'Bout dame time I ran this race.

TL;DR:  3:15.  Goal missed by 10 minutes.  No PR.  BQ -4:25.  Still a good race.

I had a great training cycle, and I honestly didn’t know how or why I’ve suddenly been running so much faster.  It’s not like I wasn’t training hard before.  My training and racing during this cycle indicated a 3:05 was very possible and perhaps even a bit conservative, but I was lacking the confidence to shoot for a sub-3:00 and I didn’t want to blow up trying, and running a 3:05 would have been a huge thrill and faster than I ever thought possible a few years ago.  Regardless of how this race was going to go, I was satisfied with this training cycle since it got me three PR’s, four AG wins, and one OA win.

Since Boston is a 90 minute drive for me, I opted to stay home for race weekend and sleep in my own bed.  I drove to the expo Friday, and it was busy but tolerable, with the biggest crowds being for official Boston Marathon merchandise.  I bought a hoodie, singlet, and visor, just like I had planned.  Plus the jacket a few months ago.  And the Adidas shoes.  Cripes, $400 in stuff.    Race check-in was super easy.  No wait for my bib, no wait for my shirt, and a few friendly runners took pictures for me since I didn’t have anyone with me to do that.  I had a fun trip Friday, and it was great finally being there checking in for the Boston Marathon.  I wore The Jacket.

Race morning worked out well.  I signed up for my track club’s ‘Bus to Boston.’  After a surprisingly good and solid night of sleep, I was on the bus for the 5:30 departure.  With 6.5 hours between waking up and the race start, I planned two breakfasts, eating a bowl of oatmeal when I woke up, and a PB&J sandwich and a banana 2.5 hours before the race start.  The bus was a coach bus with a bathroom, and since the bus was about 2/3rds full, I was able to sprawl out across two seats and listened to my iPod the entire time while sipping a large coffee.  It was a very nice and relaxing ride.  The bus got to the athletes’ village at 8:15 in a downpour, but I was able to just sit on the bus until it was time for my wave to go.  I got off the bus at 9:15 to begin that trek.  My race shoes got a little mud on them in the athlete’s village, but it was really a non-issue for me.  At 9:40, my wave was called.

While walking to the starting corral, I noticed NASCAR driver Jimmy Johnson walking next to me.  What are the odds!  He was easy to spot because he had an entourage and multiple cameras following him.  I said, “Jimmy, good luck!”  He said, “Thanks!”  He could have said good luck back to me, but I at least appreciate the acknowledgement. 

I was in wave 2, corral 2, and lined up right near the front of my corral.  My triathlon teammate Roy lined up next to me (his 5^th Boston, and he would end up with a 3:05), and it was nice to have the company.  I was wondering how the wave corrals would work, like if there would be a delay between corrals within a wave.  What they do it drop the rope separating the corrals about 30 seconds before gun time, so it essentially becomes one big corral.  At 10:25 sharp, we were off.

The early going:  I had no problem settling into a pace early.  Like so many others, I planned on taking it easy the first few miles, running slower than my 7:00 goal pace.  So I just went with the flow, not caring too much about my pace.  I was just logging along, shoulder to shoulder, with thousands of others who run my pace, just enjoying the ride, giving high fives to lots of spectators.  I saw my spectator friend John at mile 1 and I shouted to him, and he got a few good photos of me.  Nutrition-wise, I started early, taking Gatorade Endurance and water at every aid station.  It was great that Gatorade Endurance was on course, since my stomach is very picky about race nutrition and that stuff works just fine, so I didn’t have to carry a handheld.  There is a real camaraderie among the runners, as I was chatting a little with a few other people, and one guy gave me half his bottle of water, which I dumped over my head.

Settling in:  DW, Oski, friend Maggie, and mom-in-law all came to spectate, so I was on the lookout for them at mile 7.  I almost flew right past them since they were actually at mile 6.5, but I saw them at the last second and we exchanged enthusiastic waves.  After the initial 6-7 miles of easy downhill, I started to settle into race mode and this slowly transitioned from a fun jog to a marathon race.  I was locking in and focusing.  It was already warm, and I was trying to stay ahead of it by constantly dumping water over my head, down my back and front, on my arms, and drinking multiple cups of water and fuel at every station.  I felt like Pac-Man going through the aid stations, literally taking 5-7 cups of liquid every time, and I actually felt bad about all the litter I was producing.  The wind was a cross wind, and it felt good when we hit some open areas and it hit me unobstructed.

