Myy wife (who also qualified) and I headed out Saturday morning to catch a 12:30 flight from National to Boston. On the shuttle from the economy lot there was another runner on her way to Boston! Waiting at the gate, we saw dozens of runners — all sporting some shirt or jacket from a previous marathon, wearing running shoes (some even in running pants, but we thought that was a bit too much). I’d say that at least half our flight was Boston runners or their families. Of course Logan Airport was full of runners making their way to their various hotels. My wife and I hopped on the T to the Hampton Inn across the Charles in Cambridge. After checking in (around 3:30), we decided to do the expo the next day and took a leisurely 2 mile walk to the center of Cambridge and Harvard University. We went to the Harvard Coop, walked around Harvard Square, rubbed the foot of the John Harvard statue (along with scores of other runners) (and those of you who went to Harvard, I know the statue is nicknamed the Three Lies — it isn’t John Harvard, he wasn’t the founder, and the date is wrong). Lots of touristy things. Then took the bus back to the hotel. Walked across the street for a big pasta meal at Cheesecake Factory.
The next day my wife and I went to the marathon expo at the Hynes Convention Center. First, we went to the marathon finish line to watch the inaugural Boston 1 mile invitational. This was a series of four races – high school girls and boys, elite men and women. The top two high school milers from each town along the marathon route competed in the 3 laps around the block mile. It was very exciting to see these young runners toe the line and race in front of thousands of screaming fans. For the high school girls, Margo Gillis from Newton finished first with a 5:10.6. Ryan Hardiman from Brookline finished first for the high school boys with a 4:37.3. For the elite men, Darren Brown won with a 4:11.6. For the elite women, local favorite Anna Willard won with a 4:38.6.
After the mile, we headed to the expo. We picked up our bib numbers, timing chip, and marathon shirt (a really nice long-sleeve running jersey). Then we hit the expo itself. The expo was jam-packed with runners and their families and booths from probably every major industry that has some connection to running — shoe manufacturer booths, apparel, numerous nutritional companies (e.g. powerbar, cliff shots, rice companies, dietary supps, etc etc), booths promoting other marathons, and on and on. My wife went to go buy her 2009 Boston Marathon official running jacket (she and probably at least half the runners). Meanwhile, I stood in line to shake hands with and get autographs from running phenoms Carrie Tollefson (who had finished 5th in the invitational mile), Jenn Rhines, and Greta Waitz. Then my wife and I wandered from booth to booth, eating and drinking as many free samples of products we could find, grabbing free posters, pace bracelets, etc. We also attended several very interesting sessions of the sports medicine clinic – one on nutrition (with emphasis on female athletes), one on biomechanics of leg injuries, and a final session “ask the doctors.” After the spending the entire day at the expo, we headed back to the hotel. Had another pasta dinner carbo load at the California Pizza Kitchen next to the hotel and back for early bed time.
Race day, we were up at 5 am. Had to pack and check out of the hotel (they held our bags). Then off to the Boston Public Gardens where the buses take you to Hopkinton. At the expo, you’re given a large plastic “duffle” bag to store extra clothes, etc. Your race number is on it and you drop it off at a baggage bus near the start line that transports it to the finish. We arrived at the buses around 6:15. Thousands of runners were already starting to line up for the hour bus ride to Hopkinton. Scores of school buses were lining up to convoy the runners to the start.
We got on the bus and settled in. We had some conversations with the runners near us, but mostly began the mental focus for the race. Around 7, I had my standard PBJ and banana pre-race meal. We arrived at the Athlete’s Village in Hopkinton (on the grounds of the high school and middle school complex) around 7:30 or so and found a spot under one of the big tents and lay down. The Village is composed of several tents, water stations, gatorade, bagels, music, and rows and rows of porta-johns with looooooonnnnnngggg lines of runners making their last minute, shall we say, preparations.
All too soon, they announced that wave one runners (I was in wave 1 with a blue colored bib, my wife was in wave 2 with a yellow colored bib) needed to make their way to the start (about 3/4 miles away). I changed into my race clothes — race-ready shorts holding 6 chocolate outrage flavored gu packs, long sleeve coolmax shirt, and short sleeve coolmax shirt (my MCRRC shirt from the 2007 JFK 50 miler with the slogan “There is more to life than logic and common sense” on the back), racing hat (I’d bought at the expo) and brand new running gloves being given out by HP at the Village. On my feet, Asics Nimbus Gel 10s. I was also wearing a plastic poncho to stay warm.
Despite the dire NOAA forecasts, race day was actually very nice. The wind did not really start up to sometime past noon and then was only more like 15 mph (not the 20 mph that was predicted) and we saw the sun more than we expected. The temperature also seemed warmer at the start, although I think it dropped as the day progressed.
The gun went off at 10 am and we were off (wave 2 started at 10:30 – my wife mentioned that one of the saddest sights she encountered was passing wave 1 runners towards the end of the marathon). The screwy “even effort” pace band I was experimenting with had me starting at a fast clip. Of course, it was so crowded that my first mile was only 7:02. I figured I had to really pick up the pace to make up time once things started to thin out a bit and ended up with a 6:36 2nd mile, 6:28 3rd mile, 6:26 4th mile. My 5K split (at 3.1 miles) was 20:45. My elapsed time on my watch versus the pace band wasn’t matching and I realized that my GPS watch was in “overall pace” mode not lap pace. I quickly switched over and realized I was running way too fast. Indeed, it wasn’t until after the race that I realized I was running 6:36, 6:28 and 6:26 (the slow first mile had my overall pace around 6:44 which is what I thought I was running).
