Welcome to The Boston Bodyworker 2008 Marathon Blog
Well, congrats again for another great achievement. You made it here. Now it's time for you to share your story with others. You can brag, boast, wine, bitch or moan. All are acceptable forms of writing in this blog. The sole purpose of this blog is to get your story out there and share in the day you worked so hard to get to, but ended before you knew it.
Read the day in the life of some of your other pairs and see why this is one the most popular/difficult marathons out on the circuit today.
Don't forget about the FREE T-shirt (as if you would). Once I see your posting, you will be contacted about how you can receive your "Funky Fresh Cool T"!
Thanks
2008 Marathon Stories
Welcome to the Boston Bodyworker Marathon Story Page. We look forward to hearing from you. Please click on "Stories" or "Post a Comment" to post your marathon story.
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I awoke to cloudy skies and absolutely perfect temperatures. I drove to the Herald St. lot to catch the BAA bus, and almost missed my ride waiting for the train of Hopkinton-bound buses at the pike on ramp. The minutes were ticking away and the stream of buses seemed to unabating. With about 10 min left, I had to tempo it to the bus. Not the best way to start the morning. As always, I have to be thankful for the ride out to Hopkinton... there is nothing more crucial than worry-free transportation to the start of a marathon.
For this marathon, I tweaked my pre-race prep a bit. Due to the 10 AM start, I decided to have another 1/2 a powerbar and quite a bit of gatorade, but cut myself off from all liquids 45 min. before start. It's taken me 8 marathons to figure it out, but this was the first one with nary a pit stop! The other change I made was with regard to GU intake. In the past, I've been taking a GU at 10, 14, 18, and 22. This was probably ok at a 7:15 pace, but at a 6:30 pace, 4 miles is cutting it too close. So for Boston, I shifted to 5 mile intervals, with GUs at 6, 11, 16, and 21. With about 25 minutes to go, I headed down to the corrals and tried to find some familiar faces. By the time the gun went off, the sun was already peaking through.
At the marathon expo, I printed out a Boston-specific pace band for a 2:50 goal time and decided to carry it with me. My initial plan was to hold 6:30s for as long as I could. The 1st mile was congested, but the road opened up by the 2nd mile and I was on pace. I ran into my buddy Yuneng who, after spending 2 weeks in Nicaragua on medical missions, was very unsure of his fitness. His last 14 miler was painful.... still, he ended up running a 3:00, which shows how much natural talent this guy has. I wished him good luck and picked it back up to 6:30s. By mile 3, I sensed the sun was getting strong; despite temperatures in the 50s, the sun was making it feel warmer. A 2:50 was going to be a tall order. My HR was already hovering around 163-165, which is a few beats higher than my typical average of 160 at marathon pace. I still felt confident of my fitness and decided to see if I could ride the fine line. It helped that I was pacing along with Gary, since we had had similar race results in the past.
After cruising along through Ashland and Framingham, I started hearing a lot of Lance chatter shortly after the train depot. I knew he was capable of running anywhere from a 2:45-2:50, so I was a little surprised that he would be here. Sure enough, I looked up and saw a cluster of runners around a rugged looking guy with a yellow singlet and sunglasses. I pulled up slowly and for the next 2.5 miles or so, joined up with the Lance train and I have to admit was momentarily starstruck. I wondered if he had a posse with him, but it soon became clear that he was grabbing his own fluids and the groupies were just a bunch of runners either trying to get some camera time, or pacing with Lance with the idea of beating him on the finishing straight in Boylston. This whole scene was a nice distraction, complete with inane questions like, "Lance, what do you like better, running or cycling?" or "Are you going to take GUs every mile like last time?" It was very impressive to see the throngs of Tufts supporters and volunteers revving up for the forthcoming onslaught of Tufts Marathon Challenge runners.
