I knew my friend Octavio was running this race as well and shooting for the same sub 3:10 BQ time. He also had another friend that was a bit faster than us joining the group to help with pacing, man was that valuable. After my warm up I hopped into corral 1 and looked for Octavio but couldn't find him so at the gun I was on my own. The start was pretty uneventful; on time and no big crowds to maneuver around.

Ran the first mile in &:30 due to following people and then picked it up from there. All the while I was still looking for Octavio because I knew it would be invaluable to have someone to help you along. Around mile three I spotted him and pulled up alongside and we ran together from there on out.

It's been a hard last couple of weeks between having the flu and bashing my knee on a rock during a trail race. Truth be told, my knee still hurt and I still felt week and like I couldnt breath (respiratory flu) the entire week leading up. I really didn't think I could run below 3:10, even though I had the training, because of these obstacles.

After mile 1 I ran a 3:11 then a 3:10 then when meeting Octavio we slowed a bit, probably from chatting too much. After two miles of that it was consistent 7:10s. Forty minutes in a took my first Hammer Gel as my plan was to follow a Hammer Gel every 40 or as close as I could get to it. Everything flowed super well and my legs felt great, so much better than just yesterday's run. I really think my modified taper due to other circumstances worked out perfect.

We cruised through 13.1 at 1:34, right on track for what our plan was. At this point we hit an out and back on Indian School Road and it was great to see some other friends up ahead looking strong. At mile 15 we turned around and started the back portion and I felt great. Coming up to mile 18 I downed the third Hammer Gel and plodded along, thriving off the energy of the spectators. I was also telling myself it was just a mile up that I pulled off on my last marathon; a BQ attempt in Alaska that found my by the side of the road cramped as I was inured for 4 weeks coming into the race.

We rounded the corner onto 44th St at about mile 19 and I was finally starting to feel a bit sluggish. Seven more miles to go. At this point it was great to have Octavio's friend pacing us because I could just focus on him, keep up with him and be ok. Watch check, 7:00 miles.

Twenty came and while I didn't feel great I didn't feel bad. Around this time I heard Octavio tell himself to not give up and I hollered back that we were there. Twenty was definitely an internal struggle for myself as well as I started questioning the next 6.2 miles. I kept telling myself this was why I nailed every single training run, this is why I punished myself on 20 mile trail runs, this is why quitting or slowing is ridiculous. Before I knew it we passed the 21 mile marker.

At 21 I started feel really good again and that's where I told myself "we've got this, done, cash the check" because I felt great. We were still running around 7 minute miles on our negative split and I was happy again. Miles 22 and 23 passed without a problem and suddenly I was saying it's only a 5k away.

We ran into mile 24 and I could tell Octavio was struggling a little bit. As we hit an aid station I took a gatorade that I drank half of and I saw Octavio pull up and walk over to the water spot. Damn, so close. His friend was still pacing us out and pulled up to go tend to O, telling me I looked strong and keep going. I soldiered on hoping the guy that helped me through the first 24 would be able to nail his time as well. We are in the same age group and he was shooting for the same sub 3:10 Boston time.

At 24 I felt freaking great and managed a bit of a kick. It was ever so slightly downhill to the finish (after a nasty uphill around 24) and I clicked mile 25 with a 6:55 average. Shortly after crossing mile 55 I heard O's friend yelling at him that they were catching me. "Awesome" I thought, he's back on course and killing it. I did not want to hit my goal while the guy I rant the entire way with missed his.

Mile 26 came and I kicked it a bit, running a 6:50 the last mile point two. In the past the finish was after you made a right turn and ran another 75 yards or so and I was worried I was cutting it too close given that finish line. Low and behold they had changed it and it now sat at the corner you used to have to turn and bam, it was right in front of me.

I passed four people the last 100 yards and had a strong kick at the end. I crossed the line in what appears (official timing is not up yet) a 3:07:58 time. Bam, Boston!

I'm not sure anything. I felt really good at the end and didn't feel beat up after the race so there's always the question of could I have gone faster. I think I could have gone below 3:05 but that's it. However, my only goal was to run below 3:10 and I freaking did it.

Grabbed a water, a Gatorade and a Jamba Juice then headed to the family meeting area to meet my gf (best cheerleader ever by far) and family.


Nothing