Boston Marathon Recap
Boston. The Boston Marathon. Did this really just happen?
For those of you that just want the highlights:
Weather: Hot and Sunny at the start. Temps reached the 70’s by the time I got to mile 20.
I stayed in Cambridge. Took the T to the Commons on race morning.
Fueled with 7 Gu energy gels, 28 ounces of Nuun Podium Series, 14 ounces of water (not counting anything I snagged at water station)
Ran in Brooks Hyperion Max - they were perfect for a marathon!
Finishing time 4:19:37
For those of you that want the whole story - Enjoy!
Saturday before the race - Arrival
We flew in from DC via JetBlue - easy commuter flight and a quick 15 min uber ride into the city. You could easily take public transportation for about $3 per person but the extra 30 mins made that a no from me. Uber was $25.
We stayed at the Residence Inn in Cambridge on MIT campus. My parents were staying with us and we wanted to have space to hang out and also prepare my own food before the race (I have celiacs disease and eating out can be a little anxiety ridden) The hotel was recently re-done and an upgrade from some Residence Inns I’ve stayed in. It was about .2 mile walk from the T and a 1.2 mile walk to the Commons.
We hit the expo the first day as soon as we arrived. Spoiler, I’m not a expo girlie. I want in and out as quickly as possible. Once my parents arrived we walked across the Harvard Bridge to the Hynes Convention Center to get my bib. I had forgotten from the previous year (when Cody ran) that you have to basically walk a marathon to get to the expo. Winding escalators to different floors. You receive a QR code from the race to make pick up a breeze. the volunteers were amazing and providing direction and celebrating you when you picked up your bib. No lines when I was there.
Then comes the “merch” area. The area I dread. I had already purchased my celebration jacket and some gear online before we arrived, so I knew I didn’t “need” to shop for anything. The only thing I couldn’t find was a freaking coffee mug. That’s all I wanted lol. The expo was much better than last years - last year you had to wait in a line to get into the merch area. Annoying. We probably spent about an hour total? Cody did a pull up challenge for a water bottle, my dad drank some Sam Adams beer, we listened to the Olympic panel and then headed out.
Dinner that night was at my favorite restaurant on Newbury Street - Faccia a Faccia. We made reservations two months in advance to secure a table. Both mine and Cody’s family came for the race so there were 8 of us for a big family style dinner. Best homemade gluten free pasta I’ve had. Lots of gabbing and catching up that night. Probably should have gone to bed earlier than midnight but it was worth it.
Sunday - the day before the race
As an ambassador for Nuun , I was invited to an event with breakfast and gifts (Balega socks and a bluetooth water bottle) as part of their race send off. Cody and I took a 2 mile shake out run across the Longfellow Bridge back to Newbury St for sandwiches and coffee. Walked around to different pop up shops from brands like Rabbit, ON, Sprints and many more. Grabbed some Cherrios to top off my carb tank and headed back to the hotel for a day of lounging and eating.
I have a habit of not resting enough the day before a marathon. I promised myself this weekend I would sit and do nothing. And that I did. I didn’t track my food but did make sure to eat every 2-3 hours mostly carbs. Low fiber and fat. We ordered pizza (not the best GF but it was fine) before heading to bed around 10pm. I didn’t need to be up super early which was nice, I got to stick to my “normal” bedtime routine.
I finished the day with just about 10,000 steps - easily 100 oz of water - 3,000mg of sodium (race day was going to be hot so I needed to plan ahead) and a full belly. I was nervous but in a good way. Even after 17 marathons I still get nerves at the start line.
Race Morning
My wave didn’t start until 11:15AM and my bus didn’t load until 9:00AM, so we had a lot of time in the morning. It felt so weird to be sitting around in my pjs until 8AM when we finally took the T to the commons (Park Street on the redline) to get the buses to Hopkinton. Fueling was my top priority this morning. Between 7:30A and 10:30A I consumed around 220g of crabs. Spread out between 2 bananas, a bagel and a Kind breakfast bar. I’ve read so many studies on the benefits of carb loading (more than just “eat more carbs”) and increasing your carbs per hour during the race that I wanted to make sure I put my best foot forward. It worked. I never got hungry during the race or felt like I was going to bonk. Lesson? Eat. More. Carbs.
The bus ride to Hopkinton was uneventful. I mostly stared out the window hoping to not get motion sickness. The people around me were buzzing and chatting. I really did not want to talk - as an introvert talking to people can be energy sucking even if it’s a topic I love. I was trying to keep all of my energy level and not get too excited when I knew I needed energy to run a freaking marathon.
