Notes
Bittersweet day. Wanted to get in a Boston Qualifier and figured doing this, even on little sleep, would be better than trying to do a race over the summer (i.e. around the lake) when I'm not in marathon training mode. Even with a 4-week taper now, I'm probably in better marathon shape than if I were to wait until a later date.
Looking at last year's results (and previous years beyond that), a sub 2:30 usually wins and the high 2:30's will usually be good for perhaps top 5. I didnt know what my strategy would be until the race began. I talked about possibly going out for a 2:45 to get the BQ in corral 1. This in theory shouldnt completely destroy my body like racing a marathon usually does, but wouldnt be an easy jog either. I considered trying to PR, but given that my nights now are typically 4 hours of sleep a night, broken into 2 hour increments and that my taper is just too long, it would be a stretch.
I got to the starting line and bumped into Carlos who I didnt realize was racing today. At the same time, I kind of played this one close to my chest and didnt tell anyone other than Liz that I would be doing Providence. I also bumped into Reno at the number pickup (his wife was running). At the starting line, I couldnt really pick out who the sub 2:30's would be. In fact, the field looked pretty light. I opted to start out the race strong to see how the field felt and then would dial-back as needed.
Race started about 10 minutes late and the temps were mid 50's, but would only be a matter of time before the open sun would crank the temps a little higher. I went out with the lead pack and shared the lead with another guy for the first 5 miles or so. Pace was around my 5:55 original goal but felt comfortable so I let it be. A couple of splits were a little faster than planned, but pretty much ran without looking at my watch during the opening miles going off feel instead. Would have preferred to keep the pace more consisent. At mile 6, hit one of the larger hills and the last of the lead pack broke up and I pulled away. This was far from what I had imagined this morning, leading a marathon! True the field was pretty light, but still a cool experience. The next several miles all felt pretty comfortable and I was feeling strong. Still was running off feel and hit the half just below 1:17 (I forget the exact split, there was a mat at the half but those times arent posted for some reason).
I was starting to feel the pace by this point and decided to dial back to 6:00 miles for a bit. I knew some of those early miles were faster than planned and didnt want to let things get too out of control. Miles 14 - 20 were pretty consistent, even over the rollers, but fatigue was setting in. Again, I cant describe the feeling of being out front (had a pretty good lead too), very cool experience.
Mile 20 is where things got interesting. Temps were now much warmer in the sun and water starts were sparcely laid out. In several instances there was a 3+ mile gap between, which on cooler days wouldnt be as much of a concern. I kept hanging onto my last gel waiting for the right moment to take it (wanted a water stop nearby to wash it down) but never got it in. Got some gatorade but I just dont think I fueled enough. I ended up with a lot of leftover gel in my pcokets by the end, which wasnt a good move. Miles 20-26 brought the hills back, but more importantly, some stiff headwinds. It reminded me exactly of New Bedford. Going out, most of the course was on roads where the trees and buildings protected the runners from the wind (or prevented us from taking advantage of the tail). Coming back, a lot of it was on a nice bike path, but most parts were pretty exposed in the late miles. The wind certainly took a toll and combined with the hills, I hit the dreaded wall. I hit it pretty hard by the end.
Miles 21, 22, and 23 I was able to keep the pace pretty close, only bumping up to around 6:10 - 6:15. Given the wind and hills, I wasnt too concerned knowing everyone would be impacted and I had a healthy enough lead to lose those couple of seconds.
Mile 24 is where the real wall hit. By this point, my energy levels were extremely low and I was beginning to feel nauscious. I never do this, but I actually had to stop at one of the water stops to catch my breath and then at a few points later on, stopped a couple more times for 2-3 second increments on the verge of vomiting. These last 6 miles were probably the most painful miles I've run in my life. I knew I was in trouble and these last miles just dragged on forever. Every so often I would peek at my watch expecting to be much further along only to find that I barely made a dent on the remaining distance. I was hurting badly. I was out of fuel, nothing was in the tank, and I was just in survival mode. There was no second wind, adrenaline, or kick to get me going.
