Take your passion and make it happen…What a Feeling!
State 23 – Boston, Massachusetts (The Boston Marathon!)
3:49:18
I sometimes have difficulty picking out lyrics or a song name to fit the mood of a marathon. For Boston, I had issues narrowing it down. While running, my decision was made on: Unbreak My Heart (Heartbreak Hill). The title that won out fit the overall sentiment to running the Boston Marathon.
If you have followed my write ups you know I once upon a time never imagined Boston was within my reach. An 8:26 average marathon (or faster when you don’t run the tangent) was something I didn’t think I could hold. But then, I dropped below 4 hours by a significant amount. I was still in doubt that it was within my reach, like I didn’t want to try for it because I feared failure…just like the flash dance lyrics go “First when there’s nothing but a slow blowing dream, that your fear seems to hide deep inside your mind.” I was asked “How do you know what you can or can’t do if you don’t try?” And that’s when I thought, I need to just work for it to achieve it. I needed to stop fearing the failure of not getting it, and just go for it (even if it took many tries).
Boston is perceived to be an elitist race because of the qualifying times. It w
as never meant to be for people to run it and feel superior to others but it was supposed to just be an individual defining moment. It was the first organized marathon and as popularity to run it increased; race directors wanted to make sure it remained well organized and enjoyable to run. Rather than a lottery, they decided to make it a qualifying race. The higher the demand to run the race, the tougher the qualifying times have become. They don’t make the qualifying times faster because they think it’s too easy, they are just trying to control the number of entries (maybe there is some elitist with this, but not to the level that some take it). Once again, after 115 years (2011) with a record sell out period in less than 8 hours, they will be once again reducing the qualifying times. And once again, if I want it, I’ll have to work for it and figure out how to train, eat, recover and race to shave another 5+ minutes off my current PR.
So…the training and race experience itself.
Boston Marathon training was midst Ironman Training. I think I ran a few less 8 milers on the weekdays but thanks to my friend Jeff, I managed to train long runs at 8:30s and the 18 & 22 mile runs were in the Hilly Morton Arboretum. With my long runs being completed in an 8:30 average, on hills, in icy conditions, and with many layers weighing me down, I thought a P.R. could be possible.
Caitlin got me a great book on the Boston Marathon. This book told you how to race it because it might not seem daunting when you drive it/look at the elevation profile but how and when the hills hit, it will kill. I compared it to Pocatello, Idaho and decided it had less pounding down…so I should be fine. Umm….Ha.
When I got to Boston, I started getting excited. Being submersed in the Boston Marathon atmosphere made me so proud to run it. This wasn’t just crossing a state off the list, but as Hal Higden said (see the end of write up with some quotes), this is the holy event of Marathons.
Boston Marathon starts 26.2 miles outside of Boston in Hopinkton, MA. You are taken out there, and have to run back. Boston supplies school busses to drop you off and then spend 3 hours outside waiting for the race to start. This can be no fun when windy and cold, but you can find (pay for) other busses that stay put so you can sit on a heated bus and wait for the race to start. CARA has 2 busses, so you better believe I was on one of them.
There were lots of first time Boston Marathoners on my bus and we shared the same excitement and fears.
Now Alison always says big races like this are the victory lap. You work for it, and then you enjoy it. BUT deep within the enjoyment, I had set two goals within my plan. I planned to start with a slight warm up and fall into a fast pace, leaving room to slow down if needed at the end, which would result in a PR or crash & burn. So the two goals were 1) PR or 2) if crash & burn, just stay under a 3:50.
The thought process here is, how do you know if you have faster in you if you don’t try? BUT this technique goes against all experienced Boston Marathoners warnings. I just figured, I would try it out anyway. I have consistently stayed under 4 hours for the past few marathons (minus Vegas where I drank and ran) so I figured I would try to defy the experienced and if I failed, I would still fall within a decent time.
Around 9:30 am we left the bus to gear check and walk from Athlete Village to the start. By the time we got in the corals (I was Wave 2 Coral 8), the race started right away and we were off…. The Boston Marathon!