When we arrived at Athlete’s Village I was impressed with the amount of porto potties! Holy shit. I went to the bathroom three times! IYKYK! There were almost no lines and surprisingly they were clean! I found a spot in the shade to put all of my gels into my shorts pockets, finish the last of my banana, do some final stretching and just relax before making my way to the start line at 10:30AM.
The Race
The walk from Athlete Village to the start line is .7 mile. It doesn’t feel like it though - it goes by quick! It is a quaint residential neighborhood with white picket fences and residents out cheering you on before you even start. Cody says there is a CVS along the route, but I didn’t see it. If you forgot sunscreen there are buckets tied to the fences. Slather that on your right side - the sun will mostly be at your back for the race (if you are a 11AM or later starter) so protect your shoulders! If you didn’t bring sunscreen with you and don’t want to wait until the walk to the start there are a TON of abandoned sunscreen bottles in the village. I finished the walk to the start with my first gel of the day - 15 mins before the race started.
Mile 1 - It’s happening! Your corral is called and off you go. It’s like jumping off a cliff, the road is steep. The roadway is narrow. Do not try to pass people in the first 4-5 miles. Wasting energy here that you need for the final 5K. I moved around people but didn’t go crazy out of my way to pass them. I still managed 9:19:40 for my first mile - so don’t panic. My pace strategy was to run 1 mile, walk 1 min for this race. But I wasn’t able to take a walk break until mile 5 due to the crowded course. If you are planning to use a 4:1 or any run/walk strategy I recommend staying the outside of the course. And please put your hand up before you walk - the amount of people that abruptly stopped in front of me! Lucky I didn’t run into them.
Mile 2 - Still crowded, still going down hill 9:45:56
Mile 3 - The elevation starts to level out here. The sounds of the course are deafening. Next time I run I will wear headphones but not to listen to music, to drown out the screaming. There is not a quite moment on the course. There are spectators EVERYWHERE. 9:30:71
Mile 4 - Next gel taken around here. My goal was to fuel every 40ish mins if my stomach would allow it. Did I mention the people? There are people everywhere. Runners dressed as unicorns. Reading the backs of runners jerseys for who they are running for. There is never a dull or quiet moment. 9:07:36 (not sure how this became my fastest mile lol)
Mile 5 - Finally the road opens up. By now I feel like I have some space. I have room to run - I don’t like running in a big pack so this finally felt comfortable. I began using my walk strategy at mile 5, run 1 mile and then walk about a minute. For me it ended up being whenever my watch hit .3 of a mile. That was my cue to walk. 9:42:36
Mile 6 - I love how when you enter a new town there are big banners and welcome signs. Moving from Ashland to Framingham in this mile. While it is still downhill it’s much more mild that the cliff at mile 1. 9:27:81
Mile 7 - Once you hit the 10K mark the course starts to feel “flat” I did a lot of quad work this training cycle because my knee was angry and I didn’t want to have pain on race day. That paid off well to handle to the impact of the downhills early in the race. Do not lean back when going downhill, practice letting your feet fall under you and just ride it. Braking with your heels is only going to exhaust you and your body. Add cyclist squats and single leg squats to your training. 9:31:83
Mile 8 - Did I mention you are never alone? Like ever. There is music everywhere. Someone is offering homemade cookies every mile. Beer, water, oranges. Every mile. 9:33:56
Mile 9 - The heat was starting to get to me. I had started dumping water on my head every mile at each aid station. There is water and gatorade at every mile. They split the stations first gatorade on the right, then water. Then on the left gatorade again and water. You do not need to run and weave all over the course to get fluids. Stay straight and you’ll run into hydration. I run with a handheld and volunteers were happy to dump water directly into my bottle so I didn’t waste cups. I also carried my own powdered nutrition that I added to my bottle on walk breaks. 9:25:94
Mile 10 -Entering Natick. Small climb but nothing major, it was nice to change up the muscles I was using and put my climbing skills to good use. 9:35:62
Mile 11 - I know I keep saying it - but it’s true - you are never alone. The yelling. So much. God bless those spectators. 9:51:65
Mile 12 - At this point I just kept telling myself, get to 15. I knew some friends would be coming up soon and then Cody would be at 16. Then it was just “some hills” and back to Boylston. The heat was building and I could feel the salt on my skin. 9:33:69
