Boston Marathon - RunMarathon


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Boston, Massachusetts
United States
Boston Athletic Association
46F / 8C
Overcast
 		Total Time = 3h 11m 2s
Overall Rank = 2907/23211
Age Group = M 18-39
Age Group Rank = 1857/
Pre-race routine:

Bus to athlete's village in Hopkinton. Sat and stood around in the cold. Was bad, but not as bad or as long as wait in New York. Had Gatorade and gel before start.
Event warmup:

Not much opportunity to warm up. Stretched some in athlete's village and jogged some on the way to corrals.
Run
  • 3h 11m 2s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 07m 17s  min/mile
Comments:

Pretty awesome race. 4 1/2 minute PR in a legendarily tough course into 26 miles of headwind. Really enjoyed it and never really hit a hard wall. Did a good job of staying patient and consistent. Miles 4-16 I was almost like a robot. Last 2 miles did get fairly painful.
What would you do differently?:

Stay conservative, but build a slight cushion. Like maybe a 7:10 pace or under before 21 and then whatever I have left. I was sort of trying to do this, but not hard enough. Part of the problem was that my GPS had me going a bit longer (with weaving and not a perfect line). 26.35 miles and a pace close to 7:14 goal. But the powers that be were seeing around 7:17 when I was seeing around 7:15.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked back to hotel. Did quite a bit of walking that day (to lunch, to see Kara Goucher at Niketown, to dinner).

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Hills a little, headwind a little. At the end I just lacked an extra gear even when I felt pretty good and felt like I was picking it up. Confidence might have been a limiter. This race and my last marathon a year ago I was fearful of blowing up at the end if I exceeded my intended pace even a little. I now know better what I'm capable of and could risk a little more, push a little more.

Event comments:

As good an experience as you get with running. I was really ready for this race. I rarely feel that way, but I knew I was well prepared. See mile repeats over the past couple months. Maybe I could have done some more tempo work and race pace work. The distance and the hills were not a big problem.




Last updated: 2008-12-15 12:00 AM
Running
03:11:02 | 26.2 miles | 07m 17s  min/mile
Age Group: 1857/
Overall: 2907/23211
Performance: Good
7:31 (1), 7:08, 6:55, 7:12, 7:15, 7:10, 7:11, 7:14, 7:13, 7:14, 7:16, 7:11, 7:13, 7:14, 7:14, 7:11, 7:25 (17), 7:24 (18), 7:12, 7:19, 7:35 (21), 7:09, 7:15, 7:08, 7:16, 7:20, (6:48) Had Gatorade (and sometimes water) at almost every aid station. Had gel before start and around 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24.
Course: Boston. 'Nuff said. Steep downhill start. Made it hard to gauge pace trying to hold back but manage crowded field. Miles 5-16 or so fairly flat. Girls screaming and offering free kisses at Wellesley. Then comes the firehouse turn and the Newton hills. They didn't seem too awful to me (nice to use some muscles that weren't hurting so much), but looking back I did have some slow miles here. Then was Boston College and the graveyard mile. I was pumped here and getting chills--done with Heartbreak Hill and downhill to the finish of the Boston Marathon! Crowds thickening, Citgo sign, full Fenway, right on Hereford, left on Boylston, finish!
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5