My throw away jacket was off in the first mile. Mile 1 was in Hopkinton and my split was 8:20. Miles 2-4 were in Ashland, with Harley bike spectators at the 2 mile marker. The crowd support came and went. Water started at mile 2 and was at every mile almost always staggered on both sides. The water volunteers knew what they were doing and water handoffs were seamless without slowing down. Miles 2, 3 & 4 splits were 8:02, 8:02 and 8:05 respectively. At this point, there was some flat road, but from miles 1-4 we started at 490 feet and ended at 180 feet.
Miles 5-7 were through Framingham. We had a small climb and then went back down a little more. Thoughts as I was running: 1) A T stop was in the middle of the woods how weird that it’s not an actual city but just kind of coming out from the dirt. 2) This was so scenic for being so close to Boston- Chicago would not have this beauty if you ran 26.2 miles from suburbs to get to the city center. My Splits were 8:08, 7:55 and 7:59 respectively.
Miles 8-11 were through Natick. At this point my legs were already feeling it. Down kills hams! I was thinking back to the book, “Run to Overcome” (By Meb Keflezighi). Either him or his coach said if it hurts, run faster. I thought, alright Meb, I’ll give it a try! In this section my splits were 7:57, 7:57, 7:58 and 8:11. Most of this part was either flat or small climbs which after the down, it felt great…kind of.
Miles 12-16 were in Wellesley where the guys get Kisses from the screaming girls. What did I love about Wellesley? The newly paved blacktop. The soreness was slightly mitigated with the wonderful road. As this was the race to enjoy, there as a news reporter so some of us decided to slow down and get right in camera shot waving our arms like crazy just to be on the news. We all laughed together and continued moving on.
I knew the hills were going to get worse just after the half way mark. I thought all I needed was to get through heartbreak hill. My splits for 12-16 were 7:57, 8:07, 8:07, 8:15 and 7:57 respectively. I had my parents to look for somewhere between 15.5 and 17. Around 15 the difficult climbs started to take place and there was a long climb up so I concentrated on finding my parents. The fact I had my parents to look for helped me get through that climb but I knew I was reaching a point where I would start to slow down.
Just before mile 17 I saw my parents and we exchanged cheers as I passed. I had told myself if they were in arms reach I’d make it an excuse to stop and hug them, but, as this was a popular area, they were standing on a rock or something behind the first layer of people and were out of reach. I was just so glad we saw each other.
Miles 17 – 20 were in Newtown. These were the rolling hills that kill leading up to heartbreak hill (which isn’t so bad on its own, but after the hill before it or I should say the entire course before it….ugh!). Even though the hills were helly, the course was alive! Spectators were filled with energy and you could tell I was not the only one running who felt pain. As I was slowly dying, my splits were 8:35, 8:56, 8:43 and 9:11 (which hurt a lot).
I was exhausted & knew heartbreak was coming up. I didn’t realize when I was on it at first, I knew I was going up but it wasn’t as bad as the previous hill. How did I know I was there? The chalk drawings: ‘Thump’ ‘Thump’ ‘Thump’ …my heart was beating and breaking as I was losing steam. Heartbreak was my first > 10 minute mile at 10:08.
We were in Brookline now, so mile 22 was time for down and the cheers from Boston College. I regained some energy, slapping hands with all the spectators, trying to use the slaps on the and to control the pounding back down another steep hill. This is when I had my last sub 9 minute mile split. It was an 8:58.
Mile 23 was when I started to shuffle and already full out count my steps. I also started to take a few steps of walking every now and then with some stops to try to stretch out the cramps. Part of me thought ‘how can you walk when you qualified for this?’ The other part of me thought – whatever- it’s the victory lap, enjoy it…it’s Boston!
Mile 23 was 9:56; 24: 9:16; 25: 10:04 and 26: 10:35 and the .2 (or .3?) 9:54.
