Executive Summary

1st Boston, 11th marathon

Finish time 3:26:16

A glorious day and a miserable one

Background

I had been targeting a 3:30 to qualify since fall 2014. I finally ran BQs in fall 2016 and spring 2017, but missed the cutoff. Then ran a 3:23:39 in fall 2017, much better than my goal or expectation for that race, to give myself a comfortable margin to get in. That was fortunate because the cutoff ended up at 4:52, and if I had just hit my goal I wouldn't have made it.

The next marathon (and my last before this one) was April 2018. Originally thought I could better my PR and BQ time. But training for that was awful. I was battling a couple injuries, and all my runs were dreadfully slow and sluggish - paces from easy on down were 30-60 sec slower than in the past. Ran the race anyway, ended up at 3:51 for my worst performance in 4 years. Never figured out what was behind all that. Decided to take a couple weeks off after the race, but injuries did not appear to be healing and still felt like crap overall. I was beginning to wonder if my running career as I knew it was over. Tried to maintain cardio via stationary bike, an exercise in futility, and feared this is what my life had become. Finally, after a couple weeks turned into 4 full months of no running, I started back up again with some stiff, creaky runs in September. It was around this time that I applied & was accepted into Boston. I had been pretty concerned during this whole time that I wouldn't be able to run it. But after a month or two of ramping back up, started to feel back to normal.

And after 2-3 months, I started to feel better than ever. On Thanksgiving, ran a respectable 5k. In December, surprised myself with a 10k only 2 sec off my PR. And two weeks later, ran a 5k also 2 sec off PR. (Both would have been PR if based on Garmin distance.) I felt really ready for a solid training cycle.

Training

I decided to recycle the 12-week McMillan custom plan I bought online for my PR/BQ race. The last weekend before starting the plan, I ran a HM PR by 30 sec. I might have done better if not for a strong headwind the entire second half. Throughout training, everything was faster than ever before. Even my easy pace which had always been 8:45-9:00, became 8:00-8:15, and speed paces were faster as well. Had no idea where this was all coming from. Avg pace for 3 months prior to race for my PR was 8:52, 8:59, 8:58; this time was 8:05, 8:13, 8:04, with the middle including a bunch of slow runs in snow & ice. (I only hoped I was not running too much in the dead zone!) I had a tuneup half scheduled for 6 weeks out that I really thought I would destroy. Unfortunately I came down with some kind of respiratory infection shortly before the race, giving me a pretty nasty cough and breathing problems. Still did OK under the circumstances, but about a minute slower than the last HM. Recovered from the illness after a couple weeks; in March I ran a monthly PB of 310 miles, and was going to be as ready as I could ever be for Boston.

The Trip

I left home Saturday morning, donning The Jacket for the first time since buying it online as soon as it went on sale a few months prior. Did not see others in the airport, but did spot a few likely runners at the gate. One of whom I was sitting next to, and we had a nice chat about running and marathons and Boston. The first of many, many similar conversations to come over the next 4 days, with crazy obsessed runners from all over the country and the world. This was possibly my favorite part of the whole experience. More on the plane, with the two runners on either side of me. On the 6 hour flight, only one movie break, the rest was running talk. Arrived around 7pm, took a Lyft to my hotel, the Boston Park Plaza. In which the lobby/bar area was at maximum Boston jacket density. I booked this last May via Marathon Tours, as soon as they opened it up. Expensive but primo location, and I figured why not do it right for my first and maybe only. When I got there, they were way backlogged getting rooms cleaned and mine wasn't ready yet. Oh well. Left my bag with the bellman and went to dinner at Trattoria Il Panino in the North End, with Joann & Abe from the Swamp forum. Good fun and great meal; a very simple penne arrabbiata, but it was delicious. Planned to hit Mike's Pastry for cannolis after, but the line was out the door, so we found a gelato place instead.

