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Did you PR at Boston? (Read 1050 times)

    I was reading yesterday that Boston starts at mile 16, there are so many downhill sections that you kill your quads without realizing, then 16+ is hills. I don't care too much about hills, we go way back, I'm wondering whether those factors make it difficult to PR. I'm not going into this with ideal mileage, but have some other factors on my side, so on paper it's iffy. If the course is brutal, it would be good to reset my expectation.

      I PR'd at Boston once in five tries.  That one was also the only time I beat my qualifying time.  If I recall that is also about the average (only something like 20% of people beat their qualifying time at Boston.)

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      A Saucy Wench

        My running p DID pr at boston, however it was after a string of serious shorter  PR's between the time she qualified and Boston.  On most courses she would have PR'd more.

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          I didn't, but I was within 10 seconds of the PR I ran at CIM to qualify 4 months earlier.

           

          The scary part was hitting the half way point and realizing I was only 52 seconds over my half PR.  Hills and adrenaline.  You'd think I'd know better.

            First year I ran terribly, blew up, and was off my previous marathon (a PR) time by about 3:30 but with much better fitness.  Second time I ran better and was shy of my previous marathon (another PR) by about 1:00 with similar fitness.

             

            I believe it is a very PRable course, you just have to run it right....something I haven't quite done yet.  I get another try in 23 days or so, we will see what happens.

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            ultramarathon/triathlete

              No PR for me at Boston. Went out hard, got destroyed from those early downhill miles. Also, I had shifted my training into triathlon mode for IMLP so I was running less, biking more. Mostly though, it was the hills.

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                Geoffrey Mutai ran an (im)personal record there, I heard.

                It's a 5k. It hurt like hell...then I tried to pick it up. The end.


                tenacity

                  No PR for me at Boston either (about 45 seconds shy). Had tons of adrenalin throughout, throwing hi & low 5's, stopped briefly at Wellesley to greet the ladies, and backed off too much when I hit the 'hills.' I think I was afraid of the hills and shouldn't have been.

                  bhearn


                    My fastest two times are at Boston. Run properly, it's a fairly fast course. Plan on taking it easy until the hills, and making up the time starting at mile 21. Run improperly, Boston can easily give you a PW. 

                     

                    IMO even to slightly negative splits are best. I've negative split there the past 5 years.


                    Feeling the growl again

                      I PRed my first one.  The next two were not really PR situations (2004 when it was 85 degrees, last year when I was not training like I used to).

                       

                      It partly depends how solid your PR is, obviously.  It CAN be decently fast (even in non-freak years like 2011), but you have to do it right.  On average, it deserves its reputation for being slower.

                      "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

                       

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                        I was reading yesterday that Boston starts at mile 16, there are so many downhill sections that you kill your quads without realizing, then 16+ is hills. I don't care too much about hills, we go way back, I'm wondering whether those factors make it difficult to PR. I'm not going into this with ideal mileage, but have some other factors on my side, so on paper it's iffy. If the course is brutal, it would be good to reset my expectation.

                         

                        Its hard not to get sucked in to the Boston. The first 16 are a net downhill with a few short uphills. You can easily get caught up in the crowd and energy and go out way to fast. Bhearn put it best, you can easily run a PW if you go out to fast. Last year I ran about 6 minutes off my PR but I had several running buddies PR. 


                        Oh roo roooo!

                           Run improperly, Boston can easily give you a PW. 

                           

                           

                          PW first time I ran it, even worse PW the second time.  At some future point, I'd like to try again and not suck so much.

                            Actually felt better after cresting heartbreak. The late start got me. I had stomach problems and ended with a PW. I'd like to go back one day for revenge.

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                            kcam


                              I PR'd at Boston in my 10th marathon and that PR held for the next 14 marathons.  I got a GREAT day to run that year plus I had already run two previous times at Boston so knew how to run the course.

                                I PRed in Boston last year, but those were ideal conditions. I negative split every successive 5k split except for my last 5k, which was about even.

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