The Main Event (The 113th Boston Marathon)
Monday, April 20.
The race: 26.2 miles
I'm still a little stunned.
Let's just get right to it, shall we?
The Strategy
I built a paceband based upon a spreadsheet from someone with far more
knowledge of the course than I, specifying a 3:08 goal, a slowish start, a fairly even effort, and a slight fade at the end. I shared this with Galen last week, and we figured we run together for the first 10 miles or so.
Race Morning
Having not slept much, I finally decided to get out of bed at 5:40. I ate some cereal and drank some grape juice, got dressed and left my hotel, munching on a banana en route to the T.
The Green Line had a constant stream of trains, and I was at Park and Tremont, in line for the busses to Hopkinton by 6:50am. Galen, Ari and Abe caught up with me about 20 minutes later, and another 20 minutes after that, we were finally on a bus. Getting 22,000 people to a starting line cannot be an easy logistics problem to solve!
The bus ride was fine until we reached a crawl with some few miles to go. Maddeningly, we went past the entrance to the Village and didn't stop. I was aching to pee, and it seemed forever before they opened the doors. Ah, the benefit of the woods.
Once inside the Village, Galen and I quickly lost track of Abe and Ari. While I sought the information booth to see if they could patch my sweats bag, Galen went to try to find a short Porta Potty Line (which is about as elusive as the unicorn that is the BAA logo). We found a spot to sit for about 15 minutes (only!) and then it was time to head towards the corral. Along the way, we had to shed our sweats, and it didn't feel at all cold in my singlet except when the breeze picked up. Galen solved this by begging a couple of plastic garbage bags from a voluteer, and we had instant warmth.
As we walked towards the starting line corrals, we wished each other great races, and Galen reassured me about my fear (calf cramps) -- that I would just gut it out as I did in Portland.
Near to the starting corrals was a final field of porta-potties. And we both waited, reaching the front of these lines with only a minute left. We hustled to reach our corral (sorted by groups of bib numbers with groups ordered by qualifying times). We entered the corral as it was already starting to move towards the starting line. And without any time to get cold or think about anything, we were across the starting line and off.
I was running the Boston Marathon.
The Start of the Race
One great thing about the Boston marathon is that there are hundreds of runners with about the same ability, and hence, even though the start was very crowded, the starting pace wasn't too slow. That said, the course took a sharp downhill turn, and didn't really feel like we'd actually started. There were lots and lots of people cheering on both sides of the road, densley packed and held back by gates. I did not feel cold at all, with temperatures in the low 40s.
Split for Mile 1: 7:32
The crowd of runners was still pretty congested, and it was hard to keep with Galen. However, it was already possible to pick up the pace, not that my watch/foot pod could tell though: I just didn't believe we were going as slowly as the pod said.
I felt some tightness in my left calf and some dull pain in my shin, as in some runs a couple of weeks earlier, and I figured (and hoped) they would go away.
Split for Mile 2: 7:12
Now, the crowd of runners was loosening a bit, but a faster planned mile required some manouevers, particularly for small uphill -- I'm a hill runner! I pass people going uphill! I finally caught view of Galen when he passed me on my left, but when I found a path between people on the right, I lost sight of him again.
Split for Mile 3: 6:57
I note to myself that the stiffness in my left calf is still there, and at this point, it was turning a bit painful in the shin. I was feeling pretty comfortable with the pace, despite how fast, and I was still amazed as to how many runners were running this pace.
Split for Mile 4: 6:56
I had missed the mile 4 marker, so I didn't have any real idea how fast I was going. Towards the end of this mile, I noted how my left leg and shin was definitely painful. Depite a small hill here, I started to notice my heart rate drop (at least one display on my watch was telling me info I believed),
Split for Mile 5: 6:55
I began to have concerns that I was going out too fast, ignoring Mike's warnings about the course and the strategy he was advising me to take. (Mike's warning, in short: if you cave in to the temptation of the mostly downhill, first 17 miles, your legs would give out on you when you need to climb the Newton Hills.)
