I suppose it started on time, though I�m not sure since I never heard any music, countdown or starting gun. I guess that�s what you get when you are in the last corral. It took just over 9 minutes to reach the starting line, but once we got there it wasn�t too bad. Sure it was crowded, but most people were running at about the same pace. Still, I was hoping to put some time in the bank before the hills so I picked things up after the first mile and moved up through the field.

The crowd support was AWESOME!!! I spent quite a bit of time running up the left side of the street and hi-five-ing anyone with their hand out, especially the kids. My pace felt good early on, running right about 8:00/mile. I had printed out a pace band for a 3:35, but found myself running faster than that. I could only hope that I was not going too fast too early. I�d almost say the first half was fairly uneventful. I held a steady pace, grabbed water or G�ade at every other aid station, more hi-fives and passing people and just having a good race. Somewhere around mile 7 or 8 I passed Rick and Dick Hoyt. Amazing! I think it was their 1000th race.

The �scream tunnel� with the women of Wellesly was awesome. Too bad I wasn�t a guy. So many college age girls with signs saying �kiss me�. If I�d seen a guy with a sign like that, I�m sure I would have stopped!! After I flew through the halfway mark I wondered what the hills would be like. Turns out they were small. As long as you haven�t pushed beyond your limits, they�re nothing to worry about. I also managed to pass a lot of people on the hills. I also started picking up aid from the crowd. There were a ton of people holding out slices of oranges, which turned out to be really awesome. And I grabbed some twizzlers from a couple other people. Mmmmm... it�s just like an ultra.... candy!!

I hit the aid station at mile 20 and knew Heartbreak Hill would be coming up soon. But I was still feeling really good. I had paced myself well until this point (though later I realized I had slacked off my sub-3:30 pace a bit). A bit after the aid station, there was a group of ~10 college guys on the left side of the road, each holding out a 4 oz cup of beer. YEAH!!! I had been looking for anyone with beer, so I stopped, grabbed a cup, and showed them the writing on my right leg. Got a bunch of cheers, downed the beer and took off again. Mmmmm.... free beeeer!!

Up and over the hill, then the rest was fairly flat or downhill. I hit mile 22 and realized I wasn�t going to make it in under 3:30, but maybe under 3:31 so I started hauling ass. I had slacked off the pace a bit during the hills and had too much energy left in the tank. Last 3 miles I was running like a mad woman weaving my way up through the field. I think I must have run an extra � mile with all the zig-zagging back and forth across the road I was doing. Came around the final corner, say the finish and made put it in high gear. Crossed the line in 3:30:52, for a PR of 2:17 and qualifying to go back next year.