Boston Marathon
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Boston Marathon - RunMarathon
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Comments: Starting with the multiple e-mails from BAA - DON'T RUN! - everything had to change. My goal of running a 3:42 (after a Big Sur 3:49)didn't look to likely. I'd been dealing with some knee/leg pain for the last week, but figured adrenaline would carry me through it. My plan - and this is where I just made one bad decision after another - was to 'hang on' to my goals until I couldn't any longer, and then slow down. I wanted to run 8:30, was willing to accept 8:45. The e-mails that we got from BAA were very specific - they strongly suggested that we DON'T run the race at all, but if were were going to anyway, add a minute or two to your pace. HA! I said. Pshh....I won't need THAT much more time. Wellll........they may have had a point. I'll need to look at my Garmin when I get home for details. I didn't push it going out - I gotta tell you, the heat, combined with all of the bodies, was beyond stifling. My fist mile was about 8:45, second about 8:40....third 9:00. Uh-oh. Well before the 10k I knew that my 8:45 pace was gone, and unles it started to rain, my 9:00 was gone too. So......leg was sore from the beginning. Having dropped my inhaler right after the start, I was missing the inhaler by mile 10. (worrying about missing it by mile 2). Started getting seriously light-headed, (and cold flashes, how weird is that?) and dizzy by mile 16, couldn't talk. Didn't recognize MightyMom at mile 13! She hugged me anyway!! Jeff was waiting at mile 16, it was a nice hug/kiss, but I didn't want to go back out. Really wanted to quit. Walking way more than running at this point. Mile 21-22, I puked. Would have been humiliating if so many others weren't doing the same thing. Carnage. However, I did keep moving! Mile 24ish, something popped in my knee. OMG, daggers in the back of my leg with every step. Still don't know what it was/is. Still pretty darn painful. Last 2 miles - about 30 minutes. Finished, waved off the wheelchair because I knew if they took me to medical, I'd get an IV and I'd never make it to the airport. I got offered medical multiple times down the chute and the exit area. SO TEMPTING. Got my medal, picture, clothes bag, water....found Jeff. Layed down on the sidewalk. With many others, may I add! Finally made it to the corner....got a cab. This whole time, Jeff's on his phone trying to change our flight - we'd missed it. He was able to change it - of course the new one was delayed, so we had to wait at Logan for 2 hours, and then take the 4 hour flight. Got to the hotel in Ft. Lauderdale at midnight, left for the Bahamas at 5:15 in the morning. Rolled into the lobby here at 9.......aaaaaah. What would you do differently?: Jeez. Listen to the pros, start off SLOWLY. Don't underestimate the heat. Believe the flashing highway signs on the side of the road that said *HEAT ALERT* *HYDRATE* *SLOW DOWN*. Don't lose the inhaler. Never plan an early flight. Don't assume adrenaline will fix a knee issue. Bring more GU! ![]() Post race
Warm down: Stagger through the finisher's area. Find Jeff. Get a cab to the hotel. 15 minutes to final pack and shower. AAAKKK!!! Chafing on the back - need a new sportsbra. Sprint to the airport. What limited your ability to perform faster: I don't care waht the offical # was - it was 93 in Wellesley and I'm guessing closer to 100 on the pavement, in the pack. ARG. EDITED AFTER DOCTOR APPT: Torn gastroc, strained hammy, extension of sciatic nerve pain. No s/b/r for at least 2 weeks. Well, at least it's an explanation. Last updated: 2012-04-23 12:00 AM
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United States
Boston Athletic Association
93F / 34C
Sunny
Overall Rank = /
Age Group = W45-49
Age Group Rank = 0/
It was an epic day, one that will stay in the history books! I'm very glad, actually, that I didn't take the deferrment. I think I would have spent a long time thinking that I should have ran, that it couldn't have been that bad. I AM so disappointed in the day, but I know that while I made some critical mistakes out there, it wasn't lack of effort on my part. It was a combination of factors that I couldn't control - like the weather annd my back, and my knee, and mistakes that I made in execution - concious decisions that were wrong, but I apparently need to learn this for myself. Ha!
It's the most amazingly well oiled machine, the BAA, no complaints. However, it's one long day. Out of the hotel at 6:30 to take the shuttle to the Boston Commons. Line up with zillions of other runnners/families. 45 minute wait to get on a school bus - one of HUNDREDS - and then almost an hour to get to Hopkinton.
Rolled into Hopkinton at about 9 - stood in line for a porta-potty. a LONG line. They had lots of shade set up, but way more people than cover. So, by 9, we were in the full sun. It was already 80, they told us. So, drinking water, gnawing on a bagel, applying sunscreen, seeing friends, taking pictures. and being HOT. They started us toward the corrals at about 10. Partway down I realized that I had forgotten my inhaler in my clothes bag. Ran back, very nice volunteer helped me to find it. Walked the mile to the corral - had a quick, unnecessary potty stop. I took a hit off the inhaler, and we were off!!!
On my feet for hours - in the sun - couldn't have been any warmer!!