I had decided to take a GU every five miles, so it was time, but I took note of a little stitch in my side and thought about how breakfast was different (more, and a couple of hours earlier relative to race start) with this later-start race, and since I hadn't had the big, arugula salad the night before, I wondered if my body was telling me that I still had some digesting to do.
At this point, I decided to ignore my footpod's speed reading: it was saying I'm going .much slower than I know I was going, and the total milage at this point was way off. The consequence was that I was running by feel, and I felt like this pace wasn't hard. Breathing was easy, uphills were brief and easy enough.
Split for Mile 6: 6:43
I was still rolling through. Every now and again there were pockets of loud race fans.
Split for Mile 7: 6:56
I remarked to myself how my leg still hurt. My shin was a dull ache, and my calf was tight. I tried to decide if my right shoe's shoelace hit my left calf, or if what I felt was a twinge. Still, I was going fast, and occasionally looking for Galen but I didnot see him. I decided upon seeing the split that he probably is not trying to keep up with this pace.
I again considered how I was not following Mike's warnings about how a fast start might doom me.
Split for Mile 8: 6:51
I was still breezing along, breathing easily, and running way faster than my pace band said I should. I noted that there wasn't much wind and I felt appropriately dressed in my singlet with gloves.
Split for Mile 9: 6:47
Feel-check. At this point at CIM, I felt strong and started to surge ahead, and in Portland, I was laboring a bit but holding pace. Here, I was going fast and I was neither holding back nor pushing. I hardly noticed the uphill in this mile.
Split for Mile 10: 7:05
Getting Close to Half Way
The course largely flattened out here, nearing the half-way mark. My concern about left calf was increasing, mostly in the form of fear that I would experience the kind of rolling cramp I had in Portland. I noted how far ahead I was of 3:08 pace, and started thinking that my 3:06 desire was in reach, if my legs would just hold out.
Split for Mile 11: 7:06
I began cruising a bit faster with the downhill. In the distance, I hear a loud, high pitched din, and I think I know what's coming.
Split for Mile 12: 6:53
Ah, college girls, and the infamous Wellesley Wall. On the right side of the road, Wellesley women lined up for a half mile, screaming loud, high pitched screams. Some in sundresses despite the cool weather, many with "Kiss Me" signs. I decided to run about two runners' widths away-- close enough to look but not touch (or be touched). I picked up the pace and wore a big smile. After the wall of women subsided a bit, I saw one gal a little bit away from the crowd: short hair, nose rings, holding a sign indicating kisses for lesbians. Priceless!
Split for Mile 13: 6:50
At the halfway mark, I noted that my chance to finish in 3:06 was strong (I doubled my split and added 1 min). I also took this opportunity to determine what my supposed off-set from the course clocks was -4:06 (I saw the clock read 1:35 or so and my watch read 1:31 or so).
My water bottle was nearly dry, and I tried to get my bottle ready when I saw an upcoming water stop, but I needed to take off a glove, so I could unwrap an electrolyte tablet, which I didn't accomplish until after the water stop had passed. I let the tablet shake around inside the bottle.
I started thinking that I have the hills coming up, and I was hoping my legs would stay strong.
I began an eloquent internal debate: was I going too fast, without experience of the course? Or would my solid training and generally good hill running experience prevail?. I was also thinking that I could just put it all out there: this is the race I've been training for since December, 2007..
Split for Mile 14: 7:06
The next water stop came up and I pulled in behind the line of cup holding-volunteers and began dumping cups into my open bottle. Unfortunatelty, I shook my bottle just before starting as a reflex to empty it, and lost the tablet. After two cups were dumped in, a volunteer oticed and he brought over his pitcher to finish the job.
I began to feel like I had the luxury to slow down a bit before the start of the Newton Hills, so I eased off the gas a touch.