A lot of this was downhill. By the time I got to the Boston University section, I was drained. Fenway Park and the Citgo sign was a blur and at the underpass with < 1 mile left, I stopped to stretch. I couldn’t run well and my walk was a limp with cramps moving from my calves to inner knee to quads. I knew I’d get to the finish, I just didn’t know how. I slowly made my way and finally turned on Boylston St. I could see the finish! Slowly but surely I made it (and I could official wear my gear). :)
I might have crashed and burned, but I still gave it a try, and now I at least know I can rock the faster pace if I can just learn to hold it for another 6 miles. Everyone has their own technique on how to tackle the marathon. I have no clue if I would have done better or worse if I would have kept all the splits above 8. If I ran the 2011 Boston Marathon all over again, I would do the exact same thing. Each race is different and not just because of the course, but because of those around you letting off energy, and most importantly it’s just about the day you are having – mentally and physically.
I love running even though it can be painful to push through final miles of a marathon. I love marathons and love working on achieving my 50 in 50 states goal. This is my thing and I always thought it’d be great to qualify for Boston, but not until I was actually there, did I realize how big of a deal it was. It was less than 40 years ago that women started running marathons….and that started here...in Boston….what a feeling to be part of the Holy Event of Marathons!
…..Recently I’ve been reading a lot of running books which I wanted to share some quotes from them.
“I know I ran well today, but it wasn’t my best. The pressure was on. The first time (at Boston) is a challenge and you get a feeling for it, but I’m excited about next time” ~Meb Keflezighi (Run to Overcome)
“It was once said ‘Personality is born out of pain’ If that’s accurate then we runners are quite the personable bunch of characters” ~ Bob Schwartz (I run, therefore I’m Nuts)
“New York, Chicago, London & Berlin are merely marathons. The Boston Marathon is a holy event in the sense that the Masters in golf and Wimbledon in Tennis are Holy Events” ~Hal Higdon
“In the long run, life is a collection of moments that matter, the ones that you will remember for the rest of your life. In April, your moment is in Boston, on Boylston Street, under the Finish Banner. The moment is yours, celebrate it from that moment on, you are a little more special. You are a Boston Finisher! Congratulations and Welcome to the Club” ~Raymond Britt (Legendary BM Course Guide)
State 23 – Boston, Massachusetts (The Boston Marathon!)
3:49:18
I sometimes have difficulty picking out lyrics or a song name to fit the mood of a marathon. For Boston, I had issues narrowing it down. While running, my decision was made on: Unbreak My Heart (Heartbreak Hill). The title that won out fit the overall sentiment to running the Boston Marathon.
If you have followed my write ups you know I once upon a time never imagined Boston was within my reach. An 8:26 average marathon (or faster when you don’t run the tangent) was something I didn’t think I could hold. But then, I dropped below 4 hours by a significant amount. I was still in doubt that it was within my reach, like I didn’t want to try for it because I feared failure…just like the flash dance lyrics go “First when there’s nothing but a slow blowing dream, that your fear seems to hide deep inside your mind.” I was asked “How do you know what you can or can’t do if you don’t try?” And that’s when I thought, I need to just work for it to achieve it. I needed to stop fearing the failure of not getting it, and just go for it (even if it took many tries).
Boston is perceived to be an elitist race because of the qualifying times. It w
as never meant to be for people to run it and feel superior to others but it was supposed to just be an individual defining moment. It was the first organized marathon and as popularity to run it increased; race directors wanted to make sure it remained well organized and enjoyable to run. Rather than a lottery, they decided to make it a qualifying race. The higher the demand to run the race, the tougher the qualifying times have become. They don’t make the qualifying times faster because they think it’s too easy, they are just trying to control the number of entries (maybe there is some elitist with this, but not to the level that some take it). Once again, after 115 years (2011) with a record sell out period in less than 8 hours, they will be once again reducing the qualifying times. And once again, if I want it, I’ll have to work for it and figure out how to train, eat, recover and race to shave another 5+ minutes off my current PR.So…the training and race experience itself.
Boston Marathon training was midst Ironman Training. I think I ran a few less 8 milers on the weekdays but thanks to my friend Jeff, I managed to train long runs at 8:30s and the 18 & 22 mile runs were in the Hilly Morton Arboretum. With my long runs being completed in an 8:30 average, on hills, in icy conditions, and with many layers weighing me down, I thought a P.R. could be possible.