Didn't sleep too well Saturday night, due to jet lag and a pretty uncomfortable bed - hard mattress and flat pillows. Got up Sunday morning & went for a 3-mile run in the Boston Common. Which was apparently the site of the Official Shakeout Run of the Boston Marathon. It was teeming with Boston jackets & shirts. Breakfast afterwards at the hotel, cinnamon French toast and a side of bacon. Which was very good, and would have been $30 but was comped by the hotel to make up for the check-in delay. Walked over the the expo, about a mile straight down Boylston, where I was able to see the finish line being set up. I heard a lot of complaints about hour-long waits to get into the expo. But I got right in. (There was a longer line for people coming in with bags.) Packet pickup could not have been easier or quicker. Picked up my bib, with no line, then went to get my packet full of stuff, also with no line. Tried on the shirt just to be safe, and thought maybe I could have used an M instead of L. Right nearby was a shirt exchange area, where they let me try on the M, and make the swap. No line there either. The expo was pretty large, and packed. First place you walk in was the Adidas area, full of official race merch. I generally don't buy stuff at expos; didn't plan to here either, although some things looked tempting. But the checkout did have a big line, so I passed. Walked around for a while, pretty much saw everything. One spot was showing a video following the course, narrated by a variety of Boston Marathon legends, which was worthwhile. There is also a series of 1-hour symposiums/panel discussions going on throughout each day. I sat through one, featuring two guys who were winners back in the '80s. It was interesting to listen to their experiences and advice. I met one afterwards, he was super nice and we chatted a bit, and he even gave me some pace advice. Walked back to my hotel and relaxed in my room for a while. Around 6-6:30, took the T to the Pre-Race Dinner. The line there was insane. It went on for blocks and blocks. I had no idea how long it would take to get in, if ever. Decided I did not want to stand around that long, so walked a little extra to the food court area in Quincy Market. Had a chicken parm calzone and tiramisu, both of which were very good. Took the T back to my hotel. Something I ate did not agree with me, which was somewhat worrisome, but fortunately ended up not being a factor. My phone told me I actually walked close to 5 miles on the day. Which was probably not the best idea. Maybe should've spent less time in the expo, or taken the T to/from there.

Race Morning

Slept like crap again, only from around 10:30-2:30. Could not for the life of me get back to sleep. Did not feel nervous or sick, just not tired and in an uncomfortable bed. I got up & started getting ready around 6:30, as I was supposed to get a bus between 7-7:45. I had previously decided not to eat breakfast till I got to the athlete's village, to give myself extra time to sleep (as if), and to eat a bit closer to starting time. So in my start bag I had a bagel I had bought on Sunday (even though I knew they had them in the village, playing it safe), along with a single-serving packet of Justin's almond butter brought from home (and a plastic knife to spread it). Needed coffee; I was told they'd have that in the village too, but instead stopped in the Starbucks at the hotel to bring on the bus. I was ready to hit the bus at 7-7:15, and it was pouring outside. Just coming down in buckets. I had throwaway jacket & pants, a $2 rain poncho, and the greatest recommendation: throwaway shoes. Because even though it was only a couple blocks to the buses, my shoes & socks were soaked through within 30 seconds of leaving the hotel.