The middle miles:  I was feeling good as the halfway point approached.  My legs were starting to feel some fatigue, but I didn’t worry about it because it’s a marathon and it’s supposed to get hard.  I loved my trip through the Wellesley Scream Tunnel.  It is really as awesome as they say it is.  You can hear it coming a quarter mile away, and while I didn’t stop for kisses, I did high five about a hundred girls and I had to stop doing that because it was getting tiring.  As I hit miles and 14 and 15, my legs were starting to ache.  I didn’t have to guess why, as I knew the miles of downhill and the warm temps were starting to catch up to me.

The Newton Hills:  DW and Co. were at mile 17 and I saw them again, getting high fives this time.  It was awesome having them there and gave me something to look forward to as the race progressed and got hard.  I always joke that I suck on hills, but the reality is I tend to do better in races that are hilly than I do in flat races.  So while the Newton Hills presented a challenge for my increasingly tired legs, I figured I’d have no problem with them.  WRONG.  This was five miles of suck, and summer arrived in Boston at the same time I hit these hills.  I felt like I was crawling through these miles, and the downhill backside of these hills only presented even more pain.  The sky had cleared and I was getting beat down by a warm sun and humid air.  I badly wanted to take a walk break, as I was passing more and more people who were doing that, but I knew that if I caved and started to walk, then I would walk a lot and it’d be game over.  So, I refused to allow that to happen and I ran every step. It wasn’t lost on me that the hundreds of thousands of spectators had a beautiful day to be out in t-shirts watching this race.

The last 5 miles:  I got through the Newton Hills and I was a wreck.  I was barely clinging to my 3:05 when I hit the hills, but I came out of them way behind target, and honestly I stopped caring and was just hoping to BQ again (3:20).  I was somehow managing to not completely fall apart and was passing a LOT of people.  I was doing the math and knew I would BQ if I didn’t unravel.  I tried my best to look around and soak in the experience, but I just couldn’t convince myself to care.   My legs hurt like they never have before in a marathon.  My hips and quads were trashed, and it felt like my legs were going to buckle with each step.  The crowds the last couple of miles grew even bigger and it was impressive.  As I took the right onto Hereford, left onto Boylston, I shuffled towards the finish line, aware at how much and how long I have worked to get here, but was really just happy to finally be done with this race.  I stopped my Garmin and it read 3:15, 10 minutes short of my goal and not even a PR, but a BQ -4:25, which should get me in for next year.  A good effort on a hot and humid day.  I was proud of myself.  This was my second fastest of 11 marathons.

Post-race:  I shook hands and high fived a few fellow runners who crossed the finish line near me.  We all agreed it was a really tough day, but a satisfying finish.  A volunteer handed me a bottle of water and a Clif Bar, but I wanted my medal.  When I finally got the medal, I kissed it.  I worked long and hard to earn it.  A volunteer wrapped me in a space blanket, then I began the long, sore, tiring slufflewalk to meet DW and Oski at the hotel.  My track club booked two rooms at the Westin Copley for showering and clean up, and my bag was there waiting for me.  The shower was painful due to chafing, but it felt great.  Our group of five hit up the Cheesecake Factory for post-race food, then headed home.  I took carrot cake to go.

Turns out I was top 20% OA and top 25% AG, against the best marathon field in the world.  I feel pretty awesome about that.  My next marathon is in December at Space Coast in Florida.  I’ll try again for that 3:05.  For now, my running miles will be cut in half, as triathlon training picks up and my focus switches to the bike.  My bike fitness has taken a huge hit thanks to this Boston cycle, but it was worth it.

Thanks for reading if you made it this far.  I figure this would be short, but I just kept typing as my thoughts poured out. Pics coming in my next post.

Nice set of pictures to document the race.  It's always a toss up on marathon race day. You take what the weather gods give you and hope for the best.  I've run Boston in the rain and in the sun.  I think the sun is the tougher to deal with, so congrats for persevering and not giving in to the walk temptation.

 

Dude, you beat #3955! I was looking for that kind of thing in my pics, to make me feel better. You have an awesome finish pic; I wish I had a decent one, the Marathonfoto dudes would have made themselves some money.

Lots of red bibs among the many late-race pics I have.  There are 3 or 4 of them in the series of pics featuring The Crawler.

You did get some good photos. I enjoyed the race report. I agree with George, cold and rainy is easier in a lot of ways.

You got some great pictures. Having the sun come out when hitting the hills sounds terrible. The set up your running club has for this race sounds like it makes it fairly easy logistically.

Congrats!  Great RR too.  Your pics were pretty good, even though your faces tell it all, ha.

Tough conditions, but any day running Boston is a great day. Congrats!

Your RR is great! And gave me chills. Such determination and good execution, all things considered. I also love that your training cycle had many achievements, not just the Boston finish line.

You spent $$$ at the Expo, but as a triathlete, this is just business as usual