I started out the morning getting up at 5:45, taking a quick shower, getting dressed and making breakfast. Breakfast was the same as usual, an English muffin with peanut butter. With the race starting at 10:30, I made and packed another English muffin to eat around 9:00. With all of my belongings and race gear packed, I jumped in the car with 3 other Cambridge Running Club members to drive out to Hopkinton.
We arrived in Hopkinton around 8:30 and proceeded to walk a ½ mile uphill to the elementary school where all the runners can leave their pre-numbered bags on buses to pick up at the end of the race, and to relax after that rigorous walk (just kidding). I sat around for a little over an hour people/runner watching, since there were about 18,000 other people in this area (yes, I counted), as well as trying to keep warm. At this point, it was about 40 degrees. During this time, I finished my thermos full of coffee, the other English muffin, a bottle of vitamin water, and another bottle of water. It was safe to say I was properly hydrated. At 10:15, I changed into my race wear, got my running gu’s in my new running belt (yes, a new running belt), and headed down to the start line.
One of my big concerns about the race was starting in the 22nd corral, which is almost at the back of the second wave. I was concerned that having so many runners in front of me would slow me down and put me off course. As I entered my corral, I realized that I was able to walk as far up to the front as possible by forcing myself through the crowds. The crowds were similar to those in a crowded hallway in high school. Anyway, as I found myself walking closer to the front, the gun went off and everyone now started moving. The race had begun!
The first 3 or so miles are pretty much all downhill. To the tenured Boston marathoner, they would understand and force themselves to take this part of the race slow. I knew this, but still wound up running the first miles pretty fast. My first mile came across at 6:42, a little too fast, but I was happy that I was not getting caught behind a lot of people. I finished the second mile in 6:45. I remember telling myself to slow down, but I was feeling great, and had a comfortable pace going. Plus, I had just passed Bill Rodgers, the Olympian who had also won the Boston marathon FOUR times. How awesome is that? I just ran past an Olympian! I guess I should also mention that his Boston marathon wins took place between 1975 and 1980. Ahh details… Anyway, the crowd was already thinning, and I was still running downhill. I figured I’d naturally slow down soon since I was 14 minutes into the race, and should have settled down a little bit. Or so I thought. I finished the third mile in 6:35. Sh*t! I still felt good, but I forced myself to shorten my stride a little. The third mile had the biggest descent of the first three miles, but still. My 5k time was 20:40-something, which was 20 seconds slower than the 5k race I ran during this past Thanksgiving in Virginia (a little training can go a long way!) Mile 4 came in at 6:52, which was good, and mile 5 came in at 7:02, which was fine. A little over a half hour in the race, I feel fantastic, and for the most part I’m happy with my pace and time.
Miles 6 – 10 were pretty much the same as the first miles. By mile 6, I was ahead of most people in Wave 2 and had been running by myself for the past two miles. Then Becky, one of my new friends in the Cambridge Running Club, came running by me drafting off of another guy. Drafting in running is the equivalent of drafting in NASCAR, where you run behind another runner and shield yourself from the wind, therefore making it easier for you to run. Well, I decided that was a good idea, so I followed suit and pulled up behind Becky. The three of us ran together for approximately 5 miles, and we were consistently hitting a 6:45 pace. Now I started thinking that this pace is getting a little fast for me, however, I was still comfortable, and continued to push forward. In Natick around mile 10, I saw my friends Matt, Eileen, Matt, and Kathy with their children. I swooped in to give everyone that wasn’t holding a child a high-five, and I think I startled them a little bit since they didn’t see me. That was fun.
At mile 11, I started talking to the guy I was running with by asking him what his goal time was for today. He said he wasn’t sure, and also added that he swam a mile and biked 50+ miles this morning prior to the race. Well, that’s just great. I’m running with Superman. At this point, I had been drafting off him for the past 2 miles, and he proceeded to pick up the pace a little bit. He said that he was from this part of town and I guess he wanted to look good for his friends. I thought this was a good time to let him go. I was breathing harder, and I had still hit all but one mile in my first 11 under 7:00/mile pace.
Remembering my races from the two year’s past, mile 12 is a fun mile. This is where the runners race through Wellesley, past Wellesley college, and through the throngs of the crazed student body cheering as loud as they possibly can. Not exactly the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show, but close. Where they get the energy to cheer this loud or obnoxiously for 2 + hours, I don’t know. Regardless, the last thing you think about when running through here is the fact that you’re running. It’s like they’ve been allowed to go outside and have fun for the first time in 6 months, and they’re not quite sure how to act. This was my second mile over a 7:00 pace (7:05) and, unknown to me at the time, my last mile close to a 6:52 pace.