Split for Mile 15: 7:22
The mid-point of the next mile starts a big downhill, and this should be the fastest mile, so my letting off the gas had some impact on my speed here.
Split for Mile 16: 6:50
At the mile-marker, a forboding sign marking the start of the challenge: Now entering Newton, founded 1630.
The Newton Hills and Heartbreak Hill
Let's get to work! Still concerned about my left leg & calf, I take the first hill... Not so bad.... I let out a small curse when I realized I missed a mile marker, probably looking left to the crowd of Newtonians.
Split for Mile 17: 7:10
A mostly flat mile with another incline at the end, and this one felt a bit steeper.
Split for Mile 18: 7:10
Seeing the split for two miles at this point, I noted that I gained 16 seconds rather than slowing beyond what the pce-band strategy would allow!.
No inclines for the next mile, so it was a bit of a breather. My hill climbing instincts kicked-in: give yourself a chance to recharge before the next hill.
Split for Mile 19: 7:06
I felt a sharp twinge in left calf, and a small alert from the right one. I started up one hill that I thought was the start of Heartbreak Hill. 'Here we go,' I thought. 'I have the energy to take the hill.' There was an enormous crowd, loud and yelling encouragement. Up the hill... is that all? .... No.
Split for Mile 20: 7:11
After a brief leveling out, the actual Heartbreak Hill began, but I still did not find it taxing. There was some headwind working against me, too, at this point.
The crowd was loud!
Around a curve and the hill became steeper. A guy in a Captain America costume was getting all the cheers. I got to work and dug a little, pumping my arms a bit, pulling him in and easily passing him. I pumped my fist in the air as I reached the crest and drove through the summit with strong strides.
One stride later and I feel my right calf flash with pain. But Heartbreak Hill was done, and it would be downhill from here!
Split for Mile 21: 7:14
Downhill to the Finish
A sharp downhill began, and while descending, my right-calf cramped and locked up.
One...
Two...
Three...
Four strides...
...with a locked leg position to protect my calf!
Then, finally, my normal strides resumed, and I was relieved that it wasn't too painful and that I could run normally. Shortly after that, it was forgotten as I thought to myself: I have a lot left! Despite fears that my calves might revolt, my legs are not heavy, my breathing is easy, my heart rate is low. Just four miles to go and I wanted to finish strong, to leave nothing behind.
Split for Mile 22: 6:49
Legs were feeling okay, but a few small signs of trouble were present.
I began to think about Kobe Bryant, how he can have a dismal shooting night and then come in to a key point of the fourth quarter and knock down a difficult three. He can forget the shots that didn't fall and play at his best when it matters most. It's now my fourth quarter, and I will focus on nothing other than reaching that finish line as fast as I can.
This is the 10k after the 20 miler. This is fast. This is what Pfitzinger described what I should be doing at the end: pass people. I am putting my head down and pushing the pace a bit, and I am passing people as we enter Boston.
Split for Mile 23: 6:51
Passing people like they were standing still!
People were lined deep up on both sides of the street. A few jerks crossed the road in groups of three or four and nearly caused me to alter my stride to avoid crashing into them.
I was trying to vary my stride a little bit to keep all parts of my leg engaged, to not give my calves a chance to think I'm done with them yet.
Split for Mile 24: 6:54
Just two miles now. I can do this. I kept running hard, my arms pumping a little and my breathing starting to get a little heavier.
Passing people, some who have stopped to walk.
Split for Mile 25: 6:57
One mile left! I'm going to make it. I was working a little harder now... can't wait to get this over with. Legs holding steady, arms pumping, breathing starting to go deep and audible. A right hand turn onto Hereford Street, and as I came around the corner, I saw another casualty walking, holding his side.
Two blocks uphill and a left onto Boylston Street and now the crowd lining the street is madness... so many people, and such a loud symphony of cheering. Off in the distance I can see an overhead structure that must be the finish line, but I'm deeply distrustful that it is a mirage. I keep pushing and breathing hard, hearing some of my breath rasp from my chest.
