 posted Apr-19-2007 07:46 PM
   
Boston Race report – slightly HamperedShort version
Other than recurring ham issues, ran mostly as planned. Time: 3:19:40
Overall: 3349
Gender: 3036
Age Div: 958 (much) Longer version A month ago in a half-marathon I used as a test race, I tore my left hamstring. Fortunately it was a light enough tear that I had time to recover (and thanks to a great PT group). By last week I could barely notice any difference vs. the other side, so it was “game on” for Boston.
I’m lucky enough to run with the BAA club and very grateful for it. The track workouts, long runs, and support have made a huge difference in my fitness level this year. My plan was to hit 3:10. Given the weather conditions I had no idea if that was possible. Last year I ran for my dad and was pretty emotional about it. This year I brought him along for the ride for inspiration, but it wasn’t as big as my first Boston. Start
I woke up in the middle of the night when a branch fell on our roof and then rolled down and off. The wind was howling and I thought, “Oh man, this is going to be crazy today…”
I had almost all of my running gear laid out and way too many options for if the weather got better or worse. My orange transport bag they provided was packed to the top. After leaving the house I panicked a bit in the morning thinking I should have worn a heavier shirt. Everything was packed so no more time to vacillate. My (very supportive) wife drove me to as close to the start as she could get.
I walked with another runner to the middle school. It was his very first marathon and had only done one long run (19miles ‘and it nearly killed me’). I gave him some advice about how he could get through it. Hopefully he at least finished, but there was little doubt he was in for an adventure.
Rain mostly wasn’t too big of a deal waiting around. I hung out with the team and was feeling pretty Zen about the day. It felt like tights would be too hot so I crammed them into the bag as well. I donned a trash bag and headed to the start line.
Because of the low clouds and such they didn’t have a fly-over. They are so much fun to watch, but they would have had to be clipping the treetops to be seen.
With twenty minutes to go the rain picked up. I tossed the trash bag to the sidelines at the last minute before moving across the start line. The funny thing was seeing the street littered with ponchos, sweatshirts, hats, and gloves. I started wondered what they were still wearing up front. ☺
It was pretty slow going for the first mile, mostly dancing over the clothes and streams of water. I’m sure a number of people must have been tripped up.
After two miles it thinned out and I started to crank away the miles at close to the planned 7:00 per. Quite a few I hit right on the money. I felt strong, relaxed and in the zone (probably just like everyone does in the beginning) I had trained for this pace, but it still felt like I was passing way too many people. Ashland, Framingham, and Natick all zipped by without issues. I missed friends and my family that were going to say hello on the course. While I was right on time going through Natick, I was on the wrong side of the road to see my wife. I really wanted to see them, as standing in the cold rain is tougher on the spectators. Mile/time/heart rate
1 07:57 141
2 07:20 154
3 07:08 154
4 07:00 155
5 07:15 157
6 06:52 159
7 06:48 160
8 07:16 157
9 06:55 158
10 06:57 158
11 07:03 157
12 06:55 157
13 07:10 158
Half – 1:33:20 Moving through Wellesley I was bummed out that I wasn’t seeing anyone I know. I realize I need to chat with people during a marathon to stay out of my head a bit more. Especially true in the middle miles that seem to drag on and on. Wellesley College is always a hoot, lots of high fives and screams. After crossing the halfway point I popped another gel with some water. I climbed the first major hill to Newton then had to duck into a port-o-john (only 32 seconds lost). Feeling more comfortable, I counted out the first hills staying close to pace. Hey, maybe I’ll hit this goal after all…sshhh. Before reaching the final hill, I saw the Pro’s team flag. I was prepping to stop and search for a table or what ever was needed to get that bottle (I missed it last year). Before I got there a nice guy popped up running beside me “Here you go Craig! How are you? You’re looking great!” It was truly inspiring support. I got some jealous comments from others as we ran up the hill about how nice it must be. The Gatorade tasted great!
