Forums >Racing>1 day to go (to Boston)
100 90 80 60 53 47 41 27 21 17 14 12 7 5 4 3 2 1 day to go until the 114th Boston Marathon
Who's in? Have a Boston streak going?
Got plans for a PR? Course PR? How will your training differ this time?
I suppose this is the first time at this 100 day juncture that the registration is closed. If the early registration ordeal left you out for 2010, have you alternate marathon plans?
Good luck!
I'm in for Boston #3 although without streak. On an every-other-year frequency having run in '06 and '08
I last raced the marathon over a year ago (Oct 08). Running a PR at Boston, given the net-downhill course would be nice and recent races indicate there's possibility for me.
I wonder out loud here on what others consider as good methods to train for the downhill portions (I.e. adapting the eccentric running motion) without overdoing it. How much, what intensity, and how frequently to add downhill training?
I met my long-time goal of sub-3 there last year; this year I will run it for fun, maybe 3:15 - 3:20. It will be a different kind of challenge not to race it, but I am not training for it.
You know what I recommend to deal with the downhills -- not so much downhill training, but negative-split pacing, so your legs are not trashed when you reach or finish the hills. I've never done any specific downhill training for Boston (though I suppose it could only help).
This was my paceband last year. For my body at least, I've got Boston pacing down to a science; these splits are just about perfect.
My salty dogs
100 days to go until the 114th Boston Marathon Who's in? Have a Boston streak going? Got plans for a PR? Course PR? How will your training differ this time? I suppose this is the first time at this 100 day juncture that the registration is closed. If the early registration ordeal left you out for 2010, have you alternate marathon plans? Good luck!
100 days to go until the 114th Boston Marathon
100 days to go-- wow. This will be #7 in a row for me. I plan for a PR which will be both a PR for 26.2 and the course since my PR was at Boston in 07.
I do practice down hill running. At the Derry Prep 16 miler and Stu's 30K I practice opening up a little on the down hills. I have always had a good feeling during the last few miles in Boston. I do think down hill running is something not everyone gets their full efficiency potential. Technique is everything. That said-- I'm a "Chi" runner who utilizes my core for a good forward lean and let gravity pull me down the hills.
Are we there yet?
Got plans for a PR? Course PR? How will your training differ this time? .
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First Boston. Looking to PR. 1st crack at a hilly marathon. Not sure of my plan of attack.. from what I have read the downhills can leave you hurting on the second half... Can somebody please tell me its a fast track and don't worry?
bhearn & kencamet - I've seen u from the sub3 Forum.. what's your take on the race strategy...
I plan to train more than ever before so that sort of leaves me in the unknown as far as picking a pace without leaving any time on the course... Who has bonked in Boston and where??
Right on Hereford...
This will be my first Boston as well...3rd marathon. I'll be shooting for a PR, sub-2:56.
Honestly I'm more concerned with the uphills than the downhills, but in races I tend to pass people on the downhills and get passed on the uphills. So I am working on my climbing skills!
Good luck to all!
It can be fast. But if you don't worry, you will be sorry.
bhearn & kencamet - I've seen u from the sub3 Forum.. what's your take on the race strategy... Mine is basically summed up by my pace band above. The #1 mistake at Boston is going out too fast. If you think you're not going out too fast, you're still going out too fast. There is just soooo much energy and excitement there. It is very common to hear "I hit the half in PR time...". Oops. If you just PRed at the half, you are about to be in for a world of hurt. So just take the first half easy, very easy. Make sure you save enough to feel OK on the hills. Then you have 5 miles in which to crank it up a notch and fly by everybody else. Miles 22, 23, and 24, especially, are VERY fast if you still have legs left. I plan to train more than ever before so that sort of leaves me in the unknown as far as picking a pace without leaving any time on the course... Who has bonked in Boston and where?? If you pick a pace based on tune-up races you should be OK -- IF you pace Boston right. I crashed and burned there my first year (2005), after lots of careful studying and planning. I paced for what I thought was a consverative 3:09, and ran 3:43. 10 minutes of that was in a med tent at the top of Heartbreak Hill. I thought I was doing fine, until I hit the hills, and BAM, calves started to cramp. The last few miles, everything was cramping; I was very afraid I would fall over and not be able to get up, and be pulled off the course. My biggest mistake was actually running too fast for the heat (75), but the pacing plan contributed. Take the first half EASY. When you pace it the way I do, Boston is an easy, fast, and very fun course. Here's a post-mortem of last year's race by a very experienced marathoner (and prolific author of running books), Matt Fitzgerald; his experience (like mine above) is all too typical of Boston first-timers. http://mattfitzgerald.org/blog/?p=281 (Also check out the previous blog entry, "Boston is Different", for the race report.)
