Background:
Running Boston was never a goal of mine. First, I never thought I could qualify. And second I am not a big race or destination race type of person.  But then I got faster and wanted to qualify to just to say I did. I still didn’t really want to run it.  And then I qualified and felt like this could be my only chance to run it because you never know what could happen.  And a few of my online running friends qualified and I started feeling excited about it so I signed up.

The training:
After I ran the Carmel marathon in the spring of 2013, I said I would never train for a spring marathon again.  I really struggle in the winter with lack of motivation and hate running in the dark and cold.  But I decided to make an exception for Boston.  I knew I couldn’t put in the training I would need to make it a goal race, so I planned to “fun run” it on minimal training.  I managed about 50mpw average this year. That’s about all I can convince myself to run in the winter. But I did speed work twice a week and I ran three 18 milers and two 17 milers.  I had a couple good workouts that made me think I was getting faster.  But then I also had 2 weeks off for a vacation mid-March and was running about 10mpw less than my previous  two marathon cycles.  And I had only done a handful of treadmill “hill” work outs.  Where I run is very flat.  I knew running it easy was probably the smarter thing to do but I felt like I had a chance to PR and decided to run it by effort and see what happened.  I hadn’t done any races since last November and was kind of itching to do one.

Race Day:
The weather forecast wasn’t exactly ideal.  Mid-40’s, rain likely, and 15mph headwind with gusts up to 20mph.  I decided take the latest bus for wave 2 to Hopkinton because waiting around in the cold didn’t sound much fun.  By the time I arrived at the athlete’s village, I had to pee so I got in the porta potty line.  It took almost an hour and by the time I had gone, it was only about a 10 minute wait until they called my wave to walk to the start line.  They had bags for throwaway clothes all along the sides of the corrals so I was able to leave on my warm sweatshirt and pants until a few minutes before the gun.  I was a little worried I would be cold in my singlet, arm warmers and shorts but once the race started, I was fine.

Miles 1-4: The downhill section.  I knew the first four miles would be downhill. I had read a lot of cautioning about taking this section too fast but I never felt awesome and never felt tempted to go that fast.  The crowds pretty much dictated the pace anyway.  It wasn’t raining at the start and the breeze felt pretty mild.  It did start raining lightly after the first mile or two but it was fairly comfortable out.  So many men hopping off the course to pee alongside the road here. I’ve never seen anything like it.  (7:47, 7:41, 7:34, 7:26)

Miles 5-8:  I was expecting the downhill in the first few miles but I wasn’t expecting so much in the miles beyond that.  It was hardly ever flat. There would be a small incline, followed by a longer decline.  I was a little worried that I was starting to feel pains in my legs this early into the race.  I wondered what that would mean for the later miles because I knew I hadn’t done any downhill training.  I tried to let the pace happen and not to focus on my splits but to keep the effort even and to keep my steps light and quick on the down hills.  (7:43, 7:33, 7:32, 7:44)

Miles 9-12:  My legs weren’t feeling great and I was afraid this meant bad things were to come once I got to mile 16 where the Newton hills were to start.  I had some slower splits in here and I’m not really sure why.  (7:48, 7:49, 7:46, 7:32)

Miles 13-16:  The screaming Wellesley girls were crazy.  I think I sped up a little just because they were so loud.  I ended up crossing the half in 1:40:45 and then I started feeling anxious to get to “the hills” which I knew were supposed to start at mile 16.  I just wanted to get them done with.  (7:30, 7:43, 7:47, 7:24)

Miles 17-21: The hills.  So I thought the first hill was supposed to be around mile 16 but then I hit 17 and the hill I was expecting never happened.  There was a little bit of an incline but not the HILL I was expecting.  Which was true for the rest of the hills too.  They were not very steep - more like longer, gradual inclines. My paces slowed for them and I could tell I was working harder but it wasn’t what I expected.  (7:58, 7:44, 7:43, 7:53, 8:20).

(I really like this picture for some reason lol)

Miles 22-26.2:  After Heartbreak, I started running downhill and was relieved to find that my legs (while very sore and tired) were still working and I was still able to run decently here. I knew I would finish strong and I checked my watch and saw I had the chance to PR but it would be very close. My legs were hurting a lot but my pace was okay so I wanted to try.  I could feel the wind a lot more in this stretch and tried to duck behind other runners when I could.  (7:29, 7:49, 7:46, 7:47, 7:43 and 7:04 for the last .42 – I guess I didn’t do good on the tangents!).