Going up rest of the hills, runners were spread out enough that the gusty wind was getting tiresome. My hope of a tailwind was just that only a hope. Going by Boston College and beyond I was getting hungrier at this point and gobbled down the remaining gels as I walked through a water station. Being hungry is never a good sign. Ham cramp
I kept the pace going along, with five to go I was pretty much on track to do close to 3:10 or 12. Math is always tough to do near the end of a marathon.
After mile 22 or 23, my right ham cramped hard without warning signs. I hopped for a few feet over to a light pole and tried to get it to relax, but it wasn’t listening to me. A couple of spectators and a nice policeman offered to help me to a med tent.
Luckily an extremely generous teammate came by and went to work on it. He worked out the knot and within a minute or two we were off. I’m not sure if I would have DNF’d without his help, but it would have been a long time before I was going to move.
It briefly cramped again trying to get over the bridge to Kenmore Square, but walking got me by. Once I was on the other side of the bridge I easily picked up the pace again (funny how you use different muscles on even gentle grades vs. flats). Finishing up
After coming up from the Mass Ave under-pass, I was feeling very hungry (need to eat more gel next time). As I turned right onto Hereford Street somebody yelled “Only 1K to the finish after the corner!” I made the turn onto Boylston and saw the finish line in the far far distance (that’s no 1k! :-P). Typical end-of-marathon thoughts flowed into my head “Why the hello do we do this?” and “What in the world am I thinking about doing another @#*&$% marathon in six weeks?” One of the best things about the finish area is that the screams in the crowd can be even louder than the voice in your head! I knew a 3:10 was out of the question as was my pr (3:17), but my time from last year (3:20) was still a possibility. I had a minute or so on my watch, so I got up as much speed as I had left and squeezed it out. I hit the button on my watch and it literally showed 3:19:59! Best sitcom moment:
My ham was sore and I was spent. I wandered over to what I thought was the team’s tent. A nice woman with a clipboard said, “What can I get you?” To which I said, “err…just a place to sit down and some food?” She then looked at me funny, “We only have some soup. Is there something WRONG with you?” I won’t say what I was thinking, but after a pregnant pause we both realized I didn’t want the Med tent. We chuckled and I was pointed to the next tent. :-P I gobbled down at least a thousand calories and enjoyed a nice massage. I also got a chance to thanks my teammate, who finished a couple minutes behind me. 14 07:09 156
15 07:20 151
16 08:10 149 <- pitstop
17 07:50 151
18 07:59 152
19 08:20 151
20 08:36 151
21 07:26 149
22 07:25 150
23 08:03 149
24 10:12 143 <- cramp here, but I may have missed the mile mark
25 08:15 143
26 08:36 142
26.2 01:43 144
Finish 3:19:40 (avg HR 153) Notes
Its now a few days later, my legs recovered faster than other marathons. Those nutty thoughts at the end of the race are a funny memory. After six marathons, I’m ever closer to running out of rookie mistakes. Between the setbacks from wind and my ham issue, I’m happy with how the race went. I know 3:10 and lower is a real possibility if conditions allow. Figuring out my ham issues is priority one. My yoga-grounded wife thinks it could be my gait (too stiff). It is definitely impacted by my range of motion. Hopefully building on the PT exercises and stretching will help. (suggestions welcome) A couple of lessons from this one:
o On rainy days there is no such thing as too much BodyGlide
o Feeling slightly cold at the beginning probably means the clothing is just right.
o For me, I think one gel just before the start then four gels spaced earlier in the race would be better. Eating after mile 24 probably has no real impact. :-P
o Find a couple of similarly paced runners to talk to during the next marathon. Nothing like running with somebody to keep you from going too fast or getting lost in your head.
o A good bottle at the 20-mile can really break up the race. (thanks Pro crew!) I’m sure most of you can relate to the stress and load we put on our families, so a big thank you to my wife and kids for putting up with my training. The Vermont City Marathon is in six weeks and should be a blast! We’ll probably have a party/cookout Sunday afternoon if anyone else will be up there. (let me know!).
(sorry for the length)
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busiman (formerly busyman)
IP: Logged |