Mine is basically summed up by my pace band above. The #1 mistake at Boston is going out too fast. If you think you're not going out too fast, you're still going out too fast. There is just soooo much energy and excitement there. It is very common to hear "I hit the half in PR time...". Oops. If you just PRed at the half, you are about to be in for a world of hurt.
So just take the first half easy, very easy. Make sure you save enough to feel OK on the hills. Then you have 5 miles in which to crank it up a notch and fly by everybody else. Miles 22, 23, and 24, especially, are VERY fast if you still have legs left.
If you pick a pace based on tune-up races you should be OK -- IF you pace Boston right.
I crashed and burned there my first year (2005), after lots of careful studying and planning. I paced for what I thought was a consverative 3:09, and ran 3:43. 10 minutes of that was in a med tent at the top of Heartbreak Hill. I thought I was doing fine, until I hit the hills, and BAM, calves started to cramp. The last few miles, everything was cramping; I was very afraid I would fall over and not be able to get up, and be pulled off the course. My biggest mistake was actually running too fast for the heat (75), but the pacing plan contributed. Take the first half EASY. When you pace it the way I do, Boston is an easy, fast, and very fun course.
Here's a post-mortem of last year's race by a very experienced marathoner (and prolific author of running books), Matt Fitzgerald; his experience (like mine above) is all too typical of Boston first-timers.
http://mattfitzgerald.org/blog/?p=281
(Also check out the previous blog entry, "Boston is Different", for the race report.)
Is it Chicago fast? No. If it New York slow? no. It's in between if you know how to run it right. And that means pacing yourself the first 16 miles. I personally think a positive split of somewhere in the neighborhood of 30-90 seconds is best for this course. You will slow down from miles 16-21. But after 21, if you have legs left you should fly.
Any of the pace spreadsheets are very valuable in Boston. They help you mile-by-mile since the course has varying elevations throughout..
I didn't kill the uphills, just ran whatever my pace bands told me to run. My only mile over 7mpm was mile 21 which is up HB. The first 3 hills weren't that bad. HB was tiring (it should be its 95ft up and 0.6 miles long), but I felt good after it was over.
My goal (which is a stretch) is sub-2:50. Next goal would be sub at least sub-2:55. My training has changed in that: 1) I am doing an 18-week plan instead of 12 2) I am running a lot more miles 3) I am incorporating some big hills multiple times during the week...
First Boston. Looking to PR. 1st crack at a hilly marathon. Not sure of my plan of attack.. from what I have read the downhills can leave you hurting on the second half... Can somebody please tell me its a fast track and don't worry? bhearn & kencamet - I've seen u from the sub3 Forum.. what's your take on the race strategy... I plan to train more than ever before so that sort of leaves me in the unknown as far as picking a pace without leaving any time on the course... Who has bonked in Boston and where??
I agree with what both bhearn and dcv said about running the course. Boston can be a great course to run quick if you don't destroy yourself in the first half. You will want to, though, because of how easy it will feel. On race day, as you are cruising along after a few miles, you'll probably start thinking that maybe this is one of those magical days when you have a huge breakthrough. Don't believe it and don't succumb to it. Stick to the plan of holding back until you crest HB hill - then let 'er rip. That's what I hope to do.
You know what I recommend to deal with the downhills -- not so much downhill training, but negative-split pacing, so your legs are not trashed when you reach or finish the hills. I've never done any specific downhill training for Boston (though I suppose it could only help). This was my paceband last year. For my body at least, I've got Boston pacing down to a science; these splits are just about perfect.
I would love to negative split & PR simultaneously the Boston Marathon
Can you fix us up one of these for 2:55:00?
Good stuff from bhearn and dcv2002 - both Boston sub-3:00 guys
Regarding hill training, in my past two tries I included ample long runs on hilly profiles. We have a 10 mile course when done twice simulates the Boston course through Newton. I haven't done much intensity on downhills but have read about Bill Rodgers training on the course.
Bob, thanks for the reference to Fitzgerald's blog. Good recap on a monumental shortfall. You can see how disappointed he was in his first Boston. He plans to "go crazy" with downhill preparation. It will be interesting to see the outcome.
I imagine *some* marathon-pace intensity on downhills might help, but not to overdo it.
azsalty mentioned "chi running" techniques. On the topic of Fitzgerald, I've heard that his "proprioceptive cues" are similar to concepts in Chi Running. As I've started to incorporate proprioceptive cues into my training, I could relate (and agree) that these techniques could be as beneficial to better downhill running than to overly beat yourself up with prolonged downhill running. We shall see.