Summary - The toughest running day I have ever experienced. The bottom line is the only reason I was able to finish the race is because it would have hurt more to quit than to keep going through the pain. Let the bitching and moaning begin,
Pre-race - First of all I knew it was going to be one of the toughest races because the training wasn’t where I need it to be. There were way too many weeks of running three days and not enough of those quality mid-week runs of six plus miles. Also the night before the race I had a horrible night of sleep and got a sore throat. I woke up every forty-five minutes or so. Each time I woke up I started to worry more about being tired for the race. The one good thing was that I wasn’t too tired when it was time to get up but the bad news was my lower back, head, and stomach did not feel well. I remember looking in the mirror while brushing my teeth thinking this is going to be one tough day. On the way to Manny’s I stopped and got some diet Pepsi and some CVS pain reliever to try to diminish some of the morning misery.
The one thing that went off without a hitch was the trip to Hopkinton. Thanks to Manny and his girlfriend I got to the starting line and my car was going to be at L-Street. Having my car in Boston was going to be great because I know I would not want to hang out too long after the race. We got to the start line with about an hour to spare so there was plenty of time to relax. Manny was in the first wave so I said by to him and then headed to the back of the pack. Once I got to the back I head enough time to readjust my socks and shoes. I also tried calling Debb one last time but I had to leave her a message.
The Race – I finally reached the start line at 10:45. At this point I felt okay. I was running roughly 8:45s. It was pretty crowded but that wasn’t an issue. As usual the feeling was awesome to be running the race. The crowds were all wound up. I really like the bar that is on the left hand side right over the Ashland line. It’s always funny to see all these people half in the bag so early in the day cheering all these runners on. Another thing that always cracks me up is how every one loves to say, “You’re looking good, almost there”, well, the first time I heard this was around the four mile mark, which may be a record. I started to feel the impact of the race around the 10k mark. I knew this is bad because it’s way too early to feel like this. In past years I usually made it to 10 miles before I started to get a bit tight. Even though I wasn’t feeling great I was still running at a 9 minute pace. At the 12 mile water station I decided to make a pit stop because at this point my stomach started to really feel lousy. I had to wait in line for about five minutes but it was worth it because I felt better afterwards. After that just to make sure I got enough fluids I started to walk just a bit through the water stations. I made it to the turn at the fire station before the wheels came off. I made it up the first hill and then it was walk, run, walk, walk, run, walk, walk, lie down, walk, walk, run all the way to the finish. Those last 8 miles were the toughest thing I have ever done physically. My back and my stomach were the biggest issues. I felt like I was going to puke the whole time and it took a lot not to it let go. I held back on puking because I was afraid some over anxious med tent person would pull me off the course. I stopped taking on gels after 15 miles because of my stomach issues. As made my way slowly up the Newton hills my lower back really started to hurt. I stopped a few times to try to stretch it but nothing helped. Once I made it into Kenmore Square I knew I would finish the race. At this point I started walking with a guy from Vancouver named Dave. It was his first Boston (and his last) and I think he felt worse than I did if possible. At his point not only did I have my back and stomach pain killing me but the typical marathon issues were really starting to hurt. Walking with Dave really helped as it took my mind off the pain. When I we took the turn at Hereford I asked Dave if he had anything left he said, not now I’m going to run Boylston so I shook his hand and said good luck and started to run. I ran 3/4’s of the way up the street and then walked around the corner to just gather myself for the grand finale. I then started to run and made it all the way to the finish. Then end
Post race –
I was miserable and was still dropping plenty of F-bombs in the van on my way to L-Street. The good thing was I wasn’t alone. There was a good group of miserable marathon guys all feeling the same way. By the time I got back to L Street I was feeling a little better but still not great. I got some chicken soup and took a shower. I hung out for about an hour and then headed for home. On the way home I started thinking how bad the race went and whether I wanted to run Boston ever again. I knew I would do other marathons but I really wasn’t sure about this one. As usual by the next morning I was started to think what I will do differently next time. Looking back there are numerous reasons why I did so poorly but I think most of all it was my training. I think the same training I did in my 20s is not going to fly any more. So here is my new plan, I will start 6 weeks earlier and will start with at least a healthy 25 mile per week base. I will also make hill training a focus and will do it consistently throughout.
The details:1 – 8:53 (pit stop)
2 – 8:24
3 – 8:45
4 – 8:35
5 – 8:54
6 – 8:54
7 – 8:45
8 – 9:09
9 – 9:16
10 – 9:00
11 – 9:10
12 – 14:22 (pit stop)
13 – 9:09
14 – 9:25
15 – 9:35
16 – 9:57
17 – 10:49
18 – 13:16
19 – 10:32
20 – 12:38
21 – 15:41
22 – 15:08
23 – 14:41
24 – 14:48
25 – 19:16
26.2 – 16:54
Total - 4:54:10
Pace - 11:13
