Boston's Run to Remember Half Marathon - Run

This was my 5th year in a row doing this race. I was around 1:47 five years ago, and have been getting faster as my base has increased. I was hoping for 1:20:xx, and knew that this course seemed a little long based on previous years. Every year I've gotten 13.33 or 13.34 on my Garmin. I know I can't run the exact tangents on every course, but I've done a bunch of other half marathons, and am always around 13.18 to 13.23 or so. The weather was a mixed bag - it was nice and cool (mid 40's to start), but quite windy with some light rain during the race.

Knowing that my Garmin would be a bit off, I knew I'd have to average around a 6:05 or faster pace to get in under 1:21. I went out pretty easy in the fist mile at 6:15, then tried to settle into a pace in the 6:00-6:10 range. Miles 2, 3 and 4 came in at 6:02, 6:02, and 6:06. Mile 5 had a bridge, so a bit of a hill and that mile was at 6:11.

At this point the course was across the Charles in Cambridge and on Memorial Drive. I got back in my grove for the next two miles in 6:09 and 6:07, which included the turnaround just before Mass Ave. It was fun to turn back and see everyone else running by, cheering on the quicker runners.

Around this point in the race I was around halfway, and I didn't feel all that great, I think I had a bit of a tail wind, but still only managed to run off miles 8, 9, and 10 in 6:11, 6:12, and 6:11. This brought me to the crest of the Longfellow bridge, with just a little over 3 miles to go.

'Only a 5k' I told myself and decided to push. I knew that my average pace at that point was not going to be sub 1:21. Mile 11 came in at 5:50 - pretty solid. Mile 12 was 6:11, but included the hilliest section of the race, coming back through Boston, then through Downtown Crossing. There was also some fierce wind blowing through the buildings.

With a little over a mile to go I tried to give everything I had left, knocking out a 5:26 13th mile. In the process I passed a few people who had been continuously hanging out just a little ahead of me. At the 13th mile mark I could see the finish ahead, and said to the guy next to me, "Let's do this!" We went neck and neck in the homestretch, which was around a third of a mile according to my Garmin. He outkicked me at line, but I was pretty happy to cross under 1:21.

Looking at my overall pace of 6:02, it would have been mid 1:19:xx at 13.1 miles.

Link to Garmin File: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/318273736

Not much, I think that I did pretty well for tri training and averaging around 30-35 miles per week for the first part of 2013. This was nearly a 3 min PR after setting around 30 sec PR's in my last four half marathons.

My calves seized up pretty good as I began to walk at the finish. I got a bagel, some water, my medal, then walk/jogged back to my car.


Not much - I think I did about as well as I could, having a real good close - around a 18:15 last 5k.


This race is in honor of fallen members of the police departments of New England. It was especially special this year after the Boston Marathon bombings and the killing of officer Sean Collier, a MIT Policeman.