Notes
Margo drove me to Hopkinton. I was cold and nervous. It wasn't raining so decided not to bring my gloves. Walked from Athletes Village to the Tumbleton's house. Got hit by rain and wind. Was nice to hang out there before the race and stay dry.
Started back in Corral 4. It wasn't raining, but there was some wind. First few miles went good and tried to keep my pace around 6:50 to avoid issues of last year. E-J and a couple of other GLRR runners were right around there and stuck with them for about 5 miles. It was raining on and off and some gusty wind.
By the time we got to about 9. I could feel my right quad was tightening. Having been through this so many times before, I knew what was coming so decided to slow my pace. Still felt relatively comfortable through the half. Both quads were not starting to cramp so I had to adjust again. The downhill coming into Lower Falls was tough and the uphill over 128 was almost a relief. Put my head down and started counting the miles as my quads cramped up more. As with last year, it was a matter of counting down the miles and not stopping. I never really felt I would not finish so just tried to grind it out. I could feel my fingers were numb and was soaked to the bone.
Was very happy turning onto Boylston. Some runners were kicking hard, but I just had to finish at the same pace. Many people were walking at that point.
Crossed finish line and started shivering. It was nice to get the poncho, but I was soaked to the bone. The wind was really strong in Boston. Walked to Arlington and was happy to get on the T. Someone offered me a seat. An old couple got on at Fenway and were very nice, they saw me shivering and asked if I was OK. I asked if I could call Margo so she could pick me up. They got off at Brookline Village. She gave me a big hug and a kiss. It was a trip to remember.