Forums >Racing>2018 Boston Marathon Thread
No, sadly you cannot go in the high school to keep warm. Bring clothes you don't mind donating to charity!
In 2007, when we had the tail end of a nor'easter, they did let a bunch of us into the high school. But it can't hold everyone. And I think that was an exception.
The no-bags-to-the-start thing really annoys me. All the security stuff has really changed the flavor of the race in unfortunate ways.
Any suggestions?
Easiest thing is a large garbage bag with holes cut in it for head and arms. Also makes a convenient in-corral portapotty, in combination with a wide-mouth bottle.
In 2007, when we had the tail end of a nor'easter, they did let a bunch of us into the high school. But it can't hold everyone. And I think that was an exception. The no-bags-to-the-start thing really annoys me. All the security stuff has really changed the flavor of the race in unfortunate ways.
1. DANG! I was NOT among the "bunch of us [let] into the high school"!!
2. No kidding. This will be my first time running it again in the post-2013 era. The no-bags-to-the-start thing is definitely going to suck. I know it may sound heretical to say, but I feel like some security measures go over the top and tell terrorists that they won.
- Joe
We are fragile creatures on collision with our judgment day.
Agree the security is over the top. But honestly I don't think the terrorists could care less.
Mmmmm...beer
Out of 11 Bostons I've negative split I think 8 of them, including 3 PRs and 3 of my 5 sub-3s. I still think it's the best way to run Boston. But even if you disagree, it is SO MUCH FUN to blast past everyone in the last 5 miles if you started slow and saved it.
I don't think there's any better feeling than finishing a marathon strong and blowing by people that are falling apart. I don't even care what my time is, I'll take that feeling over a PR.
-Dave
My running blog
Goals | sub-18 5k | sub-3 marathon 2:56:46!!
Officially becoming a weather stalker now. Put Boston in my phone as a favorite for now.
57 degrees for a high with a low the night before of 47. 50% chance of rain with wind WNW at 10 to 20 mph (13 mph is the number at the top).
I would take that forecast and put it in my pocket and be happy with it if that's how it turns out. A tad warmer than I would like and the rain might cause some chaffing, but the tailwind would be nice.
WAY better than 75 degrees and sunny.
Age: 50 Weight: 224 Height: 6'3" (Goal weight 195)
Current PR's: Mara 3:14:36* (2017); HM 1:36:13 (2017); 10K 43:59 (2014); 5K 21:12 (2016)
FWIW, a week out a tailwind is almost always forecast, as that’s the prevailing wind direction. But it rarely works out that way on race day.
But... it is hard to beat that forecast! Makes me wish I were racing it.
running = therapy
Yes. My first Boston, second marathon, I paced for 3:09 and ran a VERY painful 3:43. I had actually never run in the heat before, and didn't have much of a clue. Out of 11 Bostons I've negative split I think 8 of them, including 3 PRs and 3 of my 5 sub-3s. I still think it's the best way to run Boston. But even if you disagree, it is SO MUCH FUN to blast past everyone in the last 5 miles if you started slow and saved it.
Yes. My first Boston, second marathon, I paced for 3:09 and ran a VERY painful 3:43. I had actually never run in the heat before, and didn't have much of a clue.
I negative split by a couple minutes last year, simply because I'd had an injury in the last few weeks of training and had missed a few key runs. I just wasn't sure if my endurance was where it needed to be, so I played it safe. I have to agree it feels great to blow by people going up Heartbreak and in the final miles. I'd love to see a stat of how many people I passed.
That said, I'm a believer that you have to take what the course gives you. For Boston, because of the early down hills and then up hills from 15-21, I'm a strong believer that the first have should be run about 1-2 minutes faster than the second. Most people make the mistake of preparing for the uphills, but don't take time to practice the downhills. I've had a lot more success since I added downhill treadmill workouts to get ready for races with a lot of descents like Boston.