Caitlin got me a great book on the Boston Marathon. This book told you how to race it because it might not seem daunting when you drive it/look at the elevation profile but how and when the hills hit, it will kill. I compared it to Pocatello, Idaho and decided it had less pounding down…so I should be fine. Umm….Ha.
When I got to Boston, I started getting excited. Being submersed in the Boston Marathon atmosphere made me so proud to run it. This wasn’t just crossing a state off the list, but as Hal Higden said (see the end of write up with some quotes), this is the holy event of Marathons.
Boston Marathon starts 26.2 miles outside of Boston in Hopinkton, MA. You are taken out there, and have to run back. Boston supplies school busses to drop you off and then spend 3 hours outside waiting for the race to start. This can be no fun when windy and cold, but you can find (pay for) other busses that stay put so you can sit on a heated bus and wait for the race to start. CARA has 2 busses, so you better believe I was on one of them.
There were lots of first time Boston Marathoners on my bus and we shared the same excitement and fears.
Now Alison always says big races like this are the victory lap. You work for it, and then you enjoy it. BUT deep within the enjoyment, I had set two goals within my plan. I planned to start with a slight warm up and fall into a fast pace, leaving room to slow down if needed at the end, which would result in a PR or crash & burn. So the two goals were 1) PR or 2) if crash & burn, just stay under a 3:50.
The thought process here is, how do you know if you have faster in you if you don’t try? BUT this technique goes against all experienced Boston Marathoners warnings. I just figured, I would try it out anyway. I have consistently stayed under 4 hours for the past few marathons (minus Vegas where I drank and ran) so I figured I would try to defy the experienced and if I failed, I would still fall within a decent time.
Around 9:30 am we left the bus to gear check and walk from Athlete Village to the start. By the time we got in the corals (I was Wave 2 Coral 8), the race started right away and we were off…. The Boston Marathon!
My throw away jacket was off in the first mile. Mile 1 was in Hopkinton and my split was 8:20. Miles 2-4 were in Ashland, with Harley bike spectators at the 2 mile marker. The crowd support came and went. Water started at mile 2 and was at every mile almost always staggered on both sides. The water volunteers knew what they were doing and water handoffs were seamless without slowing down. Miles 2, 3 & 4 splits were 8:02, 8:02 and 8:05 respectively. At this point, there was some flat road, but from miles 1-4 we started at 490 feet and ended at 180 feet.
Miles 5-7 were through Framingham. We had a small climb and then went back down a little more. Thoughts as I was running: 1) A T stop was in the middle of the woods how weird that it’s not an actual city but just kind of coming out from the dirt. 2) This was so scenic for being so close to Boston- Chicago would not have this beauty if you ran 26.2 miles from suburbs to get to the city center. My Splits were 8:08, 7:55 and 7:59 respectively.
Miles 8-11 were through Natick. At this point my legs were already feeling it. Down kills hams! I was thinking back to the book, “Run to Overcome” (By Meb Keflezighi). Either him or his coach said if it hurts, run faster. I thought, alright Meb, I’ll give it a try! In this section my splits were 7:57, 7:57, 7:58 and 8:11. Most of this part was either flat or small climbs which after the down, it felt great…kind of.
Miles 12-16 were in Wellesley where the guys get Kisses from the screaming girls. What did I love about Wellesley? The newly paved blacktop. The soreness was slightly mitigated with the wonderful road. As this was the race to enjoy, there as a news reporter so some of us decided to slow down and get right in camera shot waving our arms like crazy just to be on the news. We all laughed together and continued moving on.
I knew the hills were going to get worse just after the half way mark. I thought all I needed was to get through heartbreak hill. My splits for 12-16 were 7:57, 8:07, 8:07, 8:15 and 7:57 respectively. I had my parents to look for somewhere between 15.5 and 17. Around 15 the difficult climbs started to take place and there was a long climb up so I concentrated on finding my parents. The fact I had my parents to look for helped me get through that climb but I knew I was reaching a point where I would start to slow down.
