the Boston Marathon...125th edition

 Waking up one minute before my alarm was set, I thought, wow - that was some good sleep and the best I've remembered having the night before a race. it helped that Boston starts the latest of the Majors, so 5:40am wasn't too bad to wake up for. 

put on my race kit, ate a little bit of granola and bagels, had a half cup of coffee, and basically stayed off the water as much as I could since I was determined to do this marathon without a bathroom break. (I hydrated like crazy the day before). Aaron Linz, Bobby Conrad, and I (the three of us sharing an Air B n B in Cambridge for race weekend Sunday-Tuesday) walked to the train to take us to the Bus pick up at the Boston Public Garden which would shuttle us to the start line in Hopkinton for our 9am start. Once we checked our bags, we hit the bathroom for a quick break before getting on the bus, but here is when I lost them. I decided to get on a bus and get mentally ready anyway as no point in wasting time looking for them. The bus ride out was pretty long, quiet (talked just a little bit with my seat mate, who was from Columbus Oh, doing his first Boston, coming off an injury and just hoping to finish) and a bit chilly with the windows down, but I could already tell it was humid out. The temps during the race would stay in the low to mid 60s with cloud cover, yet there was a 90% humidity so the dew point was very high. 

when we finally got to Hopkinton and were unloaded, it was about 8:40am and all that was left to do was make our way to the starting line and hit the porta potty one last time before we began. As I made my way to the start I ran into Caleb Boyd, which was nice to see someone I knew. We started and ran the first mile together, which was cool. It was Caleb's 10th consecutive Boston, his first being the year I first ran it (and only other time) as well back in 2012 - the infamous hot sunny year with temps in the 90s. 

With the elite field having taken off at 8:37am there was no National Anthem or starting ceremony as we approached the line just the countdown to 9am for us regular runners to be allowed to go, and we were off...

As Caleb and I walked to the start he said he was going to start at 6:40 which I decided to do as well just to make sure I didn't get ahead of myself so early and could let the race unfold a little more patiently which is really needed with such a steep downhill start that the marathon here has. it felt like an easy trot, and was much more downhill that I remembered - a lot of the course I didn't remember well - but we successfully clicked 6:40 on the nose for mile 1, and with that my marathon was off to an intentional start that was up to me to keep in check as we continued to roll downhill. 

The second mile and through the first town of Ashland, I kept it very relaxed as the miles started to click in the 6:20s. The humidity was thick as perspiration started early. Having downed a somewhat caffeinated gel Prior to the start, I was feeling good and alert and very present and allowed myself to roll with the sub 630 pace, knowing that I couldn't let all the downhill go by without taking it's advantages of some banked time. anytime there was an uphill I purposefully pressed a little gas so that I would not loose time or pace, and by the 6th mile I had clicked off my fastest split so far of the day at 6:10 for a faster second 5k than the first 5k (20:20), hitting it at 40:05. 

around the 8th mile up in the distance I could see a few runners stopped around someone lying on the ground. As we approached a race official/volunteer had spotted the scene and was attending to the young lady laid face down on the pavement unresponsive, causing quite a scary view. I said a little prayer for her knowing that nothing I could do by stopping would help, but found out later she would be okay but did get rushed to the hospital for cardiac arrest. And later would come to find out that she was a very good runner, with a 2:44 Olympic qualifying time in her own right, just showing how nothing in life is guaranteed and that we all are here on grace. 

I got even faster the next 5k, coming through 15k in just under an hour. At the 10 mile mark I was at 63 mins and change and still feeling in control. A few folks at this point had come up to me saying my stride looked good and asked me what I hoped to run. Telling them sub 2:50 would be great, they thought I was on pace, and they themselves would say that was there goal, with one guy saying he was going to run 242 so that made me feel like I had a good chance if i could keep him in my sights. 

Back at the 45 minute mark, I took my first on course fuel - a regular Maurten Gel, and as we passed 11 miles I took another for extra even though I had some in my shorts, because these gels are the best in the market and knew I might finish with some extra which would be alright with me. 

From 10 - 13 miles we went through the nice town of Natick, which seemed the most family friendly and largest crowds so far. Live music, speakers blaring, kids lining the streets, started to give off some great energy. Also here I was starting to anticipate the famous Scream Tunnel which we would pass along Wellesley College for women, where in the past one could steal a kiss, but with covid hand slaps were in abundance. The pace definitely got a little quicker here with the energy and downhill.

