Notes
Thus begins the play by play for today's race. For anyone aside from myself who reads this, brace yourself this will be a long one.
Woke up this morning at 4:50 and was actually able to get around 6ish hours of sleep last night, first time ever before the marathon so that was helpful. Got dressed, ate a bagel and then drank a lot of water before leaving the hotel with Daniel. The bus pickup is about 1.5 miles away so we did some jog/walk intervals over to the park so we could shakeout the legs a little and make it in time as the bus pickup was at 6. Daniel had his typical pre-race nerves and he ended up puking 3 different times which was really funny and at the same time really disgusting. Anyway, got to the bus stop and then ended up waiting for 20 minutes before leaving and driving for an hour to the start. Tried to zone out and not think about the fact that we had to do this same trip essentially back. Got to the start around 7:40 and then just hydrated like crazy, used the bathroom, and tried to get some rest before walking to the line at 9:05. Took a GU before we left the athlete's village and jogged for another half mile. At this point it was really starting to get toasty (69-70 degrees) but I did a good job at just zoning out and not thinking about it. Had to piss twice before the start and then after the typical national anthem we were off! Obviously being my first Boston Marathon I was super pumped and excited to run down a path that so many runners before me have tackled.
Miles #1-4: Immediate downhill start, and immediately I was passed by everyone as Daniel and I grouped up and just tried our best to land lightly and keep our armswing low so that the hills didn't overtake/change my form so early on into the race. Had some early jostling but the rolling hills helped people kind of slowly get into a cadence and we started grouping up. Everyone was still together at this point obviously, so there were a ton of groups and it wasn't as easy easy to just look around and relax. Unfortunately, had a cramp almost instantly from the start so while a lot of people were joking and talking I just did my best to try and rub it out and chill. Quads were already feeling sore so I was glad that the plan was to chill early.
Miles #4-10: First time in the race in which we reached a town. Saw my mom right at the beginning of this mile and tossed her my inhaler that I had been carrying. Lots of drunk college kids were screaming for us and the roaring crowd got a lot of people very excited so people started surging and groups began to break up. The majority of the big downhills from the first 5k were gone so now it was just nice rolling hills. Legs began to get used to the pace at this point and it was easier to zone out and just let the race come to me. Started passing a few people who already were paying for going fast too early. Around mile 8 the wind picked up considerably and a few guys tucked in behind Daniel and I but we were catching people still so it wasn't a big deal. Took a GU at mile 8 and made sure to switch between water and Gatorade at every station. The temperature was still pretty hot and I didn't want to let heat exhaustion creep in so I drank even when I wasn't thirsty.
Miles #10-13: Right around 10 miles we started getting a few uphills again. Nothing crazy, but a lot of people really started coming back to me, including an Augie alum who I recognized by face but don't remember exactly how good he was. We ran past Wellesely and had a flock of girls screaming at us. The yelling was a nice change of noise and it helped me not think about the slow gradual uphill that was happening. Once we ran by the college, there was a slight downhill and it was here where I slowly felt my quads begin to ache. Not terrible, but noticeable
Miles #13-15: The course levels out for a bit and it was right here where I started to feel better. Daniel slowly fell off of me at mile 14 and for these next 2 miles I started passing a few people and moved up a group. Caught this Wheaton Alum who I talked to pre-race whose run 2:32 at Chicago and when I caught him he told me to keep going and that his race was done. Kept moving up and took my 2nd GU right as we got to mile #15.
Miles #15-18: It was these miles right here in which I believe were the real killers of my race. Once you get past mile 15 there is a significant downhill that just shits on your legs. It lasts for about a mile and it's dangerous because you have to shop your stride a bit to save your quads but at the same time it kills your hamstrings. Right after the mile downhill you turn into the first of the 4 hills. Each one in of itself is a good sized hill, and that combined with the 17 mph winds and tired legs led to things being a bitter harder than I would have liked. Still, I recovered well and did my best to not look at my watch and just go on feel. Despite some tough parts during these miles, I passed a ton of people and was still feeling very confident that I could keep rolling and finish the race strong. Little did I know what was about to happen next.
