2018 Boston Marathon
Winter Training Cycle
This training cycle was very different for me. In the past, I have prepared for my marathons by running very different workouts and incorporating much longer, long runs. Coach Robbie’s philosophy is very different – a great deal of easy pace running, a lot more swimming and significantly harder bike sessions. I went all in and tried my very best to complete each workout as detailed. The result was that going into the race, I felt fitter and stronger than ever before. I was definitely ready…. Trust the process and be consistent – it really was that simple.
The training cycle was not without its challenges. I suffered from upper respiratory infections and congestion for a lot of the time and it cost me multiple training days on three occasions. I also had a couple of small niggling “injuries”, which while never serious, I would have preferred to do without.
Pre-Race
The week leading up to Boston was far from ideal, as I had to attend an Industry Trade Show with my job. With two long car journeys and two and half days on my feet at the Trade Show, I had to be careful to get as much rest and time off my feet as possible.
My wife and I flew to Boston on Saturday morning. We were able to check into our hotel and we headed into town to grab a late lunch and to go pick up my bib. The weather was already getting bad with high winds and very cold temperatures. The bib pick up went really smoothly and the long sleeved shirt in the race package was great. I’m not much of an Expo person but this one was pretty special. I bought a race tech shirt and singlet and also a pair of thick arm warmers (these were huge come race day). We also went down to the finish line at Boylston and were lucky to be there when the elite runners showed up. I got a photo with Shalane Flanagan; mostly to completely annoy my daughter – she idolizes Shalane. That evening we had an early dinner and my daughter and her boyfriend arrived. It was great to have the support team in town.
Sunday was very uneventful as I focused on resting and obsessing about what to race in. Coach had said to race in my tri-suit and arm warmers. Given the weather forecast we decided to add a long sleeved shirt. Here is what I wore …
I had great plans to be all color coordinated. Major fail on that front but as I always say to my wife “it’s not a fashion show”. My family went out to dinner and I stayed at the hotel to have my usual pre-race evening meal – spaghetti and meatballs.
The Boston Marathon starts quite late, so I didn’t need to wake up especially early, which was really nice. I got up at 5.30am and tucked into my usual race morning breakfast of a bagel, a cup of applesauce and two cups of coffee.
At 7:20 we left the hotel and took the ‘T’ to downtown. The weather was just flat out terrible. It was ~38’F, raining and very windy (it was a headwind for the whole race). There were lots of other racers on the ‘T’ and I could feel that buzz you get at a big race. Everyone was in good spirits and all the locals were already out getting ready to watch the race. I had dressed to stay as warm as possible and as you can see in the photo below I was super fashionable again ….
I then said goodbye to my wife and boarded the school bus to Hopkinton. The bus ride was close to an hour. I ate another bagel on the bus and started to visualize the race – stay patient was my mantra. As I mentioned above, I had focused on preparing to stay warm before the start of the race. I layered clothing over my race gear and took heat blankets and a poncho with me. I also had small garbage bags over my shoes to keep my feet dry. Before getting the bus I felt a little chilled but not cold and was OK on the ride to Hopkinton. The Athletes Village in Hopkinton was an almighty mess. Complete mud bath and I joked that I didn’t realize I was doing a Tough Mudder as well as the marathon. I took a bathroom break and headed to the tents to try and get warm.
The tents were so full that I could only stand at the entrance (after walking over snow to get in). I then realized I was not dressed anywhere near warm enough, as my legs started to shiver – not good as they were obviously using valuable energy to do that. I wrapped another heat blanket around my legs as I started to worry about burning energy by shivering.
Finally the time to leave the Athlete Village and walk to the start line arrived. I ate a gel and I was able to walk briskly so that I found myself getting warmer as I got close to the start line. Once there, I did one last bathroom break and stripped down to my race gear. My pre-race bathroom duties worked perfectly…. but not preparing enough for the ridiculous cold was a mistake (lesson learned)
The Race
I was determined to start the race super conservative and did so. The initial half-mile is the steepest descent on the course and was a great way to begin. The first few miles felt really easy and I ran at a pace where I felt like I could run forever. I felt like I was going quite slow but at 5K I checked my watch and saw I was at 8:15 pace, which made me feel really good. Navigation was challenging however as there were just a huge number of runners and I had to maneuver around slower runners. It stayed like this for probably 7-8 miles.
The crowds were amazing (even though there were only a third as many as normal). There really wasn’t anywhere along the course without someone cheering. I had heard you could hear the Welsley Scream Tunnel several minutes before you actually got there and it’s true. My race was going really well, so I chose to keep running and not stop to grab a bunch of kisses (at least that’s what I told the wife ..) .
I felt great for the whole first half and consciously slowed myself down on a couple of occasions, especially on up slopes when I started breathing a little heavier. I took a gel or chews every three miles and got in plenty of water. I knew my pace was slightly below my PR pace but I still held back. All was good until about mile 14 when I started feeling little twinge in my right calf (directly above my achilles) and then bang – it felt like someone stabbed me in the calf. I hobbled along for a few steps and had a sinking feeling that this might ruin my race and even lead to a DNF – not a feeling I want to repeat. I spent the next mile just working on my form and eventually the pain in the calf dulled to the point that I forgot about it. I’m guessing it was just an intense and local cramp.
Miles 15-17 went OK but I could start to feel the pain building in my quads. This always seems to happen around this time in the race for me and I knew it was time to enter the hurt locker… just in time for the Newton Hills. I thought I ran the hills quite well. I was obviously a little slower but I wasn’t pushing really hard and was passing a lot of people. The second Newton hill was the hardest for me; much more so than Heartbreak hill. Heartbreak Hill was quite emotional. I couldn’t believe I was actually running the famous hill and was almost in tears. I had worked so hard to get here.
Once over Heartbreak Hill, I implemented my race plan. I started to try and push the pace a little but it was downhill and my quads started screaming at me to stop. I ramped up my effort but I wasn’t able to go faster even with a much higher perceived effort. The cumulative effect of the cold, the rain and the constant headwind had taken its toll. It was clear at about mile 22 that any chance of a PR and another BQ time were pretty much toast. I hunkered down, determined to give it everything I could. From that point on it was all pain, except for the 100 yards when I saw my family at mile 24 – it’s amazing the lift you get from seeing friendly faces. I smiled and told them I loved them as I ran by. I think my form was still decent judging by the photo my wife took…
I definitely knew by this time that a PR wasn’t happening, so I just pushed hard and soaked in the atmosphere. The final run up Boylston is a moment I’ll never forget (I was petty emotional again) and was smiling from ear to ear when I finished and then again when I got my unicorn.
My finish time was 3:43:36, which was 9 minutes slower than my PR. When I heard that the elites were all running between 10-20 minutes slower than normal, I realized what a great time that was for me.
Post Race
I couldn’t wait to pee (a good sign) and enjoy some food. Gear check was slow and I got really cold again. Luckily, I found my family quickly and we found a warm building to put on dry clothes.
Overall, running the Boston Marathon was an absolutely amazing experience. The city and its people love this race. Everyone asked me how the race went. The race is unbelievably well organized and the volunteers are so good. I have to get back here one day…
