TL;DR
Time: 3:25:57
PR by 2:30
Course PR by 17 min
My 3rd BQ by 14 minutes!
On April 16 I ran my 16th marathon. It was by far the most miserable/brutal/emotional race I have ever experienced.
When we left for Boston on Saturday morning, marathon Monday weather was predicted to be 50’s with feels like of 40’s and rain/wind. I thought- cool, My singlet and shorts will be perfect. Saturday evening/Sunday I saw the forecast was revised to include snow, and temps 10+ degrees cooler. Now we would be facing significant rain and wind, with feels like of low 30’s. I started freaking out. I wasn’t prepared to run in conditions like that- I had throwaway clothing but nothing that I could wear for the duration of the race which would keep me warm and slightly dry. We went out with our friends on Sunday evening, and I told them that I was 10% on DNS. That the cold would be too much for me. They reassured me that my training was solid and that I would be ok. I felt nervous, but agreed.
Race morning, I woke up and had my trusty belvita and got ready, layer by layer. L and I walked in the rain down Boylston towards the finish line. I just kept thinking to myself that the race would be a challenge, but that I’ve trained my ass off and I cannot let this opportunity slip away. While the conditions were far from ideal, it was still so much better than last year- because it was much colder.
We passed the finish line and all I could think to myself was how I hoped that I would see it again in a few hours and not feel so shitty that I’d end up in a medical tent. I really wanted to go to dinner post race and enjoy myself. We met G and P past the baggage check and continued on to the buses. We walked together and laughed at how absurd the weather was. G and L were saints for walking J and I to the buses in the rain. We hugged and said our good byes and J and I walked the remainder of the way together.
The entire hour long ride we chatted away. About our training, our race plans, and our future races. We noticed snow on the side of the road as we got closer to Hopkinton and laughed. We pulled into Hopkinton after seeing loads of police lining the route- standard now. Especially since it was the 5th anniversary of 4.15. We got off the bus and were directed into the school- we looked at each other in disbelief. We we really going to avoid the athlete village!? We used the restrooms and then were immediately told to go to the village. Our hearts sank, but as soon as we went outside into the ice cold rain, we started laughing again. We walked through thick mud to the village- a guy next to us slipped and fell on his back. We got into a tent and immediately found a place to sit on some mats which had been abandoned. We were cold and wet but in incredibly good spirits.
We sat for a while and got our stuff together. The plan was to change shoes/remove the throw away layers closer to the start line- where there wasn’t any mud. We got up to head to the start about 30 minutes before our 10:50 wave start. It’s a long walk from the village to the start- I believe it’s just shy of a mile. We saw all sorts of ingenious ways runners were trying to stay warm- from plastic bags over shoes, to duck tape on shoes, to garbage bags, to shower caps, to latex gloves- I’ve never seen so much creativity in one place. We were all in survival mode. We were all in this together.
J and I hugged and said our goodbyes close to the start. I got emotional because I was so scared of what the next 3+ hours would hold for me. I discarded my 2x pants, and my 2x long sleeves and opted to keep the garbage bag on- for at least a little bit. I changed into my dry shoes and socks. It felt amazing to have dry feet temporarily. I fumbled with my iPod which was wrapped in a mcgyvered plastic bag + hair ties and stuffed my cell phone + 5 SIS gels into my huge pockets. I walked to corral 3 and laughed. Today was going to be the most ridiculous thing I have ever done.
I got into my corral- hung around at the back like always and drank one of my gels. A photographer took my photo, and I got my iPod ready and tried to psyche myself up as much as I could. I was about to run my 3rd Boston, and 16th marathon. Instead of cursing the weather like nearly everyone around me, I thought about something J said to me- “we are lucky to be able to do this.”
We inched our way to the start and before I knew it, I clicked my Garmin to start recording my run and I was off. Immediately I thought how crowded it was- and how densely packed everyone seemed to be. I couldn’t pass people at all. It shouldn’t have been that shocking to me because we were seeded with people who qualified with similar times. I just thought people would take off a bit quicker due to the downhill.
In the first few miles I saw a golden reteriver holding Boston Strong flags in his mouth. I nearly lost it.
I continued to run an even pace and tried to cut through the crowd whenever a spot opened. I felt oddly calm and like I was out of body- watching myself from above. There was always a constant drizzle and wind. Then every 20 minutes a significant heavy band of rain and wind would come through and I would laugh to the point of almost crying. The cold rain + 30mph wind stung my skin. I was soaked to the bone and also had to keep pulling my shorts up since they were heavy from my phone + gels and the rain. My hands were completely numb within a few miles- it was so difficult to pull my shorts up and get gels out of my pockets.
Around mile 6 the herd got thinner and I was able to start running a little faster. I knew at this point I was on track for a PR and was excited to see what I would end up with. I had decided pre race that my goals would be #1 have fun. #2 don’t end up in the med tent. #3 PR. I had no idea how the cold, wind and rain would affect me, but I knew I was in great shape and that I shouldn’t waste this opportunity.
The miles flew by and soon I was nearing the scream tunnel of Wellesley. I made a point to go to the right side and high 5 the gals spectating, and kissed one one on the cheek. This gave me a huge pick me up and pep in my step. I drifted back to near the center of the road and kept my head down and continued on.
I passed the halfway in 1:40.xx and thought “wow- I just clocked my 3rd fastest half ever. I’m on track for a decent PR.” But that it also meant I’d be in the rain for another hour 40ish. I tried to keep a positive outlook on the day- I knew the moment I started complaining that I would break down and put myself in a position that would likely require medical assistance. As long as I kept moving, I would hopefully be ok.
