First half - 1:27:04

Second half - 1:34:39 FFS

Total time - 3:01:43

5k - 20:44

10k - 20:46

15k - 20:28

20k - 20:33

25k - 20:56

30k - 21:51

35k - 22:21

40k - 23:02

I felt pretty excited going into this race since I had really trained for it, and of course because it is the Boston Marathon. I had been dealing with some hamstring garbage on and off, but I was still getting through my workouts and recovering well from them, so I was hoping it would cooperate. That said, I knew I wasn’t at 100% with some struggles through my taper and being 8 lbs. heavier compared to my 2 best races. I was determined to give it my best shot, and at least have a lot of fun.

I met up friends from Japan and Vancouver at the Common for bus loading at 6:30. I always complain about the logistics of this race, but I guess it’s all part of what makes it so special. It was supposed to be cold, rainy, and windy, so I was really layered up and had garbage bags and extra supplies in my pocket. It probably wasn’t the best thing to be all cramped up in the tent for that long, but we decided the best thing was to stay dry and warm. At that moment, I recalled a conversation with a local elite who was talking about the fun and anticipation he had waiting around in the Athlete’s Village. Yes, maybe when you have a warm, dry church to hang out in. When we made our long trek to the corrals, and I ran into another Vancouver guy and we had a little chat. I was very excited, until the gun went off and I asked myself why am I doing this.

Things started out more crowded than I remembered. I remembered not to worry about pace or make any moves the first 5 miles. I just let myself get warmed up and into a groove. There was a pretty steep drop a little after mile 2, and that’s when my hamstring yelled out me pretty loudly. It sometimes feels tight, but nothing like what I felt right there. At that point I was just keeping my fingers crossed that it would go away and not lead to a very long day. A little after mile 3, I saw Patrick Makau doing the walk of shame back to the start. “Will that be me very soon?” I joked to myself.

I started to get warmed up and into a groove after mile 5 and the body seemed to be holding up okay. I decided to just continue at this current effort level. I could feel the wind a bit, and at around mile 8 or 9 it started raining. I mean really pouring rain. Good thing that real heavy stuff didn’t last long, because that even scared this Raincouverite. I had decided to have a lot of fun during this race, and it was during this stretch that I started waving at the crowds and high-fiving as many kids as possible. I probably wasted too much energy doing all that, but it was refreshing to not concentrate and not be under pressure even though I was still taking this race semi-seriously.

When I got to mile 12, I realized that I screwed up my fueling plan and took my second gel too early at mile 10. My plan was to take a gel every 6 miles. Oh well, I need to remain flexible for many more things than my gel intake.

I did a self-assessment at the halfway point. Things were not feeling as comfortable as they should have, so I thought I should ease off a little bit. But I decided I didn’t care and just carried on and I would accept whatever would happen. To be honest, my difficulty in catching my breathe after going through the aid stations was a clear sign that it wasn’t going to be my day. That’s never happened before. Although I already knew my goal would have been a stretch, at this point I confirmed that but lied to myself that a PR was still in the cards today.

We could hear the girls in Wellesley from so far away and I could tell everyone was getting pumped for that encounter. I couldn’t help but feed off their energy, and thought it was too fast, so I went over to hand out high fives to help slow me down. I just cruised through the next part, getting ready for the hills. This is what I trained for.

When I turned onto Commonwealth Avenue, it seemed so familiar, even though I had only been here once before. I felt strong for the first bit, only losing about 30 seconds per mile, which I targeted as being roughly acceptable based on my last time here. 19-21 was quite a bit slower though, but I still felt reasonably good. Passing Boston College is one of my favourite parts, probably because it’s all downhill from there. When I get to mile 20, I always remind myself that I need to increase the effort level a bit just to maintain pace. The plan was to give myself the same reminder at mile 21, but I made the mistake of intentionally hitting on the gas rather than gradually easing into a light push to the finish. This starting working for a bit and my legs seemed to be rolling nicely, but that didn’t last long. It was shortly after mile 20 that I thought I could still break 3 hours.

Somewhere shortly before mile 23, I started to struggle, but I still thought 3 hours was still in the cards. I was getting pretty hungry though, so I took my last gel. I just kept getting slower and slower. By the time I got to mile 24, I was cold, miserable, my legs wouldn’t turn over, but I still had a huge smile on my face. This was my first time doing the shuffle to the finish. My legs wouldn’t move and there was nothing I could do about it. So many people were passing me. It sucked. So I decided to just move forward the best I could and waste more energy by waving at the crowds. I mean it sucked running in that weather, but I could not imagine just standing there.

I started to get a bit emotional in the last mile. I realized that even though I was not performing to my potential, my supporters were still very proud of me. I was proud of the effort I put in, especially when things were rough. This feeling really carried me to finish proudly. Despite the suckiness in my legs and inability to kick, the final turn onto Boylston Street was still the sweetest left turn in the world.

The most horrible part of this race was stopping. I was so cold and miserable. I felt so bad for those who started later, but I was also getting upset that people were moving so slowly through the finish chute. Maybe that’s a sign that I didn’t leave it all out there since I was still able to dart it to the hotel? At that moment, I was so happy I shelled out the extra dough to stay 2 blocks from the nearest exit. I have no idea how I would have made it back to the Common for gear check in that mess.

That’s it. My first marathon in 1.5 years. I’m looking forward to a short break, then we’ll see what’s next.

Awesome job B-Plus , even if it didn't go exactly according to plan or as you felt it should've, you still kicked ass. Training, starting and finishing a marathon is a huge feat

Still a great race under the conditions. Congrats!

I love how you were able to stay positive in the last 3 miles even though your legs weren't listening to your brain. You are such an amazing runner and I can't wait to see what's next. Congratulations on another Boston and keep soaking up those memories!

I realized that even though I was not performing to my potential, my supporters were still very proud of me.

Damn straight.   And your not full potential is still totally kick ass.  Nice work B+.

(also, my computer crashed four times trying to respond to this RR, FFS)

You did well, given the conditions and your leg.  How are the hamstrings now?  Not a great race for you, but still, you ran Boston.  Congratulations!

Not exactly what you wanted, but in that weather, it was a great race.  And it's Boston!!

Sounds like it was a struggle, especially after 20, but in all respects, you did great. Congratulations.