Boston Marathon

Sorry, I thought I posted this last month...

The Boston Marathon is a big deal to runners and the Boston community. It is held on Patriots Day, which is observed on the third Monday of April (and to my knowledge is only celebrated in Massachusetts). It is a hectic day in Boston, because there is both the Marathon and a Red Sox game. Plus, the marathon course is basically a straight shot heading east from Hopkinton to Boston and cuts off the north side from the south side of the city. All of that makes for one crazy day.

Last year after watching four Boston marathons, I couldn't resist 'The Itch' any longer and decided I would try to qualify for, and run, the Boston Marathon. I planned out several races/events that I could train for that (assuming I could stay healthy) would help prepare me to run a qualifying marathon. Fortunately, everything fell into place and I was able to qualify (AND register, something that is going to be much harder starting next year thanks to a new registration scheme).

Unfortunately, I was not able to stay as healthy in the months leading up to the Boston Marathon as I had before the qualifier, so I wasn't able to train well. I had a good long run 3 weeks before the race so I thought things were looking up for me, but then due to an injury I was barely able to exercise until race day. As a result, I lost a lot of my stamina and was not well prepared for the race. My goal had been to run the race, not to necessarily get any specific time, and it is lucky that I had low expectations...

Race day was perfect running weather, highs around 60, and a stiff tail wind, which proved to be a big help because by mile 4 I could tell that I was fatiguing already. I held a decent pace through mile 16, but was TIRED and still had 10 miles to go. UGH!

From then on I had to stop and walk a lot, and it was all I could do to focus on getting across the finish line without passing out. I was so tired, that at mile ~22 I stopped to chat with Britney and Ava for several minutes because I needed a break. Notice the runners going by behind me in the pictures below.

After 10 very slow and painful miles, I made it across the finish line at a time of 3:22 (7:43/mi pace). It was much slower than my qualifier, but I FINISHED!

After I crossed the finish line I felt HORRIBLE! My stomach was really upset and I was so tired, all I wanted to do was lay down and not move. I was able to make it through the line to get a massage which helped a bit, but I still didn't want to walk more than a few feet at a time. It didn't help that the finish line is a total mob scene (see below).

After taking a Taxi home and soaking in the tub for a while I felt well enough to walk and go to dinner. By the next day I was feeling like a normal human being again, just a bit tired still (except for one black toe nail).

Here are some amazing facts about this year's Marathon:
1. The winner of the race ran the fastest marathon time EVER (2:03:02, for those of you wondering, that is 4:42/mi pace)! (How cool is that, and I was in the same race!)
2. Almost 24,000 registered runners finished the race (I specify 'registered' because this race is well known for having numerous 'bandit' runners who run the race without having qualified).
3. 98.1% of qualified starters finished the race.
4. I finished 5454 overall, and 4749 out of the men.

Personal Highlights
1. This is an amazing race not only because it is the longest running marathon (this year was the 115th), but the fans are INCREDIBLE! There were fans along almost the ENTIRE 26 miles! I've watched the race before and seen some of the crowds, but it is truly humbling to see all the thousands of spectators out cheering on people they don't know as they run past. I was particularly grateful for the all of my friends who came out to cheer me on. Thanks everyone, I really appreciated it!

Notice that here 4 miles away from the finish line, there are lots of people and barricades, and it just got more crowded from there.

2. It is truly amazing to run in an event where, as far as you can see in both directions, there are other participants. This picture I found is a good example of what the first few miles look like.