Boston Marathon

Well, our time in Boston this weekend did nothing to change my mind about what a fun event the Boston Marathon is.  Val and I flew up to Boston on Saturday morning with a conspicuous presence of other runners, including "Ultra" Joe Schelerth, fresh from his 20-hour Umstead 100 finish.  This year, we stayed at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel, which was recommended by my fellow Blue Ridge Relay teammate, Andrew Golomb, who was also staying there.  When we arrived, it was cold and blustery - very similar to last year.  We hooked up with Andrew and went to the Expo for packet pick-up, which was as jam-packed as ever.  If expansion at the Convention Center is possible, BAA really needs to consider that; the crowds are starting to get a little out of hand.

Saturday night, Val and I had a nice informal dinner at Uno's on Boylston St., before retiring for an early bedtime.  Oh, a great big shout out for the Park Plaza: at check-in, we said it was also our anniversary weekend.  When we returned from dinner, we had a bottle of wine, cheese and crackerswaiting for us in our room with a nice note from the person who checked us in.

On Sunday morning, Andrew and I met up with One2Tri Racing teammate, Kim Eagens, to bandit the BAA 5K.  This was just to be a slow easy run to stretch the legs out, with a few pick-ups.  The weather was cool, overcast, and drizzly as a strong front had just blown through.  After our leisurely run, we cleaned up at the hotel and met everyone at a diner for a late breakfast.  Joining us was Troy (Kim's boyfriend) and my good friend and running buddy, Julia Engel, a Boston veteran.  A quiet day walking around and another early bedtime, and we were ready for race day!

With One2Tri Racing teammate Kim after BAA 5K

This year we were able to hook up with private charter buses, rather than the school buses that everyone else uses.  This is a HUGE benefit.  You do not have to wait in line for the buses, they leave an hour later, and most importantly, they have bathrooms!  Also, the morning was cold (38 degrees with a 20 mph wind) and once the bus is parked, you can remain on it rather than having to exit to the Athlete's Village - another huge benefit (did I mention it has a bathroom?!)  Joining us on the bus were fellow One2Tri Racing teammates, and speedsters, Chad and Danielle Crockford.  Chad and Danielle, and Andrew left first as they were in Wave 1, then Kim and I (Wave 2) and then Julia (Wave 3).  Even though BAA added another wave this year, the corrals were still very crowded.  Kim and I both needed to make one last pit stop just before the gun, so we unceremoniously, but discretely, used someone's front yard. We later learned that if the police caught you doing that, they were taking your bib and DQ'ing you!

Kim, Andrew, and me at the BAA 5K

Last year, my goal was to just have fun and post a respectable time, in that case, anything under 3:45 (I ran a 3:42).  This year, I wanted to push a little bit more, but was not shooting for a PR (3:26).  So I had my pace band from NikeTown (customized for Boston's elevation) made for 3:30 thinking anything on either side of that would be a good day.  With a year's worth of hard training behind me, no injuries, and ideal conditions (cool temps, dry, 20 mph tailwind), I began thinking a sub-3:30 was realistic.  But, a slight problem: my pace band was so small - OK, and my eyesight is getting worse - I had difficulty reading my it.  So I had to run with my reading glasses; otherwise the pace band was worthless.  I was about 40 seconds slow on my first mile split, which is fine, and about 20 seconds off the mile 2 split.  I gradually made up time and my first 5K split was 24:20.  But then I misread my pace band and I thought I was a minute slow.  I didn't see how, but I sped up a little to make up.  By the time I realized it was a mistake, I was 90 seconds ahead of pace, which probably caused me to go out just a little too fast.  My 5K splits were holding stead around 22:45 - great pace.

My nutrition plan was to use Gu Brew hydration tablets (I was carrying a handheld), Gatorade Vanilla gels and S-caps.  My legs weren't feeling wonderful, but just good.  Around the 10-mile mark, I didn't know if I was hitting a bad spot or if it wasn't going to be my day.  I was still holding a projected 3:25 finish pace, but I didn't feel like I could sustain that.  Even the Wellesley girls didn't provide me with the lift I got last year.  I hit the 1/2 way point at 1:43.  Last year, the hills of Newton (miles 16 - 21) were where I excelled; only 1 person passed me on Heartbreak Hill last year.  This year, my legs did not respond.  In fact, I had to walk for 15 seconds up Heartbreak.  By mile 21, I realized I was not going to break 3:30, and pulled back slightly.  Now my goal was just to run a sub-3:35, which would be a Boston qualifying time (2012 standard).  I was still pushing as hard as I could giving close to maximum effort, but without maximum results; the legs were hurting!  But turning on to Boylston will always be a rush with the spectators cheering you on.  I managed to finish in a resectable 3:33.  Although I ran 9 minutes faster than last year and requalified for Boston, I was slightly disappointed because, given the ideal weather conditions and the unprecedented fact of not making one bathroom stop during the entire marathon, and for the effort I put out, I felt like I should have been about 5 minutes faster.  But, it was just not meant to be today.  Chad run an impressive time of 2:47, Andrew did 3:09, Danielle a 3:14, Ultra Joe (at age 61!) 3:27, Kim at 3:52 and Julia at 3:54.  All but Kim were able to requalify for Boston.  Unfortunately, Kim got tangled up with a volunteer at an aid station near mile 15 and injured her quad.  She was a gritty trooper for hobbling in, but had been on a 3:25 pace.  She's one of the more determined athletes I know.

Any disappointment I had was easily drowned out by a visit to The Sevens Ales in Bunker Hill with Val, Andrew, Julia, Chad and Danielle.  We later adjourned to Burkowski's and were joined by Kim and Troy.  Another great Patriot's Day weeken and looking forward to next year!