I had no trouble falling asleep on Sunday night—but I did
have trouble staying asleep. Sometime around 2:30 I woke up and never fully
went back to sleep again, yet somehow there was no nervousness, no tossing and
turning, just calm. Finally at 5:30 my alarm went off and it was time to get
ready. I had everything laid out the night before so by 5:55 I was out the
door. I hopped the T at Hynes and the station agent was letting all the runners
ride for free! Soon I was at the Common to catch a bus. By around 6:15, thanks
to the enormous efficiency of race volunteers, I was on my way to Hopkinton.
I rode next a really nice guy from Houston who had also done
Boston in 2010 and while I ate my usual bagel with peanut butter we chatted
away. It definitely makes it a more fun experience to talk to new people.
A little before 7:30 we arrived at the Athlete's Village. I
found the folks from the Boston Forum and sat with them to pass the time away.
What a great group and what a difference talking to people made during the long
wait. At 9:15 they called my coral so I head towards the baggage buses with a
runner friend. He’s run Boston more than 10 times so it was great to pick his
brain a bit before I lost him in the final port-o-john line. Since my throwaway
clothes include a Packers hoodie, I got plenty of comments on the way to the
corrals.
By the time I was in my corral, there were only about 15
minutes until the start…I waited with anticipation as they announce the elite
field and before I knew it the gun was off!
The First Half
As with my past two marathons, I used Greg Maclin's
customized pace band for the race. I set 3:03:49 as my goal, a conservative one
because I really wanted to have a good time.
My main focus was not to go out too fast—the first mile
drops about 130 feet and you will pay for it later if go all out. The crowds
kept me honest and clocked Mile 1 at 7:10.
Things stayed crowded, but by Mile 2 they had opened up enough that I
clocked 6:52. Mile 3 was nearly the same at 6:53. By this point I think it had
finally settled in that I was actually running Boston! Even though I did it the
year it doesn’t take away from how amazing this experience really is! Mile 4,
with its downhill ended up being my fastest at 6:46. Mile 5 went by in 7:01 and
I could tell that my average pace was were I wanted it to be. I’ve heard a lot
of people say that when things flatten out around Mile 6 if you’re not feeling
fresh, you’re done for. Thankfully, I was feeling good and Mile 6 in 6:51. Mile
7 went by in 6:54 and I took my first gel of the race. Thanks to my race-ready
shorts, I hadn’t lost any gels yet. Last year by this point I only had one
left!
By this point, my mind had shifted to Wellesley—not just to
the screaming girls, but also to the halfway point. With my eyes on the prize I
ran Miles 8, 9, and 10 in 6:57, 6:56, and 7:02. Mile 11 is loads of fun because
you run through Natick’s town center and there are tons of cheering spectators.
It went by in 6:59.
Mile 12 was downhill but pretty uneventful in 6:54. After
that, it was on to the famous Wellesley Scream Tunnel! I swear it was a lot
louder this year. Needless to say, Mile 13 was not a slow one in 6:57. The race
then entered the heart of Wellesley where there were tons of fans. I went
through the half in 1:31:04 (one second ahead of what my pace band said),
knowing that my A, B, and C time goals were all still very doable.
The Second Half
After the half, my thoughts shifted to the Newton Hills that
start at Mile 16. My thought process went something like this: If you can make
it to 16 feeling strong, then you can make it through the hills. They will
suck, but they will take up 5 miles and by the time you are done you will be in
the home stretch. As Mile 14 took me out of “downtown” Wellesley in 6:54 I
passed cheering spectators and quaint cafes, almost wishing I had time to stop
for a bite! Mile 15 is mostly gentle
uphill so I did it in 7:00. Mile 16 has one of the steepest downhills in the
whole race and since it’s followed by the Newton Hills I tried not to kill my
quads in 6:51. Finally I entered Newton and part way through Mile 17, the first
climb began with the I-95 overpass (probably the least scenic part of the
course). At this point, I could feel the heat and had started dumping water on
myself at almost every stop. Through the rolling hills of Miles 17, 18, 19, and
20 7:08, 7:17, 7:00, and 7:15. Now it was time for Heartbreak Hill! I’ll be
honest, last year I didn’t think Heartbreak Hill was that bad—this year, as I
ran Mile 21 in 7:31, I though it may in fact lead to my own heartbreak.
Thankfully there were tons of screaming BC students who helped pull me through.
Mile 22 is a nice downhill break and I did in 6:48. Now I knew I just had to
hold on through the final, relatively flat, miles. I forgot to hit the lap
button so Miles 23 and 24 were 13:59 together. I could see the Citgo sign,
taunting me! Finally after a short but steep-feeling uphill I past the Citgo
sign and ran Mile 25 in 7:22. At this point it was clear that there was no gas
left in the tank and the only way I was going to cross the finish line was
through sheer willpower. As I passed the 1 Mile to Go sign, I told myself I
wasn’t going to stop. I saw a couple other runners start to walk, or alternate
between a walk and a shuffle and I knew that no matter what, I was going to
keep running (if you can call what I doing running). I dipped under Mass Ave
and made the “Right on Hereford” where there were hundreds of screaming
onlookers. This was a slight uphill, but since I was staying a block away I
knew to expect it. I turned “Left on Boylston” and could see the finish. If I’d
had anything left this would have been time for a kick, but I settled for a
slower pace down this final downhill stretch. I gave it a little extra umph
when I heard people calling my name and crossed the finish in 3:04:37, a new PR
by 77 seconds!
What I Learned
I definitely ran a much smarter race in Boston than in New
York. I had some fast miles in there, but they were intentional and well
thought-out. Ultimately I think it was more the downhills than anything else
that got me in the end. Still, I was able to stay roughly on pace through Mile
24, much later than in NYC so I feel like I’m really growing as a runner.
Hopefully by Chicago I’ll be ready for my sub-3!!!