Split for Mile 26: 6:53
The finish is approaching. I'm almost there! I pump my fist high in the air as I reach the finish line, see 3:07- something on the clocks and realize, I must have broken 3:04! Holy cow! I have done it! I have given my best race to the Boston Marathon. I have done what I wanted to do, and more.
Post Race
I stopped to a very slow walk, immediately feeling my left shin bothering me and slowing my walk to a hobble. I quickly found Ari there, and we exchanged congratulations. I don't really believe what I've done!
We wandered forward through the chute to get space blankets, and I lost Ari. I got my timing chip removed, received my medal,
had a worker adjust my space blanket as the wind was coming from behind me and blowing over it over my head. I thanked each helpful worker profusely. I pressed forward and somehow failed to locate the bus with my sweats-bag, and I wound up getting someone to find it for me while I waited in the medical tent getting warm (more blankets, warm bullion soup, more amazingly helpful workers). I got my bag, pull on my clothes, called Galen, listened to messages, drank two protein drinks I stored inside my bag and somehow managed to limp my way, slowly, to the Green Line station at Arlington, limp back to my hotel, found a hot shower and laid down, feeling very stiff.
I had dinner with Galen at my hotel, and then drinks with Ari, Abe, Michelle and Andy (Ari's host) out near South End.
My post race recovery was not nearly as fast as any other marathon I've run, as the pain in my left shin did not subside. In fact, I called my doctor to see if I needed to go to urgent care at 1am because I could not find a position lying down where my shin didn't hurt. On the plane home, only after I switched to Motrin (from Advil) did I feel the shin pain subside a bit, as I was able to sleep for a couple of hours on the plane.
• • •
On to the graphs!
Variance from plan (where plan was to finish in around 3:08): I think this graph is less meaningful than in prior races since I ran a solid four minutes faster than the plan. The standard deviation of my splits was 11.7 seconds, which is wider than CIM and Portland. Given the variety of hills on the course and the initial congestion, I suppose that's not too surprising.
Still, it does show how in the early part of the race, I had sped up to run many miles more than ten seconds faster than I planned to, a big risk. Mile 4-9 all way faster than plan is not the best strategy!
Heart Rate:
I always like this graph because the spikes of the Max heart rate shows when there were uphills within the mile. A few interesting notes:
Time relative to Plan:
Again, since the plan was modest compared to what I ran, this feels a bit less useful. However, it is interesting to note how I made a steady march down to a faster than plan time, with a small break around miles 14 and 15.
Projected based upon pace:
I did this to see how quickly I focused in on a 3:04 pace. Answer: by mile 6, I had brought the pace close enough to finish near 3:04. While the time drifts back up, it does so neatly around the Newton Hills and Heartbreak Hill.
Marathon Record:
Five personal records in a row.
Reflections
Wow.
On the one hand, this was something I have been training for for at least 15 months, I had a great indicator of my progress with the 39:31 10k, and conditions didn't bother me. On the other hand, I just didn't feel like I had that much room to improve over my 3:09:39 at Portland. But nearly 6 minutes! Wow.
And I believe that if I my calf wasn't so tight throughout the race, I would be able to say without qualification that the course didn't take my legs away. While I was concerned about my calves cramping up hard on me, my legs never felt heavy or spent. My breathing never maxed out. I feel like I took this course with strength.
If, if if.... In another reality, where I have infinite free time, I'd naturally look at how I could train for and break 3 hours at CIM in December. But, NO. I have done everything I wanted at Boston. I have overcome (or reacted to with good preparation and luck) the warnings of those who know Boston's challenges. I have set a PR by a wide margin in the nation's premier marathon, and I am satisfied.
I am satisfied.
The race: 26.2 miles
I'm still a little stunned.
Let's just get right to it, shall we?