Mile 13 - Half way! Kidding! A marathon is not 2 half marathons - it’s 3 plus a 5K ha! My friends Lucas and Ali were screaming for me here, thanks for the cheers and great pics! 9:24:26
Mile 14 - Wish I had something memorable here. 9:37:49
Mile 15 - Wellesely - the scream tunnel. Holy hell. So many women (girls? they are college age and I have never felt older than running past them haha I like to think I look good for almost 36 but they reminded me that yes indeed I am almost 36) This was insane. INSANE. 9:33:76'
Mile 16 - This was my hardest mile of the course, the downhill is sharp and it was the only point of the race that my knee hurt. Like I had to alter my gait it hurt to much. I knew it was the most extreme downhill and that I had three climbs - the Newton Hills - coming up. So my knee would feel better on the uphills. I’m weird, I like hills. I was ready for them. 9:33:09
Mile 17 - Cody showed up at some point here. I stopped to walk a little more to talk with him. Even he was impressed with my almost even splits - love to impress coach haha Mentally prepped myself for the next hill and off her went to get to the finish by train. I had to finish the final 9 miles on foot. 10:23:70
Mile 18 - The hills are fun! Seriously. Train for them, you’ll like it! I promise. 9:42:98
Mile 19 - Final Newton hill! If you played your cards right and didn’t push the pace in the first 15 miles these miles can be fun. Final push here before the biggest hill - Heartbreak. The marathon is not won in the first 15 miles - I beg athletes to not try and bank time and run fast at the beginning because they “have energy” You’ll give it back and then some on the back half of the race. You want to finish in control. 9:35:20
Mile 20 - Heartbreak Hill. I was broken here. My HR would not come down. No matter how much I walked. Now mind you my walking pace is between 14:30-15:30 minute miles but still hovered around 180 which is my “oh shit” zone. So I decided to walk the hill. Got a boost from my friend Tim and he got the best powerwalker on Heartbreak hill on camera! Thanks Tim! Never be ashamed to walk. 10:53:61
Mile 21 - Carry over from heartbreak 11:44:61
Mile 22 - Ok now we are back into it. It’s downhill to the finish. My body feels great - just hot! I can feel chaffing under my armpit, that’s gonna burn later. I am covered in salt. I’m watching for signs of overheating and doing mental math to make sure I still have my bearings. At the end of this mile I opt to take one more gel for the final 5K - best decision. The last 5K was the hardest, flat and honestly I was just over running LOL 9:50:76
Mile 23 - My friend texted me that I was near her friend on the course. I like having a mission. Off I was to find her friend and snag a selfie. Running past runners looking at their bibs. I found her! It’s gotta be so awkward to have someone come up to you at mile 23 and be like “I know you! Can we take a picture?” I’m sorry I made that weird Mimi. 9:53:00
Mile 24 - Flat. Boring. LOUD. At this point I had one headphone in just to block the noise. I’m gonna need an Aleve for my headache after this. 9:29:30
Mile 25 - My hardest two miles. I was hot. Nervous I was going to get nauseous. I walked more than I had planned but it was the right call. I was still in sight of my B Goal (4:15-4:20) and didn’t want to end up sick the rest of the day. More water on my head in these final miles. 10:56:86
Mile 26 - So close. Looking for that right on Hereford. The energy at this turn was AMAZING. And then the Left of Boylston - the open road and seeing the finish line. My parents were about 200M from the finish and they got to see me on that final charge to the finish line. At one point it felt like it wasn’t getting any closer. Then, crossed. Done. 10:14:19
Mile 26.2 - 8:40
Final Time 4:19:37 / 9:55 pace
My tips for a successful Boston:
Practice waking up and eating before your run. Try to do your long runs at the same time of day you are going to start your wave.
Practice downhill running at the end of a long run or track workout. Get your quads used to feeling fatigued.
Train your quads outside of runs. Lunges, single leg squats, cyclist squats.
Noise cancelling headphones if you don’t like loud noises.
Be conservative in the first 15 miles. You should feel like you could stop, rest and then go race a 5K. The race doesn’t start until the Newton Hills.
The course can be fast - I actually ran faster at Boston than I did in Chicago. Both had adverse weather conditions for me (heat) Don’t label the course tough - get tougher. Do the runs that are hard in training so that the run on race day doesn’t feel foreign.
Will I be back? Yes! But not for sometime, I have a few other goals I want to knock out first before coming back to Boston.