It felt surreal to be passing people the entire race once the road opened up around mile 6. It made me wonder if people were just treating Boston as a victory lap (and didn’t train as hard for it) or if they were injured, or had simply thrown in the towel and were just going through the motions to finish. The mood at the expo/ interactions with other runners pre race indicated that many had already called it a day before the race even started. I also have no doubt that the conditions played a huge role in slowing people down- it was incredibly brutal out there as we battled 30mph headwinds along with the cold and rain.
Every mile I passed after the halfway made me happier and happier. I usually go out of my way to high five people and interact with the crowd- but during this race I just tried to conserve energy and get to the finish.
Once I got to 9 miles left, I felt elated. Single digits! And just over an hour of running left until I could take a hot bath! The hills didn’t bother me. The rain and wind took my mind off of everything else going on. There were a few spectators along the hills this year (thank you November Project Boston for coming out in full force!) but otherwise it was pretty empty. Last year the hills were lined with spectators.
I felt like I was alone in this race. I felt detached. I was happy I brought my iPod this year- hearing my playlist and singing along helped pump me up and take my mind off the conditions slightly.
I made the decision to take the garbage bag off just before mile 25. I wanted good finish line photos! Until then, if I saw a course photographer, I would make sure my number was visible. I figured 10 minutes of running without my trusty bag would be ok. When I took it off I instantly felt much colder. I was already soaked- but I underestimated how much it was keeping me warm.
With one mile to go I spotted G and we high fived. It was so nice to see a familiar face out on the course! I can’t imagine what it would have been like to stand in this garbage weather for hours on end. I told L, to not even bother coming out. It wasn’t worth it to see me run by for 3 seconds. Right after I passed G, I saw some members of the Boston PD, and said thank you to them and became ridiculously emotional. I couldn’t control the ugly cry- and it was so hard to breathe.
I got myself together and pushed towards the finish. As I was making a right on Hereford a girl got too close to me and clipped the back of my shoes almost causing me to go down- I grabbed onto the back of the girl In front of me and stayed upright.
Left on Boylston. I could see the finish down the road. I ran near some of the photographers and found a nice empty spot in the middle of the road to trot it in to the finish. I started crying as I approached the sacred finish line. I’ve never been so overcome with emotion like this before at a race. I was crying uncontrollably. It was so hard to breathe. After a few minutes I got myself back together got my heat blanket, and collected my medal and water.
My hip flexors were in an incredible amount of pain once I stopped running. I never have problems with them- so I attribute it to being tense from the cold. My left hamstring was also feeling tender. I shuffled slowly back to the hotel and was able to text L something about where to meet-it was so hard to text while shivering and shaking. While walking through the mall a girl asked if I had run the marathon. I said yes. She said it is a goal of hers but that she doubted she could ever do it. I told her (through chattering teeth) that she could certainly do it if she wanted it. That my first marathon was 5:30 and with consistency I’ve taken 2 hours off of my time. If I could do it, anyone could.
I met L near the lobby of our hotel and gave him a huge wet hug. I was so happy to see him! Once back in the room I took an hour long hot bath and after- finally felt back to life. Hearing that Desi had won was icing on the cake to an amazingly challenging day. I was just shocked that I didn’t find out she had won while on the course. Maybe my headphones were to blame?
A few hours later we went to dinner at Row 34 with G and J and ate some of the most delicious seafood ever. I also had a couple of beers. We talk about our races and had a fab time. Post Row 34, we went to Bukowski to continue the celebrations. More beer was consumed as well as tater tot poutine- J and I were starving. I’m usually not hungry after marathons, but I’m sure being in the cold made me work even harder than normal.
Post race thoughts- I’m really happy with how everything went considering the circumstances. My goal going into this cycle was to not be in fear- I trained for an aggressive goal and told people about it. I wasn’t scared of failure. I know without a doubt that had the weather been favorable, that I easily would have run 10 minutes faster. To see Desi run 17 min off her best time made me realize just how heinous the conditions actually were. I’m at peace with Boston now and will take a few years off to focus on other goals.
Splits 2017 vs 2018
Other thoughts/observations:
•IPod wrapped in plastic stuffed in sport bra. No ability to select music. Didn’t bother me.
•When the iPod wires popped out of my shirt around mile 9 it was Insanely hard to stuff them back into my shirt due to numb hands
•Chaffing from my shorts where the seam hit my legs. 4 dime-quarter sized spots where the skin rubbed off. I had no idea until I got back to the hotel and L asked “are you bleeding?”
•Feet intact not a single blister or hot spot.
•Nose bridge in significant pain due to the hat putting pressure on my glasses during the race.
•Felt like an out of body experience. I went on auto pilot and just ran.
•saying thank you to all the service members I ran near.
•I stayed positive the entire time. I continually thought “this all you got Mother Nature!?”
Housekeeping:
Sis Gels- 1 pre race, then miles 5,10,15, couldn’t open the one I planned at mile 20.
Ran with Sis electrolytes until the half (500ml)
Drank water at every other aid station starting at mile 16.
Wore:
MRC blue singlet
Coeur shorts with huge pockets
Boston Rabbit Hat
Blenderz glasses
Arm warmers
Garbage bag until mile 25
Nike Zoom elite shoes
Pro compression ankle socks
Saucony mittens.
Takeaway- I should have worn my nice nike jacket because of the low temps. I also should have figured out a way to keep my hands warmer.