Anyhow, with my watch configured correctly, I proceeded on through the wonderful towns of Ashland (with its clock tower), Framingham (and its train depot), and Natick. Miles 5 through 9 came in at 6:53, 6:44, 6:53, 6:53, 7:02. Miles 6, 7, 8 were a little off because I forgot to mark the mile 7 split. Although I was hoping to run sub-3, I also wanted to enjoy the race. So for the first 10 miles, I was high-fiving just about every little kid with an outstretched arm. And let me tell you, the entire course through these smaller towns (that did not have barriers erected to keep fans off the race course) was lined with residents cheering us on. Particularly little kids. For some reason, the pack of runners I was running around was not that into high fiving, and you could see the look of disappointment on some of the kids’ faces when a runner passed by but did not high five their little hand. So I was running along the right-hand side of the road, high fiving every little hand I could. I think I doubled back at least once or twice when I missed a hand, and on many occasions went into a running squat to high five a little tot. And their faces brightened. A comment I saw on another blog site really hit home — I may never be an elite runner, but for 3 or so hours, the Boston area crowd sure made me fell like one, and none more so than the little kids along the route.
But before I hit the 13.1 mark, I passed through Wellesley and the wall of sound that is Wellesley College. The girls were at peak performance once again. About a quarter mile before, we could begin to hear the dull roar up ahead. That’s Wellesley someone said. A rather buff runner in front of me proceeded to take off his shirt. “Suck in your stomachs” someone yelled. Approaching Wellesley I could no longer hear my own footsteps for all the screaming and yelling. I high-fived every hand I could reach. A few, presumably single runners stopped to kiss some of the girls (rumor has it they have to kiss a runner before graduation).
All too soon it was back to the race. At the half way point, most of the race has been downhill with only a few small inclines. At mile 15, we enter the Newton hills – a series of hills that culminates with Heartbreak Hill at mile 20-21. Even though my half split was on track, I could tell by the way my body and legs felt and knowing the hills to come that holding the necessary pace would be well near impossible. Not impossible, but it would not make for a pleasant experience. So I re-evaluated my race strategy. I still kept marking my mile splits, but I stopped looking at my watch and my pace band. Run the race as strong as you can, became my new goal. Mile 15 was a 7:08, followed by a 6:51 at mile 16, my last sub-7 mile. The hills began in earnest and my splits crept up correspondingly with 7:20, 7:21, 7:17, and 7:42 for miles 17, 18, 19, and 20. Heartbreak Hill gave me my first 8:10 mile split, but I actually felt like a climbed that one much better than my previous Bostons. Somehow, I was able to manage a 7:30 for mile 22 as we raced the downside of Heartbreak Hill into Brookline.
Now the course is a steady downhill through Brookline and then into Boston proper. As loud as the Wellesley girls are, the Boston College boys hold their own too. The crowds were near 10 deep and cheering would not let you give up. At mile 23 my adductors (inner thigh muscles) started to cramp up and my knee started to ache. The downhill pounding was getting too much. I could not hold the 7:30 pace any longer, but ran as hard as I could. Mile 23 gave me an 8:06, mile 24 an 8:04, mile an 25 8:19. The Citgo sign came into view as we hit the mile-to-go mark.
I was running as hard as my aching legs could go. Somehow missed the mile 26 mark, turned onto Boylston and came into that final 1/4 mile stretch down Boylston to the finish. I had nothing left for a kick and just kept my pace (8:21) across the finish line, pumping my fist into the air as I saw the finish time. 3:09:18. I didn’t break 3 hours, I didn’t PR, but I did run a Boston PR and I ran a Boston qualifier.
I staggered through the finish area. Drank down a half liter of water and a cup of gatorade. Finally got my mylar space blanket but was getting more and more chilled (not hypothermia again?). Before I could get to the medal zone (where they take off your chip and give you your medal), I was shaking and staggering. A kindly red-jacketed medical personnel came up to me and walked with me a few steps. Asked me how I felt. Horrible. I felt faint, nauseous and like I was about to pass out. They put me in a wheelchair and whisked me to the medical tent. I guess my temperature was not hypothermic but I was shaking and when they took my blood pressure it was rather low. They did a quick blood work and hooked me up to an IV. I was getting a little panicked that something might be wrong, probably was hyperventilating a bit. The doctor explained that I was fine but just that I was, in his words, “a quart low.” I had some painful cramping in my legs and abs, but not as severe as in 2007 when I was hypothermic. Eventually I was able to joke with the nurse that I had been wondering before the race what I’d do for an hour and a half between when I finished and when my wife was projected to finish. I spent it in the medical tent. After getting “topped off” with an IV drip of whatever that clearish liquid was, I was cleared to leave. I made my way down the finish area (the medics had kindly removed my chip and “awarded” me my medal), got some food, found my now-worried wife at our designated meet-up place, got my drop bag and put on some warm clothes.
We T’ed back to the hotel, cabbed to the airport, and were able to catch an earlier 6 pm flight home. I was still in race gear (bib number still on), medal around my neck. This flight was 3/4 business people on the USAir shuttle to DC and 1/4 weary marathon runners with medals around their necks.
We got home in time to put the kids to bed and show them our medals.
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