The bus ride. I am completely serious in saying this was the most terrifying aspect for me of the entire trip, ever since I first started thinking about running this thing and heard about it. I had heard 45 min-1 hour; that amount of time on a race morning without access to a bathroom was unfathomable to me. I honestly did not know how I'd get through it. Or how thousands get through it every year. It actually ended up being a 1:15 min ride, plus about 15 min sitting on the bus waiting for it to leave. I had a cup of coffee that I did not have the courage to take more than a few sips from. But I survived, and in doing so already felt I had won. And in the end, despite being an old yellow school bus clearly designed for the legroom requirements of kindergarteners, it was an enjoyable ride. I spent the whole time chatting with my seatmate, who just happened to live in the same 10,000-person town in Oregon my wife grew up in. We pulled into Hopkinton around 8:40, and they were supposed to call my corral at 9:50. Glad I did not wait till later to catch the bus. The rain had completely let up by the time we got there. As we walked from the bus drop to the village, I sucked down my coffee, which was cold by then, but didn't matter. Ate my bagel & almond butter. The throwaway shoes again came in handy, as the only route to portapotties was through the field, which had become a mud pit. I had heard this was the case last year, but didn't think it would be so bad. I was wrong. You couldn't step anywhere without walking in mud nearly to the top of your shoe. In some cases getting stuck to the point of almost pulling my shoe off. Some people tied plastic grocery bags around their shoes, which probably worked, but seemed tough to walk in, sliding around on the mud. My bus seatmate actually brought throwaway plastic rain boots, which seemed like a genius idea. There were some long portapotty lines although not the worst I've seen, and they moved fairly quickly. Got 2 trips in before heading out to the corrals; I could've used one more pee stop, but that'd have to do. Ate a banana and changed my shoes before leaving the village, and shed the rest of my throwaways along the ~3/4 mile walk, where there were places to drop them about every 50 feet. Made it to the corral 5-10 min before the 10:25 start, and then it was go time.

Weather

About a week out, it was looking like 40s and rain. As the day approached, the temp forecast kept creeping up. By race morning, they were predicting the rain to clear up during race time, but still cloudy; temps from the low 60s at the start up to a high of 70, and humid. At the starting line, it already felt warm and humid. I thought that did not bode well.

Goal

I knew I was trained to hammer this race, but I also knew that a marathon was always unpredictable, and Boston even more so. My thoughts going in:

• A goal = 3:20. Some on the forum thought it should be faster than that, but I thought it was sufficiently aggressive. Dreamed of 3: 1x.
• B goal = 3:23, for PR & NYCMQ (since I age up in 2020). Even though I made NYCMQ in both HMs during this cycle, how much better to do it at Boston.
• C goal = 3:25 for BQ.

Based on the warm race day weather (and advice from the former champion at the expo), I decided to start out going for B goal. Looking for ~7:40 splits. I thought that would still be safe, as I know everyone says to take the first half real easy, and maybe I'd have something left to pick it up in the final miles.

The Race

Miles 1-2 (7:56, 7:43)

Impossible to set your own pace in the first couple miles, you are pretty much restricted to whatever people in front of your are doing. Thinking my pace should be a bit faster. Still thinking about that last pee I didn't get, and hoping I wouldn't need it later. And around mile 2, my left hamstring, which had just started bothering me the last few days, acted up in a big way. But I told it to go f*ck itself because I was running the Boston Marathon here, and it was not going to get in my way.

Miles 3-13 (7:40, 7:39, 7:42, 7:40, 7:38, 7:44, 7:38, 7:40, 7:40, 7:36, 7:28)

Now I'm in a groove. Still feeling super easy, like I know it should, but holding steady pace right where I wanted it. This stretch was most I've ever enjoyed myself in any race. Soaking in the incredible crowd support through Framingham and Natick. This is what the Boston Marathon is all about to me, and it was everything I imagined. Gave some some high fives and fist pumps. Got to Wellesley 12-13 and of course that was amazing. I went in being certain I would not be kissing any Wellesley girls, because I thought it was kind of dumb, and I'd be too busy doing SERIOUS RACING to engage in that kind of nonsense. But I did. Twice. And it was still my fastest mile of the race. I was actually looking forward to the Newton hills; it didn't seem that far off, I knew it would be tough but I'd power through it, then turn it on for a strong finish on the remaining downhills.

Half split: 1:41:04, on pace for about 3:22. Right about where I wanted to be.

Miles 14-16 (7:40, 7:43, 7:37)

This is where I started to feel the effort increasing. And the concern started creeping in; I was holding the pace, but the effort required seemed like it was more that it should be at this point in the race. And I had the hills yet to come. By now the sun was out in full force, magnifying the rising temperatures and the humidity. It came out at some point earlier, not sure exactly when, but this is when it really began to hit me.