3:23:19 was my final time. I missed a PR by 8 seconds.  But I finished feeling like I had paced it pretty well and I really don’t think I could have run it faster.  It was a harder course than my PR and in tougher conditions and my training was less.

Post race was pure misery.  I very quickly got very cold. I was in a lot of pain. My legs and back hurt so bad I could barely shuffle and I was dismayed to find after collecting my medal, cape and food, I still had to walk a half mile to pick up my checked bag of dry clothes.  I really just wanted to sit down and cry. There were volunteers with wheelchairs and I was so tempted to ask for a ride but it would be too embarrassing so I very slowly made my way over to the gear check. I got my bag and put on my dry clothes (on top of my wet ones). The wind was flapping my cape around so much it was ineffective. I was shaking and shivering and I still had to walk all the way back to the runner reunite area to meet my bf (a half mile) and then back to my hotel (almost a mile). I didn’t have my phone or money or anything.  A man with an RV parked by the Commons asked me what I needed. I told him I had to go to the reunite area. He said that is really far away, come inside and get warm so I did and he let me use his phone to call bf and tell him to just meet me at the hotel, which was a lot shorter walk for me.  Walking to the Commons and then back to my hotel was by far worse than any part of the race.

Overall I am glad I ran the race.  The race, the spectators and city go out of their way to make you  feel special. From getting your acceptance card in the mail, the pilot on the plane wishing us luck, to the Blessing of the Athletes at Old South Church, the crazy expo, the screaming fans that line the entire course, the amount of strangers who congratulate you when they see you wearing your jacket. It was pretty neat.

Congrats on a great performance!  I cannot wait for you to race a Fall marathon as you are faster than your PR and you will see it!

Very very interesting PR. I, too, want to qualify for Boston as it is a nice goal to go after, but like you, I am not a destination race type of person and am not sure I would actually run it (if I ever do qualify).

I really enjoyed reading all about your experience running it, so thanks for that, and big congrats on the race. A hard race on sub-par training (for you) and you still pretty much ran your PR time. That is just awesome!

Nicely done! If the marathon is not your race distance I do not know what is. You race that mofo like you are riding a horse. Very consistent in your pacing and methodical in your execution.

I know you have been feeling some kind of way about your training this cycle but results like this just don't happen on their own, so give your training its proper due.

In regards to the race, how were the offerings at the aid stations and what if anything did you take from them?

Great rr. Congrats on your race. As far as the Boston crowds this was actually a down year because of the weather. The hill by the fire house around 17.5 when you make that sharp right, I have never heard described as a little bit of an incline. I hate that hill as you have no momentum compared to Heartbreak but I digress. Great race and time under those conditions.

It's interesting how the aftermath or the walk from the finish back to your hotel or vehicle seems just as difficult, if not worse, than the race itself. Great job and awesome performance, like D said.. you are going to kick ass at a Fall marathon.

Ginny - Thanks. I think people really just exaggerated the hills!

Damaris, Cyberic, Half Crazy, StoneFence, FreeSoul - Thank you

Brilliant - you should think someday and don't roll your eyes!

Oski - for some reason I picked the one line that just was not moving. It was ridiculous!

LRB - the official aid stations had Gatorade and water. Every mile.  It was annoying because the whole crowd slowed going thru them, drinking or not it was a pace slowdown because people in front of you would suddenly slow and veer off.  There was one aid station with powergel I think around mile 17.  But there were a TON of unofficial aid stations along the course with orange slices, lemonade, twizzlers, vasoline, bottles of water, beer, etc etc.  I only took water (I would say maybe 7 times including when I my ate 4 gels -one every 5 miles. That's my standard protocol).

RSX - for some reason, I can't even picture that hill/turn.  I think the uphills were a nice break from using my downhill muscles (which were hurting) so I didn't mind it much

Jay - yes, once I got over Heartbreak, I knew I would be good (I was worried earlier in the race if my legs would hold up). I mean, don't get me wrong, I was working very hard to maintain pace and my legs hurt a lot but I've run enough of these to know what I have left.

Dang you are fast!

Congrats on another great run.  You seem to be on a roll for sure. I also find it so interesting that walking after would be more difficult than the race itself. You look so calm and relaxed in all your pictures.

Way to go girly!