I reached mile 10 feeling fairly comfortable, but I knew the next 5 miles were going to be critical. I usually go through a bad patch between Natick and Newton, most likely due to the cumulative effect of running downhill for 15 miles. I pulled ahead of the Lance & peloton, but I think he slowed down to soak in the Wellesley scream tunnel. ;) As always, the scream tunnel was incredibly energizing... replete with signs (the most creative of which read, "Kiss me, I'm gay!") and eager high-fives. The peloton eventually caught up with me at mile 13 and we went through the half in just over 1:26. Realistically, a 1:24 2nd half was not something I could do, so I chucked my pace band and decided to run the 2nd half by feel. The usual bad patch never materialized, but I slowly lost contact with Lance. After he dropped a split in the low-6:20s at mile 14, I decided it wasn't worth blowing up later, so I eased up a bit. I was counting on making up some ground in the hills. Despite really holding back, mile 16, a notorious downhill stretch, still ended up being my fastest split of the day (6:17).
Now the real work began. Shortly after going over Newton Lower Falls, I pulled up to Pat and did a quick status check with him. He's been a great training partner on long runs, and even though we never really work together during races, he usually finishes about 30 seconds or so ahead of me. He was battling some stiffness, so I surged on through the first hill and felt pretty good cresting the hill at the Newton-Wellesley hospital. I was very focused now, intent on getting over the hills. The first hill felt good and I made it up at a strong pace. In fact, I felt pretty strong through the hills and didn't fade much going over Heartbreak. However, no sign of Lance. I grabbed a cup of gatorade and saw my friend Anuj who was volunteering at the fluid station. I cruised through the downhill and felt like I was in good shape with 5 miles to go.
Pat pulled up even with me during cemetery mile and we chatted for a bit. At around mile 22, I started fatiguing for the first time. Fatigue for me, as it relates to marathons, is this full-body malaise that zaps my will to push the pace. I started losing contact with Pat and was looking forward to running by my cheering section in front of my apartment. Mile 23 was considerably slower, but my cheering section really gave me an energy boost that got me over the next 2 miles. Even so, I was in survival/maintenance mode... no cramps, blisters, or injuries... just tired. I didn't lose much time at mile 24, but lost focus over mile 25; my heart rate indicates the intensity level had dropped. I drew into my remaining energy reserve and pushed on through Kenmore Square and under Mass Ave. I had stopped looking at my watch now, although I guessed I was in the 2:53 range. I made one last push down Boylston St. and came in under 2:54 with a couple seconds to spare.
Overall, I had a great marathon. My half marathon splits were within 90 seconds of each other and I feel like I ran a smart race despite pushing my heart rate above the usual level. This was as near perfect a marathon as I think I can get... perfect temperatures, very little wind, no pit-stops. I'm still not pleased with how I finish out marathons, as I let the pace slide over the last 4 miles in Philly, as well. I'd be interested in hearing if anyone has any suggestions besides becoming mentally tougher. But again, we're talking at most a minute. Anytime you set a PR at Boston, it's a beautiful day!
Best Boston ever out of 12! What a crazy weekend, between the expo, Olympic trials, blessing of the athletes feet at the Old South Church, and Passover on Saturday and Sunday. I pulled a piriformis and hamstring 10 months ago. With the help of Rob and Chad, and lots of cross-training, it was better, but I was nervous doing Boston. I have no idea how I did it, but the marathon gods must have been with me all the way. I felt great and my time was my 3rd fastest out of 47 marathons and fastest Boston. Wow, it doesn't get any better than that!
Couldn't ask for a better first marathon! The sun broke through as we made our way to the start-and while the right sided sunburn isn't the most attractive, it is a good story--and proof of the 26.2 mile trek.
I ran the whole way with my brother, who just finished his chemotherapy this past fall. We had a blast! LOVED hearing the girls at Wellesley from a mile away. We thought Heartbreak Hill was a much needed break from the downhill run...and the fans were incredible.
I never thought Beacon Street was so long...and the last few miles were definitely the hardest. We could see the Pru, but it felt like FOREVER until we got there.