The Strategy
I built a paceband based upon a spreadsheet from someone with far more
knowledge of the course than I, specifying a 3:08 goal, a slowish start, a fairly even effort, and a slight fade at the end. I shared this with Galen last week, and we figured we run together for the first 10 miles or so.Race Morning
Having not slept much, I finally decided to get out of bed at 5:40. I ate some cereal and drank some grape juice, got dressed and left my hotel, munching on a banana en route to the T.
The Green Line had a constant stream of trains, and I was at Park and Tremont, in line for the busses to Hopkinton by 6:50am. Galen, Ari and Abe caught up with me about 20 minutes later, and another 20 minutes after that, we were finally on a bus. Getting 22,000 people to a starting line cannot be an easy logistics problem to solve!
The bus ride was fine until we reached a crawl with some few miles to go. Maddeningly, we went past the entrance to the Village and didn't stop. I was aching to pee, and it seemed forever before they opened the doors. Ah, the benefit of the woods.
Once inside the Village, Galen and I quickly lost track of Abe and Ari. While I sought the information booth to see if they could patch my sweats bag, Galen went to try to find a short Porta Potty Line (which is about as elusive as the unicorn that is the BAA logo). We found a spot to sit for about 15 minutes (only!) and then it was time to head towards the corral. Along the way, we had to shed our sweats, and it didn't feel at all cold in my singlet except when the breeze picked up. Galen solved this by begging a couple of plastic garbage bags from a voluteer, and we had instant warmth.
As we walked towards the starting line corrals, we wished each other great races, and Galen reassured me about my fear (calf cramps) -- that I would just gut it out as I did in Portland.
Near to the starting corrals was a final field of porta-potties. And we both waited, reaching the front of these lines with only a minute left. We hustled to reach our corral (sorted by groups of bib numbers with groups ordered by qualifying times). We entered the corral as it was already starting to move towards the starting line. And without any time to get cold or think about anything, we were across the starting line and off.
I was running the Boston Marathon.
The Start of the Race
One great thing about the Boston marathon is that there are hundreds of runners with about the same ability, and hence, even though the start was very crowded, the starting pace wasn't too slow. That said, the course took a sharp downhill turn, and didn't really feel like we'd actually started. There were lots and lots of people cheering on both sides of the road, densley packed and held back by gates. I did not feel cold at all, with temperatures in the low 40s.
Split for Mile 1: 7:32
The crowd of runners was still pretty congested, and it was hard to keep with Galen. However, it was already possible to pick up the pace, not that my watch/foot pod could tell though: I just didn't believe we were going as slowly as the pod said.
I felt some tightness in my left calf and some dull pain in my shin, as in some runs a couple of weeks earlier, and I figured (and hoped) they would go away.
Split for Mile 2: 7:12
Now, the crowd of runners was loosening a bit, but a faster planned mile required some manouevers, particularly for small uphill -- I'm a hill runner! I pass people going uphill! I finally caught view of Galen when he passed me on my left, but when I found a path between people on the right, I lost sight of him again.
Split for Mile 3: 6:57
I note to myself that the stiffness in my left calf is still there, and at this point, it was turning a bit painful in the shin. I was feeling pretty comfortable with the pace, despite how fast, and I was still amazed as to how many runners were running this pace.
Split for Mile 4: 6:56
I had missed the mile 4 marker, so I didn't have any real idea how fast I was going. Towards the end of this mile, I noted how my left leg and shin was definitely painful. Depite a small hill here, I started to notice my heart rate drop (at least one display on my watch was telling me info I believed),
Split for Mile 5: 6:55
I began to have concerns that I was going out too fast, ignoring Mike's warnings about the course and the strategy he was advising me to take. (Mike's warning, in short: if you cave in to the temptation of the mostly downhill, first 17 miles, your legs would give out on you when you need to climb the Newton Hills.)
I had decided to take a GU every five miles, so it was time, but I took note of a little stitch in my side and thought about how breakfast was different (more, and a couple of hours earlier relative to race start) with this later-start race, and since I hadn't had the big, arugula salad the night before, I wondered if my body was telling me that I still had some digesting to do.