Miles 17-21 (7:55, 7:55, 7:58, 8:08, 8:12)

The Newton hills. On a cool day, or if you start out slow enough, the hills probably aren't so outrageous. Training in Seattle, they are not so different than what I encounter on some of my routes. But it was not a cool day, and apparently I did not start slow enough, at least for these conditions. On this day, it was a real grind to get through them. I knew my pace would slow down here, though not sure exactly by how much. I was still hopeful I would make it out with something left for the final miles, but by 20-21 as it started to get even tougher, I was losing that hope. I was also sadly losing my appreciation for the crowd support. When things get tough in a race, it's hard to notice any of that stuff.

Miles 22-26.2 (7:53, 8:23, 8:22, 8:01, 8:11)

The interminable slog to the finish. I was totally beat down coming out of the hills. Mile 22 was brutal, although my split gave me a flash of optimism for a decent finishing stretch. The optimism was very short-lived however, as of course that mile was downhill, and the level of difficulty was increasing exponentially. For the remaining miles, at every moment I desperately wanted to stop and walk. I somehow kept running, although what seemed like a 10mpm shuffle. I had no idea though, as I had completely stopped looking at my watch. When is that next damn mile marker, there has not been one in forever?? OMG will this race ever f*cking end?? Apparently Joann & Abe as well as Lauren from B&B were yelling my name around mile 25, but I missed them because every ounce of energy was focused on just trying to push through the misery. At some point I thought "isn't there supposed to be some kind of Citgo sign?", and I looked up and there it was. Of course it never seemed to get closer, and turning onto Boylston spotting the finish, it still seemed to be an eternity away. I felt nothing left for a closing sprint, although somehow my split for the final 0.39 miles was 7:13. I thought I would get emotional crossing the finish line, finally being a Boston Marathon finisher, since I had often gotten emotional just imagining it. But instead my only thought was "JHC I am so relieved this goddamn shit is over."

Finish: 3:26:16 (5:08 positive split)

OA: 8141/26632 (30.6%)

AG: 587/1853 (31.7%)

Post-Race

Holy crap I was exhausted. And sore. And pretty unsteady. Got my medal, foil blanket, a bottle of water, and a bag of some food they handed out. Maybe also some food tables but not sure, as I was not interested in eating anything. My hotel was about as conveniently located as it could be, but still required something like a 0.5-0.75 mile walk. Maybe longer for me because I had some difficulty going in a straight line. I must not have looked too good, since a number of volunteers asked me if I was OK. I would say "I think so?", which still left them concerned. Finally made it back to my hotel, and walked in to the staff giving a round of applause to all arriving finishers. Which I knew they did, but was still pretty cool. Took the free Sam Adams 26.2 Brew they were handing out, which was awful, but I drank it anyway. There was a line for the elevator. There was a guy looking worse than me, who I was talking to when he suddenly passed out and hit the ground. I went and got someone to help, but didn't stay too long because in a minute that could've been me. Got back to my room, spread my foil blanket on my bed (since I was completely soaked with sweat), and lay down on it. I stayed there for a couple hours (mostly reconnecting with my online running friends) before taking a shower (hello, chafing!).

Went out and took the T (fun going down those stairs!) to the Green Dragon bar, meeting up with a bunch of people from the Swamp. It was great fun, good to meet some more forum people IRL. And commiserate with everyone who had the same kind of day I did. Ate a Reuben sandwich with cole slaw, and sucked down two Mayflower Porters. That night I finally did sleep, like a rock, from about midnight to 7am. It felt like I had taken an Ambien.

