2019 Boston Marathon

 

Scroll all the way down to the end of the post for the tl;dr version.

Prologue

After the 2018 New York City Marathon, I took four weeks off before starting to train for the 2019 Boston Marathon in early December.  For a training program, I followed the 18-week advanced program in Hansons Marathon Method except I added about 4 miles to each long run.  During the first six weeks, I trained through traveling for Christmas, and a girls weekend with my Ragnar team in mid-January.  A “polar vortex” moved across the region during Week 8 but the weather was mostly mild.

Week 10 was stressful because I had a first date and a job interview within days of one another!  (The man is still around but the job didn’t pan out.)  During Week 13, I ran the 2019 Rock n Roll DC Half Marathon in 1:38:36 (7:32 pace) my fastest half marathon in three years!  But by Week 17, my legs – particularly my knees – were spent, and the short taper wasn’t helping.  Making matters worse, the early forecasts for race day showed conditions similar to last year’s race.

Goals

Personal Records:

• Marathon PR: 3:22:56 (7:45 pace), 2013 New York City Marathon.
• Course PR: Boston Marathon is 3:25:58 (7:52 pace), 2015 Boston Marathon.
• Most Recent Marathon: 3:33:17 (8:09 pace), 2018 New York City Marathon.

Achievable: Sub-3:28:00 (7:57 pace). From using the race equivalence tables in Hansons Marathon Method and Daniels’ Running Formula, this was approximately the marathon performance from my 2019 Rock n Roll DC Half Marathon time.

Stretch: Sub-3:23:59 (7:48 pace). Based on training paces, I thought I might get close to my course PR if the stars aligned.

Strategy: Given the weather forecast and my aching knees, run 8:15 pace through Ashland. Then, run by feel and expect to give up time in Newton. And finally, hope to find another gear in Brookline.

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

I compiled 3 hours and 27 minutes of motivational music for the race.

Pre-Race

Saturday.  My flight landed in Boston at 2:30pm.  After a quick cab ride, I checked into my hotel in the Back Bay.  I went to the marathon expo at the Hynes Convention Center just before 4:30pm.

I quickly picked up my bib and finisher’s shirt, which was yellow this year.

The bag-check bag had an official program, Hyland’s Leg Cramps pills and cream, Ensure Max protein drink, Clif Shot Bloks, water, and a bottle opener.

Unlike last year, I lingered at the expo and purchased quite a few things: the Boston Marathon Course Tee, I bought a Saucony Endophin Singlet, Adidas Superlite Prime 2 Hat, Saucony Brisk Skull Cap and Saucony Brisk Gloves.

Back in my hotel room, I finally decided to take some ibuprofen for the pain in my knees.

Sunday. I ran a shake-out run on the Charles River Esplanade.  The temperature was in the upper-50s and I ran in a tank top.  My legs felt terrible!  My muscles felt heavy, which I attributed to carbo-loading, but my knees felt terrible.  I ended the run in the Boston Public Garden and enjoyed the scenery.

After the run, I went to Flour for brunch and then rested in my hotel for a while before walking to Newbury Street for a little shopping and hunting for a ripe banana on the way back to my hotel.

That night, I had pappardelle pasta with pesto and mushrooms for dinner.  My knees still ached, so I took two ibuprofen before bed at 10pm.

Race Day. “My knees don’t hurt!” was my first thought when I woke up at 6am. I put on some clothes, walked down to the hotel lobby for coffee, and stepped outside to see what the weather felt like.  It was raining but not terribly cold.  I snacked on a cinnamon raisin bagel and a banana while I got dressed.  Last year, I was sending work emails on race day morning.  This year, thanks to a new job I started in August, I was relaxed and able to concentrate on the race.

I left my hotel at 7:45am wearing a hooded poncho from a previous Boston Marathon.  Security was quick and I was on a bus to Hopkinton from Boston Common at around 8am.

On the way to in Hopkinton, I ate a Luna Bar and sipped a 20 ounce Gatorade while talking to my seatmate.  The bus arrived around 9:30am and by then the rain had stopped and it felt much warmer outside.  I really had to use a porta-potty and slogged through the mud pit in the Athlete’s Village.