At the halfway mark I was at 1:23:45 - so indeed on pace for sub 2:50 but also knowing that 99% of people run a slower second half of the course given the Newtown Hills that awaited from miles 16-21. That being the case, it was key, and I followed my instincts, to still stay patient and under control from miles 13-16 before the climbing started. These mile paces were: 612, 620, 621

The first of the Newtown Hills was a bit of a shock but my legs handled it well and I only slowed a little bit which is to be expected. I tried to not loose as much as possible really rather than trying to keep the same pace I was going on the flats, with the idea of trying to open up my legs on the downhills that followed the inclines.  The first downhill was the shortest of them all, and the second hill came pretty quickly, around mile 17. at 30k, or 18.6 miles my time was 1:59:19. At 25k I was 1:39:09, so that 5k was the first I had run over 20 mins since the first 5k of the race. Slowed a bit yes, but very much still in the game, and my stamina seemed strong. I was feeling my second gel quite strongly, this being a 100mg caffeinated one that really made me almost a bit tweaked but I shut out those thoughts and harnessed the energy. That second hill I went slower than the first, but it was longer and steeper, and once I got to the top I got back into pace. My 19th mile, which was the downhill from the second hill was 6:21 so that quickly shot my confidence back up. 

at 20 miles I was at 6:36, just rolling along the base of Heartbreak hill, hitting the clock in 2:08:20. My last marathon where I ran my PR of 2:50, I started to feel rough around mile 17, so I felt stronger in Boston than ever before and really believed I could string 2 more 20min 5ks together to get under 2:50 total marathon time, realizing once I got up heartbreak after 21 miles, I would have downhill to the finish. But it was around mile 20 I actually wasn't sure if I had run Heartbreak Hill or if it was ever coming, but right on cue, there it was, and it was a beast. I went into close my eyes and just try and chop my feet up as best I could. That mile was 7:14, but again, once I got to the top, I was greeted by Boston College where loud fans welcomed me and cheered me and inside I was pretty amped knowing I had finished the hills, taking me back on pace with the downhill for a 6:29 22nd mile. 

I was playing to the crowd, and anytime they were engaged they gave back 10 fold with cheers and yelling support. It was great. I got chills as I ran down and thought, today is going to be the day, on this tough course, in these humid conditions, that I am going to have my best time in the marathon on my 10th effort. But as quickly as the pace came back in mile 22, the pace started to shift in mile 23 as we started into Brookline. I'm not sure how it happened, but it was like a switch was turned below my belt and my legs started to move in quick sand. I tried to surge and snap out of it, but my watch kept creeping paces into the 7's and folks I was running with started to gap me and I couldn't respond to their steady pace anymore. 35k-40k i registered my slowest 5k of the day, which would be miles 22-25 roughly. while mile 22 was good, the pace fell into the 7s and I couldn't get it back, even though we were climbing hills. Mentally this was a tough part of the race because even though we were gaining on the finish line, the course looked longer than it should given the straightaway into the city with the tall building stretching out what looked to be miles longer than they were. 

my last glimmer of hope for sub 250 was with 5k to go, telling myself I would get out of this slow spot and get back with some low 6s to close out, but try as I might I couldn't, and in fact just holding on was all I could do. It's the beauty and sinister side of the marathon. You can fight for hours and then when you get so close to the finish, give so much of the time you worked for back in a blink of an eye and there is nothing you can do about it a lot of times. My daughters made me bracelets i wore which i would look down on and try and run for them. My dad ran his only marathon 40 years ago this same week, and i tried to think about that. I told a lot of friends about the race, and i tried to use them knowing i was running and would have to live with my result, but it didn't help me get faster. It did help me hold on though. The temptation is strong to stop, and you ride a line that gets finer by the minute the last couple of miles into the finish of a marathon, but its that commitment to see it through and keep pressing which shows you what you are made of. Folks around me were stopping. It doesn't help to see that as you want to do the same, making it even tougher, but you keep fighting, knowing the finish line will come as long as you keep moving. 

I thought about my only other Boston experience in 2012 and how that was such a tough day, and that even though I was falling off with 3 miles to go, I was doing well, and that I could still have my best "right on Hereford, Left on Boylston" finish and enjoy the grand, historic, and famous finishing straight. While I had a pained face that last mile, I changed it to smiles as I finished my last 400 meters. I looked around, and soaked it in, and tried to be as present as I could to my surrounding, changing my outlook from internal to external, taking cues from the great Eliud Kipchoge. What strikes me the most about his running is how aware and present he is in the end of his marathons, something I wanted to try and do - and it did make a difference. It changes your perspective from your suffering to connecting with those that are watching you giving you energy. and in doing so, I was made aware of a called out "eggers!" form the stands. I couldn't see anyone but I gave a wave. It's hard, and I didn't do it very good, but for a few moments I did, and I will have those images in my mind for the rest of my life. 

So, 2:52:41 for my official time, making it my second fastest marathon ever, and beating my Boston time by more than and 60 mins. Oh, that wave i gave when I heard what i thought was my name, was my brother in the crowd, who captured it on video, so there ya go.