At this point, I decided to ignore my footpod's speed reading: it was saying I'm going .much slower than I know I was going, and the total milage at this point was way off. The consequence was that I was running by feel, and I felt like this pace wasn't hard. Breathing was easy, uphills were brief and easy enough.
Split for Mile 6: 6:43
I was still rolling through. Every now and again there were pockets of loud race fans.
Split for Mile 7: 6:56
I remarked to myself how my leg still hurt. My shin was a dull ache, and my calf was tight. I tried to decide if my right shoe's shoelace hit my left calf, or if what I felt was a twinge. Still, I was going fast, and occasionally looking for Galen but I didnot see him. I decided upon seeing the split that he probably is not trying to keep up with this pace.
I again considered how I was not following Mike's warnings about how a fast start might doom me.
Split for Mile 8: 6:51
I was still breezing along, breathing easily, and running way faster than my pace band said I should. I noted that there wasn't much wind and I felt appropriately dressed in my singlet with gloves.
Split for Mile 9: 6:47
Feel-check. At this point at CIM, I felt strong and started to surge ahead, and in Portland, I was laboring a bit but holding pace. Here, I was going fast and I was neither holding back nor pushing. I hardly noticed the uphill in this mile.
Split for Mile 10: 7:05
Getting Close to Half Way
The course largely flattened out here, nearing the half-way mark. My concern about left calf was increasing, mostly in the form of fear that I would experience the kind of rolling cramp I had in Portland. I noted how far ahead I was of 3:08 pace, and started thinking that my 3:06 desire was in reach, if my legs would just hold out.
Split for Mile 11: 7:06
I began cruising a bit faster with the downhill. In the distance, I hear a loud, high pitched din, and I think I know what's coming.
Split for Mile 12: 6:53
Ah, college girls, and the infamous Wellesley Wall. On the right side of the road, Wellesley women lined up for a half mile, screaming loud, high pitched screams. Some in sundresses despite the cool weather, many with "Kiss Me" signs. I decided to run about two runners' widths away-- close enough to look but not touch (or be touched). I picked up the pace and wore a big smile. After the wall of women subsided a bit, I saw one gal a little bit away from the crowd: short hair, nose rings, holding a sign indicating kisses for lesbians. Priceless!
Split for Mile 13: 6:50
At the halfway mark, I noted that my chance to finish in 3:06 was strong (I doubled my split and added 1 min). I also took this opportunity to determine what my supposed off-set from the course clocks was -4:06 (I saw the clock read 1:35 or so and my watch read 1:31 or so).
My water bottle was nearly dry, and I tried to get my bottle ready when I saw an upcoming water stop, but I needed to take off a glove, so I could unwrap an electrolyte tablet, which I didn't accomplish until after the water stop had passed. I let the tablet shake around inside the bottle.
I started thinking that I have the hills coming up, and I was hoping my legs would stay strong.
I began an eloquent internal debate: was I going too fast, without experience of the course? Or would my solid training and generally good hill running experience prevail?. I was also thinking that I could just put it all out there: this is the race I've been training for since December, 2007..
Split for Mile 14: 7:06
The next water stop came up and I pulled in behind the line of cup holding-volunteers and began dumping cups into my open bottle. Unfortunatelty, I shook my bottle just before starting as a reflex to empty it, and lost the tablet. After two cups were dumped in, a volunteer oticed and he brought over his pitcher to finish the job.
I began to feel like I had the luxury to slow down a bit before the start of the Newton Hills, so I eased off the gas a touch.
Split for Mile 15: 7:22
The mid-point of the next mile starts a big downhill, and this should be the fastest mile, so my letting off the gas had some impact on my speed here.
Split for Mile 16: 6:50
At the mile-marker, a forboding sign marking the start of the challenge: Now entering Newton, founded 1630.
