Boston Marathon - RunMarathon


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Boston, Massachusetts
United States
Boston Athletic Association
50F / 10C
Precipitation
Total Time = 2h 45m 40s
Overall Rank = 1161/26606
Age Group = M18-39
Age Group Rank = 923/5285
Pre-race routine:

Three blueberry pancakes in the hotel room after getting dressed. Headed to the T to Boston Common. Dropped off my bag and got in line for the bus. Uneventful ride to athlete village. Found a small patch to sit (somewhat uncomfortably) under a tent. Ate a cereal bar at 9:00. Ate 1 block and 1/2 my The Running Supplement at 9:30 while walking to the start. Ate another block and the rest of the drink at 9:45 after urinating at the last portas near the start. Got in my corral and tried to get near the front of it.
Event warmup:

The 3/4 mile walk to the start line was sufficient.
Run
  • 2h 45m 40s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 06m 19s  min/mile
Comments:

Started out conservative, part by choice and part due to the density of runners around me. I knew it would be smart to ease into things, and didn't want to waste energy zig zagging. Opening 5k = 20:21. I did want to pick it up a little from there, and found some space at times to get closer to goal pace once the course flattened out a bit. Drizzle stopped and I ditched my gloves and arm warmers. Took Gatorade at most aid stations early on. Hit 10k at 40:05 and was feeling really good. Saw Danielle and Kevin as I left Framingham, worried I missed them in the huge crowds.

Next two 5ks were 19:35 and 19:30. This is where I wanted to be if I was going to push for that outside goal time. Still feeling really good as I neared halfway. Finished my blocks and took a Maurten gel. Hit halfway at 1:23:20 (very close to where I figured I needed to be to challenge 2:45). The course flattens out for a bit here (including the insane scream tunnel), so just tried to settle into a steady groove. I was feeling it slightly more than I hoped in the 15-16 mile range, but was manageable. Had to tie my shoe around then too, with cold fingers took 20-30 seconds to do so grrr...

Then came the Newton Hills. Focused on strong form and good cadence to get up them. Individually they really aren't much, so tried not to give much in terms of pace, knowing there were downs to recover after each one. When I hit mile 20, I knew I needed to run a 38 flat 10k to break 2:45. While it was net downhill, this would be a challenge. Heading down into Brookline my quads really started screaming. Goal at this point was just to hold on for dear life. I wasn't cramping, so I figured slowing down wouldn't help anything anyway. Saw my friends around mile 24 for one last boost to get me home.

With a mile to go it starting pouring, which at that point I didn't care, and actually find kind of funny. I wasn't going to break 2:45, but I still absolutely crushed this run and was just soaking it all in. Making those final two turns and seeing the finish line, I got super excited and started to sprint hard, but then backed off slightly to enjoy it more.

What a day!


What would you do differently?:

Absolutely nothing
Post race
Warm down:

Got my space blanket and walked through the never ending finishing chute. So happy they had warming buses for changing, was getting very cold very fast.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Nothing

Event comments:

Amazing event, amazing day. The crowds are just incredible. What an experience!




Last updated: 2023-04-20 12:00 AM
Running
02:45:40 | 26.2 miles | 06m 19s  min/mile
Age Group: 923/5285
Overall: 1161/26606
Performance: Good
Course: Famous point to point course from Hopkinton to Boston. Early downhills, late uphills, nothing too extreme.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 5