the growl again
2:49:32 (1:25:13/1:24:19)...1 second (yes, 1) off of my PR.
Dude....that is some result...
"If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does. There's your pep talk for today. Go Run." -- Slo_Hand
I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills
With a 3:07 qualifying time, I went into this (my first Boston) with absolutely no time goal. Bhearn was gracious enough to create the various time bands and I was using a 3:20 "goal" but was using more as a guide to see where I should speed up or slow down. My mileage is down quite a bit because of the winter and lots or early 2015 travel, and having already qualified for 2016, I just wanted to soak in the entire experience and didn't know how much extra time that might require either. And then when I saw the weather forecast any ideas of even shooting for the 3:20 pretty much went out the window.
I've gotta say that this was an incredible experience for me. The city of Boston should be very proud of the way they put on this race. It is like no others that I have been part of. Not just the logistics or the expo or the organization, but the people in general. How great a feeling is it to walk into a bar or restaurant after the race with your jacket and your medal and the entire room stands up to cheer for you and applaud? Rock star, if only for a day. And most of those people weren't fellow racers. Wow. Not to mention the fans along the route.
And some of the experiences I had along the course were also fantastic. Blind runners. Autistic runners. Little people (I hope that is politically correct), people pushing wheelchairs, a guy with one leg and a crutch, and host of amputee blade runners. I remember thinking that the weather is quite easy to deal with compared to what some of these runners faced on a daily basis.
I remember seeing a quote somewhere this weekend and I don't remember it verbatim so can only paraphrase it. I hope the meaning comes across correctly. If you ever begin to doubt the human spirit, go and watch a marathon.
Can't wait for April 2016!!!
Oh, and the final time, albeit meaningless, was 3:35.
2018 Goals
Figure out the achilles thing...... and THEN try to get running regularly again.
No racing goals
Chiming in late here - but I have to agree, this is just a great race and great experience. This is just my third Boston but I realized I am always a little down driving home to CT as I am realizing the whole weekend experience has ended. The people in Boston really make it unique - where else would you see hundreds of thousands of people lining the streets to cheer on strangers in the cold, windy, rainy, nasty weather we had?
My race went fairly well at 3:27 and I qualified for next year by 13 minutes, although I missed my goal time and PR by a couple minutes. Thanks BHearn for the right guidance on managing pacing. Staying controlled in the front part definitely helped manage the hills with with a bit more pace. Very happy as well that the last 7k was my fastest split. I think I missed my goal time as I spaced out a bit in the middle sections, and then forgot to factor in the differential between course and GPS mileage (my GPS read 26.7 miles!). No complaints though given the conditions.
Also, for those of you considering Hokas, this was the marathon I ran in my Hoka Cliftons, and I can honestly say my legs have felt better during and after.
Congrats to all - some really impressive performances by all you speedsters!