The Newton Hills and Heartbreak Hill
Let's get to work! Still concerned about my left leg & calf, I take the first hill... Not so bad.... I let out a small curse when I realized I missed a mile marker, probably looking left to the crowd of Newtonians.
Split for Mile 17: 7:10
A mostly flat mile with another incline at the end, and this one felt a bit steeper.
Split for Mile 18: 7:10
Seeing the split for two miles at this point, I noted that I gained 16 seconds rather than slowing beyond what the pce-band strategy would allow!.
No inclines for the next mile, so it was a bit of a breather. My hill climbing instincts kicked-in: give yourself a chance to recharge before the next hill.
Split for Mile 19: 7:06
I felt a sharp twinge in left calf, and a small alert from the right one. I started up one hill that I thought was the start of Heartbreak Hill. 'Here we go,' I thought. 'I have the energy to take the hill.' There was an enormous crowd, loud and yelling encouragement. Up the hill... is that all? .... No.
Split for Mile 20: 7:11
After a brief leveling out, the actual Heartbreak Hill began, but I still did not find it taxing. There was some headwind working against me, too, at this point.
The crowd was loud!
Around a curve and the hill became steeper. A guy in a Captain America costume was getting all the cheers. I got to work and dug a little, pumping my arms a bit, pulling him in and easily passing him. I pumped my fist in the air as I reached the crest and drove through the summit with strong strides.
One stride later and I feel my right calf flash with pain. But Heartbreak Hill was done, and it would be downhill from here!
Split for Mile 21: 7:14
Downhill to the Finish
A sharp downhill began, and while descending, my right-calf cramped and locked up.
One...
Two...
Three...
Four strides...
...with a locked leg position to protect my calf!
Then, finally, my normal strides resumed, and I was relieved that it wasn't too painful and that I could run normally. Shortly after that, it was forgotten as I thought to myself: I have a lot left! Despite fears that my calves might revolt, my legs are not heavy, my breathing is easy, my heart rate is low. Just four miles to go and I wanted to finish strong, to leave nothing behind.
Split for Mile 22: 6:49
Legs were feeling okay, but a few small signs of trouble were present.
I began to think about Kobe Bryant, how he can have a dismal shooting night and then come in to a key point of the fourth quarter and knock down a difficult three. He can forget the shots that didn't fall and play at his best when it matters most. It's now my fourth quarter, and I will focus on nothing other than reaching that finish line as fast as I can.
This is the 10k after the 20 miler. This is fast. This is what Pfitzinger described what I should be doing at the end: pass people. I am putting my head down and pushing the pace a bit, and I am passing people as we enter Boston.
Split for Mile 23: 6:51
Passing people like they were standing still!
People were lined deep up on both sides of the street. A few jerks crossed the road in groups of three or four and nearly caused me to alter my stride to avoid crashing into them.
I was trying to vary my stride a little bit to keep all parts of my leg engaged, to not give my calves a chance to think I'm done with them yet.
Split for Mile 24: 6:54
Just two miles now. I can do this. I kept running hard, my arms pumping a little and my breathing starting to get a little heavier.
Passing people, some who have stopped to walk.Split for Mile 25: 6:57
One mile left! I'm going to make it. I was working a little harder now... can't wait to get this over with. Legs holding steady, arms pumping, breathing starting to go deep and audible. A right hand turn onto Hereford Street, and as I came around the corner, I saw another casualty walking, holding his side.
Two blocks uphill and a left onto Boylston Street and now the crowd lining the street is madness... so many people, and such a loud symphony of cheering. Off in the distance I can see an overhead structure that must be the finish line, but I'm deeply distrustful that it is a mirage. I keep pushing and breathing hard, hearing some of my breath rasp from my chest.Split for Mile 26: 6:53
The finish is approaching. I'm almost there! I pump my fist high in the air as I reach the finish line, see 3:07- something on the clocks and realize, I must have broken 3:04! Holy cow! I have done it! I have given my best race to the Boston Marathon. I have done what I wanted to do, and more.
