Race Report Boston 2013

My fourth installment of a full marathon was the granddaddy of them all, at least in running terms. Looking at it now, in the light of all the tragedy, makes 26.2 seem a little less significant, but nonetheless I still want to write about he race and not the horrific ending to the day.

My training partner's family lives in Harvard MA. in a beautiful log cabin on the rolling hills about 10 miles from Hopkinton. Not only is it a stunning home, but it allowed us quick and direct access to the starting line. In my opinion, this is marathoning done right.

We easily got through the runners' check point and on the bus to the staging grounds. The athletes' village is a set up on a beautiful high school campus about .5 miles from the starting line. The entire area is very well done. Even though there are plenty of porta-potties a bunch of people {including us} slipped into the surrounding thicket... more on that later. It was a very gorgeous morning and the brief walk to the start was already lined with a bunch of kids. Everyone passed out stuff, oranges, water, Vaseline, and band-aides... We loaded into our corrals. Time to run.

Miles 1-6

The start of the village

The first mile out of Hopkinton is a powerful decline. Though you may never notice it in a car, it is very apparent to anyone who is trying to control their speed. The natural urge is to open up and barrel down. Plenty of runners did. In hindsight I probably screwed this up. My plan was to keep it slightly above my goal pace, so instead of the 6:40 I wanted for total pace time, I shot for 6:55 in the first few mile. I figured this would give me enough in the tank to really take on the Newton Hills in miles 16-20. The net decline is broken up every so often with small, 50 ft rolling hills. They aren't really difficult and are very similar to what I'd been training on at the Argonne trail course. But the constant effort to control the decent really starts to wreck your quads. Also, during this portion of the race, many runners that started in front of me, peeled of the road and pee'd in the woods ~1.5 miles in. I'd estimate the number to be between 100-150. Reminds me of the pee stop that is under Wacker Drive after .25 miles of the Chicago marathon. All things considered {Boston Marathon, first timer, perfect day, & downhill start} my 10K time was 42:58 for a 6:52 pace, almost perfect to my plan.

Miles 7-15

This is where you begin to move from the countryside into the small towns that dot the path to Boston. The terrain is moderate with slight hills and still an overall net decline. This is the only part of the race where you can see 1-1.5 miles ahead of you because its flat and mostly straight. The crowds congregate in solid bunches. Looking back, I think its advantageous to take the water from the little mom and pop offerings because you don't have to fight the crowds or the cups. Groups of Harley bikers, drunk students, and BoSox fans scream as you make your way to mile 13 and the famous Wellesley Scream Tunnel.

Athlete's Village on the lawn of Hopkinton High School

The girls were loud and their signs were actually hilarious. "Kiss me, I'm Canadian." "Kiss me, I'm experienced" "Kiss me, I'm frustrated" "Kiss me, she'll kiss us both" The tunnel wasn't short either, I bet it went on for about a half a mile. Unfortunately, as my Harvard intern @HugeDitts had warned... "Women of Wellesly all kind of look like Hillary Clinton" He wasn't too far off. It did cost me a few seconds, but time well spent reading signs and really enjoying one of the great traditions. My half was a respectable 1:30:43 for an average of 6:54 however, that is almost 4 minutes slower than Chicago 2012. 

 

Miles 16-21

Cresting Heartbreak Hill

The Newton Hills loomed ahead. I had driven the course the day prior and knew to expect a very steep decline at 16 followed by 3 smallish hills and then the monstrous Heartbreak Hill at mile 20.5. My plan was to shorten my stride, get up the hills in the most efficient manor possible and then allow myself to open it up on the way down. Unfortunately, it turned out being too much and way too late. As I came down the hill at 16 I felt the weight of my legs steadily increasing. I understood that it was going to be a fight for the last 10 miles. My speeds began to decline. I was now right around 7:35 a mile. Hill #3 was done and the climb up Heartbreak was intense. I knew that my own little cheering section would be near the top. I also did some quick marathon math and knew that 3:10-3:15 would be a challenge. By the time I finally did ascend the half mile climb at Heartbreak, my quads were rubber. I'd lost all pep and there was virtually no fight left in my legs. I've done 22 and 24 miles runs faster than these 21 and felt completely fine...this was different. The saving grace was knowing that the last 4.2 miles was all downhill.

Miles 22-26.2

The downhill race to the finish wasn't as pretty as it sounds. Actually, it hurt a ton. My pace had been rocked to a very pedestrian 8:15 a mile. Legs were simply turning over because I refused to let them quit. I noticed the extreme density that lined the streets. Everyone was out. Boston College kids, random racing enthusiasts,

and countless children yelling and screaming to hurry up and finish. I finally saw the giant CITGO sign as I made my way past Fenway. At this point, I just wanted to be done. I was accepting any food, treat, water, or juice that was handed to me. I finally saw Hereford and happily made my right turn. It was a very slight climb and Boylston was just ahead. Made the left on Boylston and floored it. Then it hit me, "Holy crap...the finish is really far away." I tried to muster any amount of speed I could. Unfortunately, it was gone. I was spent. I saw the Boston Marathon flags over the finish...just, had, to, finish. My watch clicked off at 3:14:25...but also had registered 27.3 miles. Maybe that's why I hurt so badly.

The Chute and post race thoughts

The chute took forever. I had finished with a pretty large group of runners and maybe it was just the masses trying to get to a place where we could just sit. I remember asking the volunteers for Advil as the cramping was starting to get to me. I ran into my future training partner John, he had beaten me by about 15 secs, now we were grabbing our mylar blankets and heading to bag claim. It was probably another quarter mile until I found my partner Jeremy waiting for me at my bag bus. He'd run his best ever Boston in 2:57 only to be clipped at the line by his race partner Ryan by ~1 sec. We laughed, ate a bit and walked to the Red T. By 2:15 we were on the train and by 2:45 we were in the car at Alewife, heading back to the house.

I had run my slowest full ever. It was undoubtedly the hardest course I'd ever run and even though I had been diligent on the treadmill hills...they were really no comparison. The one thing I had not prepared for were the crushing downhill drafts. As much as I tried to keep it under control, I think it damaged my overall run. In the future, I think I have to be willing to go with it and cruise at a faster pace while worrying less. Maybe work on my tangential running {27.3 v 26.2}? Maybe more tempo training runs? Maybe its time to run 10 story parking garages? Its very tough being a flat runner and combating the hills of Boston. I own a BQ 3:03 from Chicago 2012, perhaps I use it to get back for the 118th running next April.

As far as the aftermath of what transpired near the 5 hour mark I am still in a state of surrealness. Yea, I was there and I've seen the videos, I ran the race but it doesn't seem real. I hurt for the people that were injured. I've yet to encounter a mean spirited runner in 2+ years on the road. To do this to such a peaceful, good-natured group of people is horrible. I'm thankful my racing crew, my friends, and most importantly my family were all spared both injury and the sights. If there is one thing to motivate me back to Boston, it is that I don't want my last one to be that one.

I tweeted this the other day, I stand by that this is a wonderful idea: 

"The 100th @bostonmarathon in '96 was open to everyone. 40K ran it. Next yr should again be open, qualifiers in front, free-for-all out back"

~LH