There is no feeling like crossing that finish line, though...and we are doing it again next yer!
This was my first Boston and only my second marathon so I had no idea what to expect on Monday morning. I had received countless warnings about the downhill start from Hopkinton and the climb at Heartbreak Hill but nothing could have prepared me for my Patriot’s day experience. The months prior to Boston I trained hard doing speed work and running hills (while trying not to slip on all the ice). I had even done my final long run from Framingham to the finish line. Unfortunately 3 weeks prior to the big day I developed shin splints and had to stop running. With multiple massages from Amy and sexy blue Kinesio tape from Rob I was able to stop the pain in my leg and make it to the start.
The start of my run was both thrilling and frustrating. I loved the crowd support and cheering but was aggravated that I couldn’t get into the nice 7:45 pace I was shooting for (I was spoiled by my first marathon with a field of 800 runners). After running my first mile much slower than intended I sped up and ran the rest of the 5K hard (in retrospect way too hard considering how early in the marathon it was). Needless to say, running hard down the hills caught up with me fast and after only 5 miles I was ready to be done. My hamstrings and quads felt like they were going to collapse. I continued to run the rest of the marathon at a progressively slower pace. By the 10K mark my goal had shifted from running a 3:26 to not dying and making it to the finish line (and swearing off ALL future marathons).
Despite my horrible run my first Boston there were some definite high points. Running through the screaming fans at Wellesley made me smile even though I felt physically horrible. It kept me going to look for my fan club waiting for me in Coolidge Corner, they waited for me for hours and didn’t care that I was barely running at that point. And of course nothing can describe the feeling of turning onto Boylston and seeing the finish line (probably the longest part of the run).
Boston was a learning experience for me. I learned that an English muffin and peanut butter at 5 am is not enough food to keep me going for a race that starts at 10:30. I also learned that it is a bad idea to sprint the first part of a marathon. And finally (here comes the cheesy part) I learned that my body and mind could handle much more than I give myself credit for. Oh and my boycott of marathons only lasted about an hour, I can’t wait for Baystate in October and Boston 2009!!!
I wish the details of my 4th marathon (3rd Boston)were happier ones. This time was supposed to be me against the clock, not me against my hamstring. Without your help (Drew), I wouldn't have even made it to the starting line. Thank you!
My muscles actually felt pretty good going in. Not perfect, but good. I did what you told me - hydrated, stretched, iced. The morning was cold, but then started to get warmer. People were all over the place - to my left were hats and mittens...to my right, there were tank tops and sunscreen. I went with the tank top, throw-away shirt and a garbage bag on my legs to keep them warm. Glad I did because it started warming up fast. Dumped the shirt and the bag early in...and, we're off!
I was doing great - running an 8:30 pace. My 26.3 Boston Bodyworker sticker wasn't staying on my shirt, so (earlier) I put it on my arm with my goal pace times. Would check my watch, check my the sticker...yes! On target. The plan was to get a tattoo of my time if I qualified, so I was rolling along thinking about what I wanted the ink to look like. Took water at every stop. (It was definitely hotter than people anticipated.) Would feel the knee and ham, but really felt like I could push through it. Was making my goals all the way up to the end of Heartbreak....had it in my sights and then hit the wall. Never walked before in a race in my life. It was like someone flipped a switch, and I started to feel my body shutting down. Did I say wall? I meant to say wall-S. The muscular wall - check! Mental wall - check! Started getting myself all upset, so then started hyperventilating - check check! I walk/ran/cry the last 6. Could go for about a 1/2 mile and then walk, but at least I kept everything moving in the right direction. I was determined to finish running and finally turned onto Boylston.
I came through at 4:01. Not 3:45, but nothing to be ashamed of. I am proud to have finished, and very thankful for you getting my body to a point where I could do most of the race feeling good. I really appreciate all of your help. You are truly fantastic at what you do. Thank you so much!
Onto TRI SEASON!
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