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Boston Marathon - Run


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Boston , MA
United States
BAA
68F / 20C
Sunny
Total Time = 3h 18m 28s
Overall Rank = 2201/18319
Age Group = 18-39
Age Group Rank = 1366/4165
Pre-race routine:

2 Bagels, 8 ounces of gummy bear, coffee
Event warmup:

None, just relaxing, conserving on Energy
Run
  • 3h 18m 28s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 07m 35s  min/mile
What would you do differently?:

Train Better. Be more prepared for the course. Taper much more effectively, nutrition before the race was not appropriate (too many junk calories). Pace myself more intelligently.
Post race
What limited your ability to perform faster:

Underestimating the race.




Last updated: 2005-04-18 12:00 AM
Running
03:18:28 | 26.2 miles | 07m 35s  min/mile
Age Group: 1366/4165
Overall: 2201/18319
Performance: Below average
Mile 1 & 2 Avg (Total) - 7:45 (15:30) HR Avg = 146 Mile 3 - 7:42 (23:13) HR Avg = 151 Max = 162 Mile 4 - 7:24 (30:37) HR Avg = 154 Max = 161 Mile 5 - 7:37 (38:15) HR Avg = 159 Max = 166 Mile 6 - 7:32 (45:48) HR Avg = 157 Max = 165 10k Summary- 47:21 The key strategy for the first 10k was to simply focus. I tried to go slow, and when I slowed down, I focused on slowly down even more. My body was pretty much trying to minimize damage from the predominantly downhill start. Even with the game plan stuck in my mind, I was completely taken aback as to how LONG the downward incline was for the first 10k. I'm getting passed by quite a few people at this point in time. But my resolve to stick to my gameplan kept me in-line. There were several significant uphill segments interspersed in the first part of the race and all it did was serve an an appetizer to tenderizing our quads. At this point, I felt I did what was needed to keep my pace in line. My HR was well below the anaerobic threshold. In summary, the first 10k really was a warm-up for the the next 15 miles. Mile 7 - 7:28 (53:16) HR Avg = 158 Max = 167 Mile 8 - 7:19 (1:00:35) HR Avg = 159 Max = 167 Mile 9 - 7:21 (1:07:57) HR Avg = 160 Max = 166 Mile 10 - 7:24 (1:15:21) HR Avg = 163 Max = 170 Mile 11 - 7:25 (1:22:46) HR Avg = 163 Max = 168 Mile 12 - 7:21 (1:30:08) HR Avg = 160 Max = 167 Mile 13 - 7:20 (1:37:28) HR Avg = 162 Max = 167 Half Summary- 1:38:15 Hitting my stride. nailing the targets while also maintaining my HR at below the threshold. The problem I had at this moment was my in-race decision making. Should I go anaerobic from Mile 7-13, then cut back to 150s-160s from Mile 16-21? The problem with my plan there was that MIles 16-21 were all uphill, so I was going to be anaerobic the entire time on those uphill segments. My mind was just wandering around, thinking half the time. From Hopkinton to Framingham to Natick to Wellesley. The crowd was great, yet nothing extraordinary stuck out in my mind (though the girls cheering at Wellesley was a welcome change of scenery). But at this point in the race, my body was feeling fine and I was hydrating properly up to this point in time. Mile 14 - 7:18 (1:44:47) HR Avg = 163 Max = 167 Mile 15 - 7:33 (1:52:21) HR Avg = 163 Max = 167 Mile 16 - 7:30 (1:59:51) HR Avg = 158 Max = 166 Mile 17 - 8:20 (2:08:11) HR Avg = 165 Max = 170 Mile 18 - 7:12 (2:15:24) HR Avg = 167 Max = 174 Mile 19 - 7:35 (7:22:59) HR Avg = 163 Max = 168 Mile 20 - 7:56 (2:30:55) HR Avg = 165 Max = 172 Mile 21 - 7:58 (2:38:53) HR Avg = 169 Max = 174 Rolling Hills Summary This is where I lost control of my game plan. Even with going through the course tour beforehand, I had thought the hills were easier than anticipated and then Mile 17 came and BAM, I was hit by the onslaught of Newton Hills. This segment was an evil reminder that the subtle rolling hills for the first 16 miles were just for softening up our legs for this brutality. While I was never in danger of walking or passing out, the heat was not helping the situation out. The worst of the Newton Hills was the first hill and Heartbreak Hill (the final hill). Heartbreak was particularly vicious because it just seemed like an endless mountain. Our group of runners were asking, "This HAS to be the last hill.." At this point, doubts started to creep into my mind because while the final segment of the marathon is all downhill, it was going to hurt... bad. And now I was wondering if my legs could take the punishment for the final 5 miles... Mile 22 - 7:21 (2:46:15) HR Avg = 167 Max = 171 Mile 23 - 7:36 (2:53:52) HR Avg = 166 Max = 172 Mile 24 - 7:44 (3:01:36) HR Avg = 164 Max = 169 Mile 25 - 7:49 (3:09:26) HR Avg = 167 Max = 176 Finish Summary - 8:46 (3:18:16) HR Avg = 175 Max = 182 The final 5 miles were sheer torture. It was certainly not my aerobic conditioning which led to the slower times, it was my inexperience with the technical knowledge and experience needed to master the rolling hills. Mile 22 (from BC) leading into Beacon Street was down... then up... then down again... then up again. Beacon Street seemed like an endless wave of humanity. People were flowing up and down, up and down. I also realized one thing about this marathon: the runners here were no joke. Whereas in all my previous marathons I found myself blazing past people in the last 5 miles; in Boston, EVERYONE has a runners kick. While I wasn't getting passed in the final 3 miles, I wasn't exactly blazing a path of glory here (as I had planned prior to the race). I was just like everyone else... looking to hang on! Upon finishing the race, the first thought I had coming to my mind was: Thank God! There were just about a million things going through my mind: my slower than anticipated time, the additional training required to do an Ironman, my need to focus on adding intervals back into my training program, etc. But most importantly, one thing stuck out in my mind: I am not a Boston Marathon finisher! In the end, this is all that mattered to me and I did it with a respectable time relative to my expectations!
Course: Rolling Hills. Hills Hills Hills
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %0
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 2
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Ok
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] 3

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2005-04-18 10:36 PM

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Subject: Boston Marathon


2005-04-19 6:49 AM
in reply to: #144326

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Champion
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Williamston, Michigan
Subject: RE: Boston Marathon
Congrats on a great race.  Why did you say you are not a Boston marathon finisher?  Looks like you finished to me.  Take care  of those legs -SMO
2005-04-19 8:45 AM
in reply to: #144326

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Singapore
Subject: RE: Boston Marathon
Great race! Congrats!!
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