I hit the halfway point at approximately 1:30:00 (an hour and a half); with some concern about the last half of the race. I was feeling a little more tired that I wanted to at this point in the race, and was getting the feeling that my previous pace is starting to get the better of me. At this point, I’d like to think that I forced to myself to slow down, but I think my legs were not giving me any choice. I knew (and expected) the race to begin to get difficult, but I didn’t think it would happen this soon. Miles 14 – 16 I completed between 7:20 and 7:40. Knowing that miles 16 – 21 were the toughest part of the race from the perspective of overall course elevation, I was fine with continuing this pace. I’d keep it here (or at least under 8:00/mile) going through the hills, and then I’d attempt to race the last 5 miles. Easier thought than done.
Each mile from 16 – 21 grew progressively harder. By mile 17, I thought I felt a slight twinge in my left hamstring. At mile 18, I passed my friends Naoko and Dan. Naoko ran the first 18 miles as a tune-up, and look like she probably finished her run 15 minutes earlier. Lauren and I ate dinner with them on Saturday night, and Dan and I were joking that we would have to age-adjust his marathon if I got close to running a 3:00:00 marathon. As I passed them, I think Dan and I both knew any age adjustments would not be necessary. The first two big hills I ran with the goal of not stopping to walk, which I succeeded. However, my legs and lower back were starting to get tight, and I now had a chest cramp (oh the war stories!) After completing the second hill, I knew I had a little less than a mile to prepare for Heartbreak Hill. I knew that this was not going to be fun, and I had a feeling I was going to have some trouble with leg cramps. As soon as I turned the corner, I look up to see a street that drives straight to the sky.
With the same goal of not stopping, I put my head down and marched upwards to knock out the last of the hills, listening to Boston College students cheer and slur, watching them hand out beer to the naïve runners, and all the while thinking how crappy of a college football team they root for (I needed some motivation!) Halfway up the hill, I chuckled to the thought of running this at a 7:00 pace, or for that manner, a 9:00 pace. As I get closer to the top, I see my fellow drafter Becky walking. As I’m catching up to her, I tell her “Let’s go”. She turns around, looks at me, and just takes off and after 30 seconds I don’t even see her anymore. So much for running with someone else…. Anyway, I got to the top without walking, mission accomplished. I then begin to run downhill towards mile marker 21, and as I’m getting close, my good friends Erin and Brandon who were on the island in the middle of the road start cheering for me. I turn to my left to figure out who was cheering, and as soon as I see them, my right hamstring cramps like no other and I had to stop moving. I don’t know how to describe the pain other than feeling like you’ve just been shot in the leg. I attempted to walk, but that didn’t work. So, I sat there and rubbed my hamstring until it loosened up. A minute or so later, I started walking again. I turned to see Erin and Brandon looking over at me, wondering what happened. I shake my head, and continue forward finally being able to SLOWLY jog. I pass mile marker 21 in just under 13 minutes. And there went my respectable finish!
I continued forward averaging about 9:00 pace. At this point in the race, I noticed that the temperature dropped, and it had become windy. I don’t know how or why this happened, but when I got hit with my first strong headwind at mile 22, my left hamstring experienced the same cramp as my right hamstring did one mile back. Ouch. By mile 23, I had stopped again, but only for 20 seconds or so. My legs were toast, and I was now just trying to finish. I saw Matt and Nora, some more good friends, cheering on and came over to give them high fives. At least they looked like they were having fun!
The last three miles were pretty much the same. Jog at a 9:00, speed up, cramp, stop. By mile 25, I finally succumbed to the pace, and hoped that I’d finish under 3 ½ hours. During the last mile, I saw Lauren, her mom, Marie and heard her brother Kevin cheering. As per tradition, I ran over and gave Lauren a kiss, which was all the motivation I needed to finish the race. I picked up the pace for the last half mile, and crossed the finish line in 3:26:25, and just completed my third Boston marathon!
As much as I wanted to finish the race less than 3 hours, I was happy that I ran and that I finished. I guess this just wasn’t my day. Not only did I get to run and complete another marathon, but I was able to promote and raise money for a great charity. I’ve also learned how to start and the time investment required to run a blog. Finally, if I motivated anyone to go for a run when they normally would not have, I’ll also consider that a success.
Thanks again to all that donated and to all who followed me along my journey. Once I figure out what my next race is, I’ll be sure to let you know. And if you’ve ever had the smallest thought of running a marathon, please completely disregard everything you read about miles 21 – 26 and sign up! It is an AWESOME experience!
Tom