Miles #18-21: This is when shit got hard, and it got hard fast. The final hill was a tough son of a bitch, but again I still handled it well and was actually catching up to the next group. I passed a pack of 2-3 guys and began my descent when suddenly my right hamstring yanked, and yanked hard. It was just one step, but I could tell that this was the beginning of my body shutting down. With each and every step, the yank became more painful and more violent; and I began to get frustrated because I had followed my plan so well up until this point. I began to limp and was able to keep going for about another 800 meters, but then (probably due to overcompensation) my other hamstring began to feel sharp yanks. I had to stop right after cresting mile 21 because it was getting to the point where I couldn't run. I stopped, stretched for 10-15 seconds and then started up again. This temporarily helped my pain but I was forced to stop again just a few minutes later as I quickly tightened up even more. After the second time, I began to notice my quads and IT Bands pulling and knew it was only a matter of time. I quickly forced my final GU down and hoped that the sudden boost of electrolytes would help relieve the pain.
Miles #21-24: I had to stop one more time during mile 22, but after that I seemed to stop the progression of misery in my hamstrings and they got just to the point where they were allowing me to limp. Unfortunately, these last few miles were downhill so I had to completely hobble down the hill and it was around mile 23 that my quads seized up. The pain was pretty close to unbearable but I just reminded myself that this wasn't a race about time, and that even when things weren't going my way I just had to suck it up. I paid for this and damn it I wasn't going to stop now.
Mile #25: I had a man pass me and then 400 meters later he stopped because he locked up too hard. This gave me small relief in knowing that I wasn't the only one whose body was quiting on them. My breathing was back to easy run pace and I felt like I was walking at the pace I was clipping off. I looked up and saw all the people screaming and did my best not to look totally miserable when the cameraman began to take pictures. It was at this point that I knew I was going to finish no matter what and it was just a matter of dealing with the sharp pain. I kept telling myself to chill and that I could do it.
Mile #26: Shit creek without a fucking paddle, that's the only way to describe it. I passed the Citgo sign that acts as the famous 1 mile to go mark and then, without warning, my quads died. Never in my life has this ever happened to me, and I didn't know what to do. The best way to describe it is like when you are bench pressing and you can no longer lift the weight so you are stuck, and yet you are too weak to lift the bar back onto the rack. There is nobody behind to spot you and therefore, you drop the weight on yourself. That's basically how it felt, the leg pain was so sharp and severe that I thought my legs were going to snap, and I was losing the ability to move forward, regardless of how much I wanted it. It was at this moment that I experienced the greatest physical pain I have ever felt in my entire life (not mental fortunately, I can thank 4 Lakes and Blackwell for that). I turned the final few (and only) turns on the course and saw the finish. I essentially crawled my way there and just kept focusing on the big sign that marked the end of my misery. Crossing the line rewarded me with no feelings of euphoria, and nor did I celebrate, I just began to walk/drag my legs slowly down the next few blocks until I found a lightpole and used it for support so I could borrow someone's phone to call my mom so that she could help me.
Overview: Looking at this from a time perspective, I am definitely not happy. 2:41:40 for my current level of fitness is bullshit and I know that time does not reflect how hard the race was. That being said, I literally did everything in my power that I possibly could today to make things go well. I hydrated at every station, took 4 GU's, drank both water and Gatorade, went out slow and then progressed (for as long as possible), kept a low center of gravity with my arms and planted softly on my feet during the downhills, and didn't attack the uphills hills. So, while it looks bad timewise, effortwise this was all I had and therefore I am not disappointed with this race. I found a new level of pain that I had never felt or experienced before and I was able to overcome it, and for that I am very thankful. The winner of this race ran the slowest time since 2007, so the heat and wind definitely played a factor today. I did beat a decent amount of guys who are 2:30 flat marathoners so I know the time is there, I just have to do it. Despite all of the pain and roughness of the last 10k, I loved this course and I loved the atmosphere. As great as it is to run on fast courses, it's always interesting to tackle challenging courses and see what you're really made of. Today, I saw my strengths, I saw my weaknesses, and I learned a lot about what I need to do to get to the next level. The positives far outweigh the negatives, and I am very thankful to have been given the opportunity to race on a course with this much history. I truly believe this is a race every runner (who qualifies of course) should do sometime in their life. I love Chicago, but the atmosphere here is truly unique. I don't know when I will be back again, but the next time I come I will be more prepared and fitter than ever. Now, it's time to get my ass in the hot tub and try to find a way to keep my streak alive these next few days haha. Until next time Boston.
Overall Place: 159th out of 26,639