Post Race
I stopped to a very slow walk, immediately feeling my left shin bothering me and slowing my walk to a hobble. I quickly found Ari there, and we exchanged congratulations. I don't really believe what I've done!
We wandered forward through the chute to get space blankets, and I lost Ari. I got my timing chip removed, received my medal,
had a worker adjust my space blanket as the wind was coming from behind me and blowing over it over my head. I thanked each helpful worker profusely. I pressed forward and somehow failed to locate the bus with my sweats-bag, and I wound up getting someone to find it for me while I waited in the medical tent getting warm (more blankets, warm bullion soup, more amazingly helpful workers). I got my bag, pull on my clothes, called Galen, listened to messages, drank two protein drinks I stored inside my bag and somehow managed to limp my way, slowly, to the Green Line station at Arlington, limp back to my hotel, found a hot shower and laid down, feeling very stiff.I had dinner with Galen at my hotel, and then drinks with Ari, Abe, Michelle and Andy (Ari's host) out near South End.
My post race recovery was not nearly as fast as any other marathon I've run, as the pain in my left shin did not subside. In fact, I called my doctor to see if I needed to go to urgent care at 1am because I could not find a position lying down where my shin didn't hurt. On the plane home, only after I switched to Motrin (from Advil) did I feel the shin pain subside a bit, as I was able to sleep for a couple of hours on the plane.
• • •
On to the graphs!
Variance from plan (where plan was to finish in around 3:08): I think this graph is less meaningful than in prior races since I ran a solid four minutes faster than the plan. The standard deviation of my splits was 11.7 seconds, which is wider than CIM and Portland. Given the variety of hills on the course and the initial congestion, I suppose that's not too surprising.
Still, it does show how in the early part of the race, I had sped up to run many miles more than ten seconds faster than I planned to, a big risk. Mile 4-9 all way faster than plan is not the best strategy!Heart Rate:
I always like this graph because the spikes of the Max heart rate shows when there were uphills within the mile. A few interesting notes:- I stayed up in the 180 range longer. In Portland, I was down to 175 by mile 5, and it took me until Mile 9 to do that in Boston. I think this means that I was comfortable running faster and at a higher heart rate.
- The same overall pattern still showed up: high at the start, cooling down for the middle, then starting to drift upwards at the end. I am sure that the increase in heart rate towards the finish would have been more severe if the course had been flatter then.
- You can read Heartbreak Hill by the spike in both average and maximum at mile 21.
Time relative to Plan:
Again, since the plan was modest compared to what I ran, this feels a bit less useful. However, it is interesting to note how I made a steady march down to a faster than plan time, with a small break around miles 14 and 15.Projected based upon pace:
I did this to see how quickly I focused in on a 3:04 pace. Answer: by mile 6, I had brought the pace close enough to finish near 3:04. While the time drifts back up, it does so neatly around the Newton Hills and Heartbreak Hill.Marathon Record:
Five personal records in a row.Reflections
Wow.
On the one hand, this was something I have been training for for at least 15 months, I had a great indicator of my progress with the 39:31 10k, and conditions didn't bother me. On the other hand, I just didn't feel like I had that much room to improve over my 3:09:39 at Portland. But nearly 6 minutes! Wow.
And I believe that if I my calf wasn't so tight throughout the race, I would be able to say without qualification that the course didn't take my legs away. While I was concerned about my calves cramping up hard on me, my legs never felt heavy or spent. My breathing never maxed out. I feel like I took this course with strength.
If, if if.... In another reality, where I have infinite free time, I'd naturally look at how I could train for and break 3 hours at CIM in December. But, NO. I have done everything I wanted at Boston. I have overcome (or reacted to with good preparation and luck) the warnings of those who know Boston's challenges. I have set a PR by a wide margin in the nation's premier marathon, and I am satisfied.
I am satisfied.
posted by Brent at
1:29 PM
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