At around 10:15am, the announcer told Wave 3 runners to leave the Athlete’s Village!  At the CVS near the starting corrals, I took off my throw-aways and put on my SPIbelt with two Crank Sport e-Gels.

After about 10 minutes in the corral, it was finally time to run!

Weather

On Wednesday, the Boston Athletic Association sent out an email to participants notifying them the weather forecast was similar to the 2018 race – cold, rainy, and windy.  But, as race day arrived, it became clear it would be a warm day instead.  In fact, the temperature was in the uppers 60s around noon in Wellesley and Newton.

The Race

Miles 0 to 5 (Hopkinton and Ashland)

The course starts downhill in Hopkinton and dozens of runners streamed past me.  By then, the rain had stopped and the temperature was pleasant.  My knees, which had been aching for the past two weeks, felt fine.  I stayed out of the fray, though, and ran unimpeded in the middle of the road.  I wanted water at the first aid station, but running in the middle of the road, I couldn’t make my way to either side easily.

I was happy with my first split, knowing that I wanted to run about 8:15 pace.  I switched the screen on my Garmin from overall pace to lap pace.

The crowds were small but exuberant though the small town.  I saw my second favorite sign of the day early in the course.  It read, “Welcome to Brookline” even though that town was 25 miles away!

The town of Ashland seemed to come quickly.  At Mile 3, “Sweet Caroline” was blaring from some speakers and the runners chimed in screaming at the top of their lungs.

Noticing I was already sweating, I knew I should try to stay ahead of dehydration.  I fished inside my SPIbelt and found the wadded piece of plastic with two SaltStick FastChew salt pills and took one.  I also drank water at the next two aid stations.

Four miles in, I started to really feel my legs under me and I logged my first sub-8:00 pace split.  I was running over goal pace but I knew there was enough course ahead to make up the time.

[dropshadowbox align=”center” effect=”raised” width=”800px” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”4″ border_color=”#f4d83f” rounded_corners=”false” outside_shadow=”false” ] On the way to Framingham, we passed a large industrial building that always has an inspirational banner on its side.  This year, it was about New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski’s retirement and directied runners to “Do your job”. [/dropshadowbox]

Remembering that I felt a little hungry in the Athlete’s Village, I started my first Crank Sport e-Gel earlier than planned – about 40 minutes into the race.

Splits: 8:21, 8:02, 8:02, 7:52, 8:08.

Miles 5 to 11 (Framingham and Natick)

Around Mile 5, the course arrived in the town of Framingham.  I wasn’t even an hour into the race but my stomach was already feeling a little off.  This past training cycle, I hadn’t practiced taking gels or water during my training runs and it appeared as though I was paying the consequence now.   I passed on taking in more water at the next stop thinking I should let whatever was in my stomach clear out.  I also tried running a little harder.

After Mile 6, the course curved and swept downhill towards the Framingham Train Station.  This is the first area with very big and loud crowds but I thought they seemed less enthusiastic than in previous years.  Still, the cheering boosted my energy.

[dropshadowbox align=”center” effect=”raised” width=”800px” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”4″ border_color=”#f4d83f” rounded_corners=”false” outside_shadow=”false” ] On the side of the building, I saw a sign that essentially read, “You may fail someday today is not that day” – paraphrasing a speech from Lord of the Rings. [/dropshadowbox]

Leaving downtown, I found myself running behind two women in blue singlets that read “Beast Mode”.  Rather than speeding up to pass them, I decided to keep with them.  They seemed to be running my pace and I needed to mentally check out for a while and figure out why I was running so slowly.

About a half mile after Mile 7, we arrived in Natick.  Leaving the town center, Lake Cochituate was on the right-hand side of the road.  On my playlist, I listened to Whitney Houston reminded me about The Greatest Love of All.  Taking water at the last two aid stations also seemed to make me feel better.

Soon, the course crossed the 15K mark (9.32 miles) and I waved to the cameras overhead.  But, the enthusiasm was a lie.  As I reached the 10 mile mark, the idea of running 16 more miles at my current pace seemed impossible.  But, I knew my splits had been very consistent so I thought maybe my body was just running its true marathon pace.