Right around the 26 mile mark, my worst fear happened, a BAA running came along and passed me strong. I put in a little kick to start with him before my body ultimately said no. I could do nothing but watch him pull away on his closing kick while I could only hope there wasnt a string of runners waiting to pass me on this last stretch.
I pulled into the finish with a 2:38:42. I've said this many times. The marathon is a devious race. You can run great for 20-23 miles only to have it all taken away over the last 5K. For me, this wasnt a matter of giving up or not being tough enough, my body just wouldnt push any further. Those quick early miles, poor fueling strategy, and extra long taper along with that brutal headwind just did me in.
After the race, my body continued to shut down and as much as I wanted to get food or electrolytes in me, my stomach was not too happy and I drifted further into a low energy state. I had to keep sitting/laying down and probably took me at least 20-30 minutes before I could even get a little food into me. I know I put everything out there and I just couldnt have held on for those last few seconds.
I talked to the winner for a bit after and he seemed like a really cool guy. Never feels good to lose, but makes it a little better when the guy is likeable and is the type of guy you would want to hang around with for a beer.
I was pretty disappointed right after the race. I led a marathon for 26 miles and got outkicked (not that I really kicked) in the last quarter of a mile. That hurt. Although didnt hurt as much as those last 6 miles felt. It was sad, I really wanted to drop out of the race I felt so bad.
During the drive home I began to rethink everything. I think with Boston being so big this year, those few fast guys who won this race in prior years probably did Boston instead. Any other year I would have been fighting for a top-5 finish or maybe age-group. Given that I had to completely change my marathon plans and have been running on fumes these past couple of weeks, going sub 2:40 would have been a huge goal. Even with the blow-up, dropping from 5th to 6th as a result wouldnt have carried the same weight as losing out on 1st place. It was just an unusual scenario this year. Lastly, I would have been content with just playing it safe for a 2:45. Instead I put it on the line and went for the PR. I didnt get it, I was close, but at least I tried. If I didnt hit that wall, I would have been in the 2:36's, if not challenging a sub 2:36. I wasnt that far off and with the right timing of the race, better sleep, and better fueling, it's in reach. I think there are some great positives to take away from today even with missing out on the PR and losing the race. Still a little disappointed in the ultimate conclusion, but overall feel good. I never would have guessed that I would lead a marathon for 26 miles or even finish in 2nd place.
Place No. Name Div Div Town Guntime Nettime Pace
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Place No. First Name Last Name Guntime Netspli Nettime Pace Ag Sex /Tot S Div/Tot Div Town St
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1 2073 Felix Moser 2:38:23 1:18:24 2:38:23 6:03 29 1/714 M 1/127 M2029 CAMBRIDGE MA
2 1792 Christopher Klucznik 2:38:42 1:16:57 2:38:42 6:04 31 2/714 M 1/196 M3039 SOMERVILLE MA
3 1579 Samuel Goldberg 2:41:07 1:17:50 2:41:06 6:09 20 3/714 M 2/127 M2029 CAMBRIDGE MA
4 1503 Adam Fitzgerald 2:48:18 1:23:15 2:48:16 6:26 32 4/714 M 2/196 M3039 CARLISLE MA
5 2379 Christopher Schulten 2:49:12 1:23:56 2:49:11 6:28 42 5/714 M 1/213 M4049 MIDDLEFIELD CT
30 1437 Carlos Duran 3:01:54 1:22:58 3:01:53 6:57 41 28/714 M 7/213 M4049 WEYMOUH MA
105 1216 Brendan Caffrey 3:23:03 1:37:03 3:22:56 7:45 35 91/714 M 26/196 M3039 SOMERVILLE MA
775 2484 Susan Stirrat 4:23:55 1:59:09 4:23:42 10:04 58 314/656 F 21/58 F5059 QUINCY MA