2012 Boston Marathon

This race report was originally posted on the RunningAhead community boards on April 17, 2012.  Some content has been edited since that initial publication.

My Guide to the Boston Marathon

Prologue

The Boston Marathon is the oldest annual marathon and arguably the most prestigious. It occurs on Patriots’ Day, the third Monday in April.

My first marathon was the 2010 National Marathon.  My time was 3:37:36 (8:19 pace) but I wasn’t particularly interested in running the Boston Marathon at that time.

The next year, I met the qualifying time, which was 3:45 (8:36 pace) for 35-39-year-old women at the 2011 National Marathon where I ran 3:27:23 (7:55 pace).  That summer, I turned 40 years old!  I registered for the race in September.

I started training for the 2012 Boston Marathon using the 18-week, 70-85 miles a week plan in mid-December, setting weekly pace goals and rewards for myself

It was a mild winter and my training was fairly uneventful except for a 17-mile long run on the treadmill at my gym in January due to cold temperatures.  

In mid-March, I finished my last hard long run – 20 miles (well, my Garmin said 19.9 miles) with 14 miles at goal marathon pace!  [Log details]

For tune-up races, I ran the now rebranded Rock ‘n’ Roll DC National Half Marathon in 1:34:16 (7:12 pace). [Log details] In April, I ran the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler in 1:08:50 (6:53 pace). [Log details]

In the days before the race, the forecast warned of warmer than usual temperatures – as high as the mid-80s.  Gradually, I realized the sub-3:20 goal that I trained for was probably not going to happen.

Goals

Personal Records:

• Marathon PR and Most Recent Marathon: 3:27:23 (7:55 pace), 2011 National Marathon.

Stretch (“C Goal”): Sub-3:30 (8:01 pace). This was my goal when I started my training cycle but with the forecast, I didn’t think it was doable.

Likely (“B Goal”):  Sub-3:40 (8:28 pace).  Maybe I can run a qualifying time for the New York City Marathon, which would be 3:38 (8:20 pace).

Achievable (“A Goal”):  Sub-3:45 (8:36 pace). Reading online running forums, people were reporting running 10-30 minutes slower in the kind of heat predicted for the race.

Strategy: Treat the race like a training run.

Course

The course is a point-to-point starting in Hopkinton, Massachusetts and ending in Boston. The first few miles are mostly downhill through the towns of Ashland and Framingham. Then, the course flattens out in Natick and Wellesley before reaching the town of Newton. There are four moderate hills over the course of five miles culminating with “Heartbreak Hill”. From there, the course is mostly downhill through Brookline into Boston.

There are hydration stations with water and Gatorade at every mile on both sides of the road starting at Mile 2. Crowds are thinner during the early miles but heavy in pockets of Ashland, Framingham, Wellesley, Newton, Boston College, and downtown Boston.

Playlist

Sadly, my playlist for this race has been lost to time but it didn’t matter much, as the race report recounts.

Pre-Race

Saturday.  My flight was scheduled for 12:30 p.m.  As I waited in National Airport, the race announced deferral option for next year.  By that point, I already felt committed to running it.  I texted some friends who were going to take the option and agreed to pick up their packets.  (The race required runners to claim their bibs to submit their request.)

I arrived in Boston at 2 p.m.  It was a quick cab ride to my hotel near the Seaport World Trade Center, the site of the expo.  I enjoyed the expo and then went back that afternoon to pick up bibs for friends.

Sunday.  The next day, I checked out of that hotel and moved across town to another hotel so I could be closer to Boston Common where the buses would load in the morning.  Otherwise, I just spent the day trying not to worry too much about the weather forecast.

Race Day. The day started with a walk to the buses at Boston Common to take us to Hopkinton.

Strangley, it was kind of chilly so I was hoping maybe they messed up the forecast and it wouldn’t be so bad. 

I’ve run some pretty big races and even I was amazed by the crowds! But, the police and volunteers had everything in control. It took about a half-hour for me to get on a bus. 

I ended up sitting next to a nice local woman who was a student at Tufts University.  We gabbed the whole way to Hopkinton!  She was a charity runner and this was going to be her first marathon!  I wondered if she knew what she was in for.  (Heck, did I know what I was in for?!)  I doubted she would finish.

During the ride, I drank water.  I knew it was important to hydrate.

We arrived at the Athlete’s Village in Hopkinton a little before 9 a.m.  By then, it was no longer chilly.  It was hot.  

I drank a lot of fluids so I immediately had to the port-a-potties and then find a spot of shade to get myself ready to run.  I decided to just go with a sports bra and compression shorts.  (I began to think I should have done some sit-ups at some point in those last 18 weeks).  I carried a water bottle with me and stash Clif Shot Bloks and 2 Nuun tablets in my bra straps.  Then, I checked my bag.

The call to the start was kind of confusing and I ended up arriving at my corral with about two minutes to spare!

Weather

The temperature in Boston reached mid-to-upper 80s and broke Boston’s heat record for that day.  It was one of the hottest Boston Marathons in modern history, eclipsed only by te 1976 event known as the “Run for the Hoses”.  (The temperature for 1982’s legendary “Duel in the Sun” was only around 70 degrees.)

The Race

Miles 0 to 5 (Hopkinton and Ashland)

The start was crowded!  It was really hard to get any speed but I tried to keep in mind some of the advice I’d read online about not going to fast early.  Still, I found myself slightly annoyed by all the weaving and jockeying.  I would say people didn’t settle down until Mile 8ish.