Just before Mile 11, I decided it was time to take another gel.  Rummaging through my SPIbelt, I knocked one of the packets to the ground!  I quickly turned around and picked it up without bumping into anyone but it left me feeling a little rattled.

Splits: 7:54, 7:49, 7:58, 8:01, 8:01, 8:01.

Miles 11 to 16 (Wellesley)

In parsing my memories, I categorized images by whether the skies were overcast or sunny.  By the time I reached Wellesley, before Mile 12 and just after noon, the sun was breaking through the clouds.

“Kiss Them for Me” came on before I reached Wellesley College so I pushed pause on my player.  This some was supposed to play as I was passing Wellesley College, so even though I had my Garmin on lap pace, I knew I was running slower than my goal.  In the silence, I listened for the “Scream Tunnel” but I couldn’t hear the roar.  When I reached the school, I ran to the far left of the course and watched the shenanigans from the outskirts.

[dropshadowbox align=”center” effect=”raised” width=”800px” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”4″ border_color=”#f4d83f” rounded_corners=”false” outside_shadow=”false” ] The mat for the half marathon is in a downtown area.  I checked my overall time at that point and it was just short of 1:45:00.  I knew I was behind my goal pace but hadn’t realized how much.  I probably wouldn’t finish faster than 3:30:00.  But, ever the optimist, I switched to convincing myself that I could negative split the Boston Marathon. [/dropshadowbox]

Running though the next aid station around Mile 14, a woman whizzed in front of me and I slowed to avoid a collision.  Instinctively, I said, “You really need to watch where you’re going.”  She merely replied, “Uh huh.”

Soon thereafter, I hit a bit of an uphill and could tell I was struggling.  Indeed, my next split was 8:18 – my slowest of the race since the start.  “It’s okay,” I thought, “You can still make up the time on the other side of Heartbreak.”  I took a Sword Energy Chew thinking I could use some caffeine-induced energy.  The long downhill after Mile 15 helped me log another sub-8:00 split and I thought things were looking up!

Splits: 7:47, 8:05, 7:53, 8:18, 7:59. Half marathon: 1:45:03 (8:02 pace).

Miles 16 to 21 (Newton)

At Mile 16, I braced myself for the first of the four hills in the Newton section of the course.  By this time of day, it was hot – the temperature was probably in the upper 60s with 70% humidity.  Approaching I-95, I thought about the 2012 Boston Marathon when I thought I was going to die from the heat, as I usually do.  But this time, it caused me to run harder!  Turning right onto Commonwealth Avenue at Mile 17.5, I downshifted and took on the second hill.  But, my legs couldn’t pull it as well as they had the first.

The crowds were thick and encouraging but I just focused on the road ahead of me.  Turning introspective as I realized I wasn’t going to meet my goal, I accepted it with the knowledge that…  it didn’t matter!  Nothing in my life changes.

[dropshadowbox align=”center” effect=”raised” width=”800px” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”4″ border_color=”#f4d83f” rounded_corners=”false” outside_shadow=”false” ] But, I wasn’t completely defeated.  As I worked on my last gel during Mile 18, I thought, “Give yourself a chance at a second wind.” [/dropshadowbox]

I paused my playlist during “This Too Shall Pass” realizing it was playing too soon.  That song was for Heartbreak Hill.  When I arrived at that last and steepest hill, a spectator urged us to use our arms, which was annoying but when I tried it, helped!  At the top of the hill, a man held a sign that said, “Your heartbreak is over”.

Knowing there was another hump in the road after Heartbreak, I didn’t get too excited until I actually felt the decent into Boston College.  My headphones played a voice prompt reminding me to take a gel but I had eaten them all!  On the one hand, I felt proud because normally I don’t eat enough.  But, I still had an hour of running to go.  I took my last salt pill and caffeine tablet hoping they would at least stave off dehydration and give me some extra energy.

Splits: 8:09, 8:24, 8:19, 8:41, 9:28.