Tuesday morning I walked over to a place called The Friendly Toast for an excellent breakfast, sitting at the bar chatting and commiserating with a couple runners. Spent the day stiff-legged shuffling my way around town, as my flight was not till 4:45pm. Quads and hamstrings were pretty trashed. The town was of course full of marathon jackets and shirts and medals; my standard greeting was "rough day out there yesterday, huh?", with unanimous concurrence in response. My phone told me I somehow managed to walk 5.6 miles on the day.

Post-Mortem

I sure wish I could've gotten myself a better marathon time with the kind of training cycle I had. Did not hit A, B or C goal. But on that day in that race, I'm pretty satisfied with my performance. It's still my second best marathon time ever. And in placing 8141 with bib #13799, I finished ahead of a whole lot of people who had faster qualifying times. The fact that I didn't slow down more than I did (nor as much as it felt) must be a testament to the fitness level I had. On that day in that race, I am OK with a 5 minute positive split.

FAQs

• Would I run it differently if I had it to do over? I don't think so. Could have started a bit slower to save more for later I guess, but likely would not have made up that much time. I can see the appeal of running the whole thing easy, as a victory lap. I could enjoy the Boston Marathon environment in the second half, especially in the finishing stretch, as much as I did in the first half. But I think if I did that, I would have regretted not racing it hard. I think we owe it to Boston to give it our best.
• Would I run it again? Possibly. It was an incredible experience, but maybe just having done it once is OK. From the west coast it's a long and expensive trip, and having a non-running spouse, maybe not the best use of limited vacation time and dollars on a regular basis. 
• What's next on the calendar? Still pretty sore as of this writing, and hard to imagine racing any time soon. But if I still have the fitness I trained to in there somewhere, I'd like to get back and hit some 5k's and 10k's. And I tentatively plan the Seattle Marathon on 12/1, targeting the Snohomish River Run in October as tuneup half.

Thanks for reading if you've gotten this far, sorry it was so damn long.

Fantastic! While the positive split wasn't ideal, you didn't really slow down all that much. Even if you felt like death.

You should be so proud of yourself. Not just for finishing Boston, but for the entire journey. Watching you (well, via the internets) come back from your injury hiatus to being in kickass shape has been super inspiring!

Also, you should do CIM instead.

There was a funny incident on my bus ride to the start village at NYCM wherein two runners desperately needed to use on on-board bathroom but it was occupied and the person in there wouldn't come out.  After a bunch of waiting, asking the person if they were okay (no response) and finally alerting the bus driver, it was determined no one was in there after all 

Great report. Glad you had an overall positive experience - all the things you describe are what sets Boston apart and makes it worth it despite having high chances for bad weather. And you really didn't fade that bad - espec considering how temps warmed up and the sun came out!  And it was a fade not a blow up - so to me you actually ran a pretty smart race

And now you've run Boston and you'll always have that.  Big co ngrats!

Took the free Sam Adams 26.2 Brew they were handing out, which was awful, but I drank it anyway.

Had to lol at this, knowing how much you loathe macro beer.

Also, The Friendly Toast is a highly recommended stop around these parts for anyone running Boston. Unfortunately, I didn't make it there.

The old double whammy at Boston - the Newton Hills just when the sun comes out blazing, what makes Boston such a tough course to run.

Great race report. Given the heat and humidity, you did well. That's not something that can be easily overcome, especially with an early spring race when the body isn't adapted.

 

re; no bathroom on the bus: Last year just as we turned off the freeway to head into Hopkinton, we had to stop because the bus ahead of us had stopped to let someone out to do their business. I felt sorry for him, because he had so many eyes watching him squat by the side of the road, but sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.

If a bowel explosion was imminent, I couldn't think of a better group of people to be with than runners. lol

 

If a bowel explosion was imminent, I couldn't think of a better group of people to be with than runners. lol

No doubt everyone in the bus was thinking “there but for the grace of God go I.” At least I know how they deal with it now.

 

Also, you should do CIM instead.

They actually had a booth at the expo and I stopped to chat for a bit. She made quite a sales pitch!