Just before mile 17 I saw my parents and we exchanged cheers as I passed. I had told myself if they were in arms reach I’d make it an excuse to stop and hug them, but, as this was a popular area, they were standing on a rock or something behind the first layer of people and were out of reach. I was just so glad we saw each other.
Miles 17 – 20 were in Newtown. These were the rolling hills that kill leading up to heartbreak hill (which isn’t so bad on its own, but after the hill before it or I should say the entire course before it….ugh!). Even though the hills were helly, the course was alive! Spectators were filled with energy and you could tell I was not the only one running who felt pain. As I was slowly dying, my splits were 8:35, 8:56, 8:43 and 9:11 (which hurt a lot).
I was exhausted & knew heartbreak was coming up. I didn’t realize when I was on it at first, I knew I was going up but it wasn’t as bad as the previous hill. How did I know I was there? The chalk drawings: ‘Thump’ ‘Thump’ ‘Thump’ …my heart was beating and breaking as I was losing steam. Heartbreak was my first > 10 minute mile at 10:08.
We were in Brookline now, so mile 22 was time for down and the cheers from Boston College. I regained some energy, slapping hands with all the spectators, trying to use the slaps on the and to control the pounding back down another steep hill. This is when I had my last sub 9 minute mile split. It was an 8:58.
Mile 23 was when I started to shuffle and already full out count my steps. I also started to take a few steps of walking every now and then with some stops to try to stretch out the cramps. Part of me thought ‘how can you walk when you qualified for this?’ The other part of me thought – whatever- it’s the victory lap, enjoy it…it’s Boston!
Mile 23 was 9:56; 24: 9:16; 25: 10:04 and 26: 10:35 and the .2 (or .3?) 9:54.A lot of this was downhill. By the time I got to the Boston University section, I was drained. Fenway Park and the Citgo sign was a blur and at the underpass with < 1 mile left, I stopped to stretch. I couldn’t run well and my walk was a limp with cramps moving from my calves to inner knee to quads. I knew I’d get to the finish, I just didn’t know how. I slowly made my way and finally turned on Boylston St. I could see the finish! Slowly but surely I made it (and I could official wear my gear). :)
I might have crashed and burned, but I still gave it a try, and now I at least know I can rock the faster pace if I can just learn to hold it for another 6 miles. Everyone has their own technique on how to tackle the marathon. I have no clue if I would have done better or worse if I would have kept all the splits above 8. If I ran the 2011 Boston Marathon all over again, I would do the exact same thing. Each race is different and not just because of the course, but because of those around you letting off energy, and most importantly it’s just about the day you are having – mentally and physically.
I love running even though it can be painful to push through final miles of a marathon. I love marathons and love working on achieving my 50 in 50 states goal. This is my thing and I always thought it’d be great to qualify for Boston, but not until I was actually there, did I realize how big of a deal it was. It was less than 40 years ago that women started running marathons….and that started here...in Boston….what a feeling to be part of the Holy Event of Marathons!
…..Recently I’ve been reading a lot of running books which I wanted to share some quotes from them.
“I know I ran well today, but it wasn’t my best. The pressure was on. The first time (at Boston) is a challenge and you get a feeling for it, but I’m excited about next time” ~Meb Keflezighi (Run to Overcome)
“It was once said ‘Personality is born out of pain’ If that’s accurate then we runners are quite the personable bunch of characters” ~ Bob Schwartz (I run, therefore I’m Nuts)
“New York, Chicago, London & Berlin are merely marathons. The Boston Marathon is a holy event in the sense that the Masters in golf and Wimbledon in Tennis are Holy Events” ~Hal Higdon
“In the long run, life is a collection of moments that matter, the ones that you will remember for the rest of your life. In April, your moment is in Boston, on Boylston Street, under the Finish Banner. The moment is yours, celebrate it from that moment on, you are a little more special. You are a Boston Finisher! Congratulations and Welcome to the Club” ~Raymond Britt (Legendary BM Course Guide)
***Reminder: 2011 is a big year of racing for me with Boston and the Ironman. So I'm raising $11 per mile raced for ACS. To donate, go to:
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