Miles 21 to 26.2 (Brookline and Boston)

Boston College is normally my favorite part of the course but the crowds seemed a subdued for a change.  But, I noticed I was catching people who pulled away from me before Newton and felt confident that I’d run that section wisely.

[dropshadowbox align=”center” effect=”raised” width=”800px” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”4″ border_color=”#f4d83f” rounded_corners=”false” outside_shadow=”false” ] On the downhill to Coolidge Corner, I high-fived someone and it became contagious.  I ended up slapping hands down the entire hill even though I should have been paying attention to the trolley tracks in the road. [/dropshadowbox]

I took the left onto Beacon Street and entered Brookline.  My second wind finally came and I fed off the excitement of the crowd.  I saw my favorite sign from the course: “Excellent bipedal propulsion”.  I hit the lap button on my Garmin at Mile 24 and was surprised to see low-8:00 pace.  I knew there was another hill at Fenway Park, though, and tried to conserve some energy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Around Mile 25, the course enters the city of Boston and a quarter mile later, Fenway Park is on the right.   The Citgo sign loomed large in the distance and shortly after passing it, I saw one mile to go painted on the road and the “Boston Strong” bridge ahead!  I looked at crowds on the left-hand side of the street and felt a rush of adrenaline.  But, a few minutes later, I felt dizzy and forced myself to slow down.  Taking the right on Hereford, I felt overwhelmed with joy!  Then, I took the left on Boylston Street and my emotions tempered.  I saw the clock in the distance and pushed the pace to finish under 3:35.

Splits: 8:11, 8:29, 8:08, 8:20, 8:23, 1:43 (7:30 pace).

Result

My time was 3:34:40 (8:12 pace) [Log Details].  I was the 10,450th finisher out of 26,632 (top 40%), 2,846th woman out of 11,970 (top 24%), and 211th in my age group out of 1,832 (top 12%).  I already qualified for next year’s race at the 2018 New York City Marathon.

In the elite races, the winner of the men’s race, Lawrence Cherono, out-sprinted Lelisa Desisa for the crown.  The top American was Scott Fauble who placed seventh.  On the women’s side, Worknesh Degefa bested Edna Kiplagat by 30 seconds.  American Jordan Hasay turned in another third place.

Post-Race

I crossed the finish line and started walking.  I felt comfortably warm under my mylar sheet.  I almost exited before the food bag but double-backed.  The bag had water, King’s Hawaiian Sweet Rolls, Terra Vegetable Chips, and Craisins.  Along the way, I also grabbed a Clif Builder’s Protein Bar and a banana.

A few blocks later, I was in my hotel room.  I couldn’t wait to take off my disgusting shoes.  Undressing, I saw how sunburned I was.  My shoes were dirty but with the charms, they felt like a metaphor for the year I had – messy but believing in myself brought me through.  I took a very hot shower, rested a bit, and left my room to go out with friends.

Epilogue

The afternoon heat made it a tough day!  It was a good reminder that the weather in Boston is so unpredictable in April and I probably shouldn’t make this my goal race during spring marathon training cycles.

As far as my training, I’m not sure if it’s fair to judge the Hanson Marathon Method because the race day conditions were so hot and humid.  But, I really don’t think my endurance was good enough for the distance.

Still, I felt I got redemption on the course for last year’s performance.

Next race: My goal marathon for this spring was actually the 2019 Cleveland Marathon, which could also be hot!  So, I plan to take a few days off and then start training again.

Abridged Version

The afternoon heat made it a tough day but the cheering crowds made the race bearable.

I went into the race with a lot of confidence after running the 2019 Rock n Roll DC Half Marathon in 1:38:36 (7:32 pace) – my fastest half marathon in three years!  My goal was sub-3:28:00 (7:57 pace).  But, in the days before the race, my knees were killing me.

A few miles into the race, I was already sweating.  By the time I reached Newton, running 7:59 pace, the temperature was probably just under 70 degrees!    I left that town down to 8:08 pace but rallied in Brookline.

My time was 3:34:40 (8:12 pace).  My goal marathon for this spring was actually the 2019 Cleveland Marathon so, I plan to take a few days off and then start training again.