Strava:
https://strava.app.link/gEx4nfnrLy
Officially becoming a weather stalker now. Put Boston in my phone as a favorite for now. 57 degrees for a high with a low the night before of 47. 50% chance of rain with wind WNW at 10 to 20 mph (13 mph is the number at the top). I would take that forecast and put it in my pocket and be happy with it if that's how it turns out. A tad warmer than I would like and the rain might cause some chaffing, but the tailwind would be nice. WAY better than 75 degrees and sunny.
There was a similar forecast for 2017 this far out. Don't expect good weather in Boston. Boston has crap weather, and has developed an uncanny ability to kick runners in the nuts on Patriots day. Don't run Boston because you want to run a fast time, run Boston because the experience is great. If you let go of the idea that you're going to run a good time, you'll have a good time!
https://www.strava.com/athletes/5795019
I definitely agree about downhill workouts. The classic "Boston syndrome" is (1) Hey I PRed the half! (2) Oh, the hills kind of suck now... (3) Oh crap. My quads don't work anymore, and I'm walking in the last 5 miles.
Whether it's better to positive or negative split... possibly the ideal run would be a slight positive split. But you are playing with fire when you try to cut it that close. If you run the first half conservatively you can make up almost all you've lost over theoretical optimal pacing on the downhills, with much less risk. Plus that way there is less quad abuse in the first half, whether you've trained for it or not.
^^^^ This is the thought I've had as this part of the conversation has unfolded. I ran my best time at Boston with a slight positive split [I don't know, 3 or 4 minutes maybe -- and yes, even though I slowed down, I was still passing people at the end], but that was not really the goal. I was just trying to run the first half by wisdom and feel with the goal of feeling good when I hit Newton. I've also run Boston well [what I would call "well" for me] with a slight negative split. Either way, I think you can have a good race if you pace yourself smart for your fitness level, knowing that you probably have to save some energy in the first half for the wickedness to come, and take what the day and your body gives you. I think trying to dial it into super-precise splits is probably overthinking it too much.
1. This far out you're pretty much just getting the seasonal averages.
2. The temperature in Boston on race day is likely to be noticeably different (in runners' terms) than in Hopkinton, Framingham, Natick and, most especially, Newton.
3. Good luck!
Runners run
As for race strategy, the fastest way to run Boston may very well be a slight positive split but for the huge majority of people it won't work out that way. This course has much less margin for error than a "normal" marathon course.
My fastest Boston was about a 3 minute positive split.
My 2nd fastest, and by far most enjoyable was a 90 second negative split in which I had no time goal and essentially treated it like a fast finish long run.
I've also had several epic thermogenic meltdowns there when I made the mistake of trying to run a time close to the edge of my fitness and/or the weather was super hot.
Yeah, I'm somewhere between a 3:25 and a 3:30, I plugged my last 1/2 marathon time into a few of the calculators and it spat out the 3:26:10 time and that sounded good so I generated a pace band off of that. That would be a time that would most likely re-qualify me even with the moving target of the cut off the last few years. I didn't taper for the recent 1/2 marathon and figured that it would be a good indicator.
I guess I could plug in a 3:30 finish into the pace band calculators and run the front half of that and see where it goes from there.
I really don't have a target I'm shooting for and there is no way I will beat my PR from the downhill course last year that I qualified on so a PR is out of the question.
I just want to put a legit effort into it and do my best. I just know it is going to really take effort to run the first half with the downhill section as slow as the 3:30 pace band is going to call for.
Targeting the 3:30 and enjoying a fast finish is probably the safe call and would result in the most enjoyable race. Even if I do re-qualify I wasn't planning on running Boston next year anyway.
Thanks for the input.
Speaking of epic thermogenic meltdowns.
I went back and looked at my splits from the two times that I ran Boston, and I did not realize this until just now, but in both 2015 & 2017 I ran the first half in exactly 1:28:17.
However, in 2015 I finished in 2:55:53 and in 2017 I finished in 3:45:34.
I can definitely vouch for the fact that blowing by people and running a negative split feels a lot better than the alternative.
I can also vouch for the fact that I suck in heat.
We are the music makers,
And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams;
World-losers and world-forsakers,
On whom the pale moon gleams:
Yet we are the movers and shakers
Of the world for ever, it seems.