Boston Marathon - RunMarathon


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Boston, Massachusetts
United States
Boston Athletic Association
38F / 3C
Precipitation
Total Time = 3h 28m 24s
Overall Rank = 5105/20638
Age Group = 18-39
Age Group Rank = 2424/
Pre-race routine:

a bunch of us met in ct. and then drove to boston on sunday for packet pick-up. i was the only one running, but it was so awesome to have everyone around. we hung out and for a bit in the city on sunday, but then headed to our hotel.

we stayed at the marriott in quincy sunday night. i was in the early wave (10:00am), but all my friends were cool with driving me to the start so i didn't have to leave the hotel until 8:00am. i was able to get a full nights sleep and not have to stand out in the cold all morning. it was very cool of them and i have no doubt it made my day. standing around in the rain and cold waiting to start would have been miserable. instead, they dropped me off near the exit for hopkinton and i jumped on the last bus out of the city that was sitting there at a light. 5 minutes later i was at the school and walking to the start. i wore a disposable poncho (thanks nate!) and a garbage bag into the corral (#4).
Event warmup:

none really. ate a bagel on the way and a gu while i walked the ~.5 mile to the start.
Run
  • 3h 28m 24s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 07m 57s  min/mile
Comments:

the timing was so perfect that the start happened as soon as i got into my corral and we were on our way. i dumped the garbage bag immediately and then dumped the poncho shortly after. the rain had eased up and in a pack of 20,000 the wind wasn't hitting you directly. i was wearing a lot of clothes:
top: winter hat, 1 thin short sleeve layer, 3 thin long sleeve layers
bottom: tri shorts, tights, cargo shorts to carry stuff.
and i began to overheat quickly. i took off the hat and gloves and started to settle in.

the start (and much of the course) is downhill, so i started fast, but was not pushing it. my goal was to go as fast as i could without causing much damage. i knew i couldn't set a pr and with a half-ironman coming 5 days after, i just wanted to cruise. on the other hand, i wanted a decent time (3:30-4:00) and to finish early enough to get on the road to make our flight out that evening.

i followed the pack and concentrated on my form. i could immediately tell that this wasn't your typical race. i ran the first 4 miles ~7:30/mile and was getting passed as much as i was passing people. everyone there was a strong runner. i continued on slapping the hand of every kid that had his/her hand out on the sideline (100s of them!) and although i had no idea where they would be, i was really starting to look forward to seeing k and my friends.

i got a chance to stop and see them somewhere between miles 6&7. i was happy the rain had eased and they looked like they were having fun. i dumped my hat/gloves on them, got a kiss from k, and continued on.

i didn't memorize the course very well, so i never really knew what was coming. after doing lake placid last year, i wasn't afraid of any of the hills, but i had heard a few stories and there were a few spots to look forward to. wellesley college was one of them and it certainly lived up to it's reputation. it started with an eery screeching sound in the distance that you could hear from 3/4 mile away. it got louder and louder as you went until you expected 1000's of screaming girls to come running at you from over the next hill indiana jones style. even in the cold rainy weather, there seemed to be 1000's of women out to cheer on the race. they were going nuts. dozens of them had "kiss me" signs and guys would run across the road to stop and give them a kiss. it was insane. that mile alone was worth whatever it took to get there.

i have to say it was kind of downhill from there. the entire race seemed downhill and my quads were already a mess. my hr, feet, energy, etc. were all great, but my quads were ready to quit and there was a ton of running left to do. unfortunately slowing down didn't ease the pain at all. i just had to concentrate on better form and reducing the pounding.

i made it to see everyone again ~mile 15 and that lifted my spirits for a little while. i was careful about eating and took some tylenol. the pounding was still relentless, but it didn't get much worse. the newton hills and heartbreak hill were actually a relief. they were harder, but energy wasn't an issue and running uphill gave my quads a break. i struggled through miles 19-24, but as the crowds got thicker, the pain faded and the finish line seemed closer and closer.

the final two turns were mobbed with people and the finishing straight was was on the only street i recognized. it was a welcome sight. eventually, the finish line was within sight and i still had a sprint in me. it felt great to be done and although tempered a little by the weather, you could tell coming down that street was an honor. it was like you were running 'the' marathon instead of 'a' marathon. they are all 26.2 miles, but you could tell there was a little something extra behind peoples smiles as we congratulated each other after crossing the line. really cool. don't tell my quads, but cool enough to do it again next year.
What would you do differently?:

nothing.
Post race
Warm down:

walked the 4-5 blocks out of the finishing chute and waited to meet up with k and my friends. ate some food on the way to the airport and jumped on a plane.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

no need to go faster.

Event comments:

awesome. great expo. great fans. great aid stations (although could use more food). tough, but cool course. "if you have the means, i highly recommend it"




Last updated: 2007-02-16 12:00 AM
Running
03:28:24 | 26.2 miles | 07m 57s  min/mile
Age Group: 2424/
Overall: 5105/20638
Performance: Good
mile01 7:32 165 mile02 7:33 162 mile03 7:35 161 mile04 7:23 165 mile05 7:44 166 mile06 7:40 161 mile07 7:49 166 mile08 8:08 164 mile09 7:32 162 mile10 7:45 162 mile11 7:53 161 mile12 7:28 161 mile13 7:39 166 mile14 7:54 160 mile15 8:15 160 mile16 7:39 153 mile17 8:28 161 mile18 8:33 156 mile19 8:23 156 mile20 8:46 161 mile21 8:47 165 mile22 8:00 164 mile23 8:40 161 mile24 8:07 163 mile25 7:51 170 mile26 9:19 172
Course: rolling, but mostly downill point to point from the country into the city. http://www.baa.org/BostonMarathon/CourseMaps.pdf
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
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