As far as the race, I can say that I enjoyed it as much as any race I've run, while not satisfied with the results. I knew I was in good shape, and it paid off, given the negative factors: jet lag, 2 days on concrete at the expo, 3 evenings of work socializing, 3 days of adrenalin, and a head wind. I ran comfortably at 19:20 per 5km (a 2:43 pace) through the hills - enjoying the familiar towns, the crowds and the company. The wind never relented - I drafted as much as possible, but it wore and wore on you, especially on long, open stretches in miles 6-12.
Halfway was on pace, and I tried to pick up a bit, feeling a little ambivalent about my condition, but not giving up on a PR quest yet. As soon as we entered the hills, though, I knew 2 things - my quads weren't going to hold out to the end, but 2) I would finish. So I set myself new goals - to keep running as long as possible, to break 3 hours, and hopefully, to run my fastest Boston, which was 2:57 (11 minutes slower than my PR - to corraborate other's assertions that Boston is not the place to run fast). I slowed some in the hills, but was still close to 2:45 pace when we crested heartbreak. Another runner asked me when we reached the top of the main rise - "Is that it?" "Well, there's a bit more around the corner," I responded. "But, is that heartbreak?" he asked. "Yes, that's the end of the hills," I assured him, calling after him as he surged ahead, "All downhill from here."
Soon after falling down the backside of heartbreak, however, my quads cramped for the first time. Usually my hamstrings go, and there's little you can do about that but bend from the waist and hope it passes. With my quads, I found I could stop, massage out the cramp, shake my calves and hamstring for good measure, and keep running for another 3/4 mile. I found I was hitting the miles in ~ 8 minutes still, even with 1-2 stops. Surprisingly, I enjoyed even these miles, and this modified challenge kept me focussed all the way to the last mile, where I stopped for the last time just before Hereford, then ran up it, turned on Boylston and pushed (if it can be called that) to the finish, in 2:55.
The race leaves lots of questions - was I in PR shape? If I had stuck to my plans, would I have run it in London? Which factor caused my quads to give way? the expo?, the hills? the wind? I'll never know for sure. Still, I'm glad I was in Boston for my first expo. as editor, and am happy to start this new section of my life running this familiar and beloved course again. As for that PR - I'll find a small, anonymous New England race next fall, show up the day before, roll out of my hotel room to the uncrowded start, and run my heart out.