I’d been debating whether to start taking the Nuun early or late in the race.  I decided if I don’t take them early, I may not need them late so I plopped the first tab in my handheld bottle.  The first water stop was mayhem as was pretty much every water stop thereafter.  I guessed people hadn’t read that the water stops were staggered – there would be water and Gatorade on both sides – so there were runners veering from one side of the course to the other.  It was pretty dangerous.  I decided to run through some of the early ones since I have my Nuun but soon realize that the plan is not going to work since I went through that first bottle pretty quickly.

Splits: 8:15, 8:14, 8:00, 7:42, 8:04.

Miles 5 to 11 (Framingham and Natick)

I’d texted a couple of regulars on the RunningAhead forums hoping for a meet up at some point.  “SRLopez” and I exchanged details on what we’d be wearing so we could spot each other.

At one point, I was running behind a guy in a singlet that has the word “Cancer”, a number of years, and “I win” on the back.  I felt happy for that guy.  I pulled alongside to pass and noticed the details of what he’s wearing.  I tentatively asked, “Robert?” and it was SRLopez!  We chit-chatted for a little bit and then I take off – I can run or talk, I can’t do both!

I did a fair amount of high-fiving during this section of the race.  The kids were adorable – some of them were concentrating so hard hoping for a high-five or that someone would take their cup of water.  There was cute overload all race long!

Splits: 7:41, 7:49, 7:59, 7:50, 8:10, 8:16.

Miles 11 to 16 (Wellesley)

I tend to struggle in the middle miles, so I was really trying to stay strong and focused.  I’d been running with my iPod Shuffle.  I planned to listen through the hills and enjoy the crowds a the end.  But by Mile 11 or so, it died.  In retrospect, it was probably a good thing because I would have been tempted to listen to music at the end.

I was feeling great coming out of Wellesley.  I hit the mid-way point at 1:44:something.  (Officially, it was 1:44:55).  I think, “Maybe I can go sub-3:30”?  I am the queen of the even marathon splits.  But, those thoughts vanish pretty quickly.  At Mile 15 or so I started feeling like my breathing was really off and got a little dizzy.  I thought, “Oh no, I might be in trouble.”

Splits: 7:51, 8:04, 7:58, 8:13, 8:12. Half marathon: 1:4:55 (8:01 pace).

Miles 16 to 21 (Newton)

As I hit the first incline into Newton, I considered walking but I know if I started walking I wouldn’t want to run again.  So, I decided to just go very slow.  I took the entire Newton Hills section easy and started taking two cups of fluids at the water stations – one in and one on.

This was also where a lot of runners did start walking.  It became crazy trying to avoid the walker, particularly at water stops.  The crowds in Newton were amazing, though!  They knew how hard it was for us and were really trying to encourage us, so I tried to soak that up.  I crested Heartbreak Hill and told myself the worst is over.  I began to think, if I could just get re-hydrated, I can finish this strong.  Sub-3:30 is out but my New York City Marathon qualifying time (NYCMQ) is still in play.

Splits: 9:11, 9:07, 8:39, 8:50, 9:02.

Miles 21 to 26.2 (Brookline and Boston)

This section was mostly flat and downhill.  My pace was all over the place.  I would surge on the downhills and then slow down on the flats and uphills.  I would swing from feeling pretty good to wanting to stop from minute to minute.  I felt no matter how much water I took in, I never felt like it was enough.  The crowds at Boston College really gave me a boost, though.  I pounded out a 7:49 split during that section.  It was non-stop cheering from then on.  This was also the point when I “got” why people love this race.

The Citgo Sign! One mile to go! But, I hit bottom once again and consider walking. I can’t believe I’m this close and wanting to quit. How is that possible? I keep telling myself, “You have your NYCMQ if you just finish this out. A 10-minute mile is all you need”. We turn onto Boylston and I’m expecting another boost but it doesn’t happen. The finish looked so far away. I slogged my way to the end and (hopefully) remembered not to look down at my watch so I’ll have a great finish photo.

Splits: 7:49, 8:24, 8:13, 8:39, 8:31, 1:50 (8:03 pace).

Result

My time was 3:36:49 (8:17 pace) [Log details].  That’s a Boston Marathon qualifing time  (BQ) by 8 minutes if I want to run this thing again next year.  (Given the conditions, I think I should be given a lifetime BQ!)  It’s also a New York City Marathon qualifying time (NYCMQ) for 2012 by a minute if I decide to run that this fall. 

I was the 4,006th finisher out of 21,616 (top 8%), 671st woman out of 8995 (top 8%), and 75th in my age group out of 1,521 (top 5%)

In the elite races, Wesley Korir won the race with a time of 2:12:40 (5:04 pace). The returning champion and pre-race favorite Geoffrey Mutai dropped out of the race due to the conditions.  On the women’s side, Sharon Cherop finished the race at 2:31:50 (5:48 pace) beating Jemima Sumgong in a close finish.

Post-Race

After the race, I wanted to cry but didn’t think my body had enough water for tears.

That evening, I went out on the town with a friend from college who lives in Boston and her friends.  I kept telling them that this was the hardest thing I’d ever done.

Later that evening, I checked the official results and my seatmate to Hopkinton also finished!

Epilogue

The next day, I left Boston wearing my finisher’s jacket and medal to the airport.

Back home in Washington, DC, I took the next four days off waiting until my body felt like running again.  I endured two painful 5-mile runs over the weekend and then took the next week off.  However, I managed to play in a field hockey tournament later that month!

I did not get into the Marine Corps Marathon and can only hope for bib transfer at this point.

Looking ahead, my next marathon would be the 2012 New York City Marathon in November!