Riding out to Hopkinton the day of the Boston Marathon is always fun. Even last year, with the cold gray rain. But, I have to admit, on the morning of April 15th, as Elizabeth and I made our way to Neil's to pack the Subaru with runners...we drove through rain causing near zero visibility, significant flooding, and lightning & thunder. YIKES! This was just a pre-race blip on the radar screen, right? It would pass before the gun sounded, right? Right! As our group of runners arrived at the staging area, and then on to our friendly neighborhood pre-race hangout, the rain began to let up just in time.
On the walk towards the corrals we bumped into Caroline & Amory, chatted it up, talked about how we felt and if we were going to go for it...making little note of the weather that was now clearing up. Even I was thinking it could end up being quite a nice day, but the forecast was all over the place - so I was more focused on controlling what I could control. And my plan was to let the first few miles be whatever they were going to be, then whatever pace I hit for mile 5 is what I would stick to. The first few miles can be unpredictable - whether it's too crowded, or the crowd pulls me out too quick. I don't think you can go out so quick that you sabotage your race unless you really focus on being stupid. I wasn't doing that...I ended up with a few miles at 6:0X, but nothing crazy.
Usually I'm not a fan of the grade adjusted pace on Strava, but I think that paints a reasonable picture of how I graded my effort. For the first eleven miles, I was essentially hovering around a 6:15 pace. The entire time I was trying to focus on how I felt, and at no time did I think "hey, I feel great!" My legs were just a little stiff, and I generally just felt uncomfortable. I could tell early on that it was a lot warmer than it seemed during our walk to the starting line. The temps weren't too bad, but it was sneaky humid, and at some point during those early miles the sun peaked its head out and I could tell it would require a major adjustment if it remained sunny. Thankfully, it was just a brief break in the clouds.
During the 12th mile, I started to feel like I needed to dial it back. My legs felt a little cranky, and I was caked in sweat - and while I was a ways away from cramping I knew it could turn into one of those lead-leg days in an instant. I took one of my electrolyte tabs earlier then planned and dialed it back, stopping very quickly to relieve myself (only cost me something like 18 seconds!).
I think I did a good job of maintaining that adjusted pace as well. It's frustrating to dial it back at the halfway mark, but after a big adjustment during the 13th mile down to 6:43, I then settled back into what I would call 6:2X/mile effort. This was a tough day though. I never felt great, and I could just tell that the humidity was an x-factor. I took another electrolyte tablet around mile 18 or so, and then again at 22. I'm not sure if that's the exact time frame, but it's close enough. I normally will take 1 tablet, but I just kept feeling like my legs were at risk of cramping.
I was focused on just a steady effort up Heartbreak, and made it through the Newton hills feeling solid. It would be a tough final 10k, but I felt like I was in the right rhythm. My quads were beat up, but nothing too crazy. And the right glute that has prevented me from sitting at work since February was a total non-issue! My left hamstring though, which was an issue in Dublin, reared it's head once again. I held form so as not to cause any injury though. And I passed a bunch of familiar face once I was past BC and onto Beacon. And oddly enough, I was feeling the best I had all day! Relatively speaking that is, which is to say not great but better than usual at the 22 mile point.
That stretch of miles 24 through 26 is awfully deceptive. You feel so close to the finish, but you aren't. I picked up the pace thinking that was the case, and man did it hurt! I was in the 6:20s and maintaining though, so it was the right effort. As I started to approach the '1 mile to go' mark, I took a minute to compose myself. I took inventory of the legs, the hamstrings, the calves. I was doing ok. So once I passed that marker, I decided I'd try and hammer it home. I had been passed by a few buddies about a half mile prior, and as I hit the gas I passed them back and continued onward. As I took the right on Hereford left on Boylston I was moving very well and hugging the turn. The crowds felt like they were right on top of me and I was letting the adrenaline pull me a long. There was a moment of quiet and, while I feel like a bit of a dork for admitting this, I totally let out a massive yell to the crowd. I don't know where it came from, but it got the response I needed. I could see some spectators looking directly at me and though I couldn't register faces I could see the waves. One little kid reach out for a high five, and I couldn't get over so I did phantom high five and thumbs up. Turns out it was one of Elizabeth's co-workers and his daughter!
This wasn't the race I hoped for when I started to plan for it shortly after Dublin, but after seemingly endless little/major setbacks, I'm happy with the performance.
Official Time: 2:48:18
Strava
Garmin
