This was my first Boston Marathon and second marathon overall.

Race Overview: I finished in 4:15:10. I was hoping for something closer to 4 hours but ran into some major cramping on the last 5k. The Boston Experience is everything you'd expect plus more. The race and the weekend in general were a truly enjoyable experience.

Pre-race Stuff: Attended the DRS dinner encounter on Saturday night. Enjoyed meeting some new friends (Nangel, Cher, R.L., Ken & Judy, plus others) and renewing older acquaintances (Val, Robin, Julia, Pam, Joe, Harriet, Daniel, Rich, Mike, Tom & Elizabeth). The food was great and the beer was good. Thanks again to Robin and assistants for putting this together.

On Monday morning I rose at 5:30 A.M. so I could drive into town and pick up the 6:30 BAA buses out to Hopkington. All of this for a race that started at noon. ;~) I got to experience Athlete's Village first hand. It wasn't too bad at first but, as the race drew closer, it got very crowded. I picked out, what I thought was, an ample spot to relax and read in the big tent. As
my little area became smaller and smaller and I began to feel like a sardine I decided it was time to move on. I wandered around and checked everything and everyone out, made a few phone calls, registered some emails with Nextel (that didn't work too well) and then suited up and headed toward the starting area. Headed over toward the team busses to wish good luck to training partners (Pam, Julia, and Daniel) and new acquaintances (Nangel andCher). Everyone seemed fairly relaxed and ready to go. Good friend Harriet, who was not running, was lending support just as she had done throughout the many long runs on the Boston course that we had done together over the last few months. These were probably the most valuable training runs of my entire preparation. Thanks again Harriet, your the best. Headed off to the 13th corral and waited for the start.

The RACE:
mile splits:
1 09:42
2 08:40
3 08:38
4 08:34
5 08:50
6 08:47
7 08:57
8 09:02
9 08:57
10 09:01
11 09:17
12 08:57
13 09:05
14 09:07
15 09:21
16 09:19
17 09:50
18 10:12
19 09:05
20 09:54
21 11:30
22 09:46
23 13:23
24 11:23
25 11:24
26 14:21

5k Splits - chip time.
5k 0:28:04 elapsed 0:28:04
I was definitely caught up in the excitement of the race. Suprisingly, it took only about 10 minutes to get to the start line and in spite of the mass of runners things were moving along quite well. I wanted to start at a 9:15 minute pace and try to relax through all the downhills at the front of the course. On reviewing my times I probably got a little over anxious here. I discovered that it's really difficult to focus on one's pace at the beginning of the Boston Marathon.
10k 0:55:28 0:27:24
Still running a little to fast here but feeling great and thoroughly enjoying the screaming crowds. I was high fiving all the people along the course and taking it all in. I drank lots of water throughout the early miles as I knew things were going to heat up later. During these early miles it seemed that the guy in the tuxedo was always close buy. He said he had been doing this for 6 years and looked awfully relaxed and steady considering the heat.
15k 1:23:12 0:27:44
Miles were going by nicely and I felt good. Drinking plenty of water at each stop and a little Gatorade. I also had a Power Gel around mile 8 as planned. I avoided all the orange slices that were being offered along the way. All along the 26 miles I was amazed at all the folks giving out water and orange slices to the runners. I smiled and declined.
20k 1:51:33 0:28:21
Maintaining pace and still feeling strong. Weather was still overcast and I was fairly comfortable running in shorts and a singlet. I had my jacket wrapped around my waist in case the wind picked up but hadn't needed it so far.
Half 1:57:39
This was only 1 minute slower that my half marathon PR. That was 2 years ago.
25k 2:20:21 0:28:48
Still maintaining a 9 minute PACE. It was beginning to get a little warmer but not too bad. I think this was the section where you run by Welesley College with all the screaming students (female only). I had heard about this part of the race and it was everything people had told me. It was very encouraging and a sight to behold. I had a great time high fiving all the students lining the road.
30k 2:50:24 0:30:03
In this section I started to notice the temperature rising as the sun was more prominent. I also noticed my legs were feeling tired and crampy and realized it was a little to early for this to be happening. I was really beginning to focus on the running and had grown immune to the screaming crowds and constant sideshows that were happening all around me. Fortunately the course was looking very familiar and I was again thankful for all the training I had done on this section of the course. Stopped for water at each stop but wasn't sure at this point what by body was craving.
35k 3:21:55 0:31:31
I usually walk for 15-20 seconds through the water stops but at this point I was taking longer walk breaks hoping to recoup some energy. This wasn't working at all and I found my legs began to cramp up every time I walked and it was getting harder and harder to start up again after I stopped. I was loosing track of how much water I was drinking and not sure what my body was craving. I believe now the problem was salt but I didn't realize it then. I tried Gatorade and a banana but none of these measures made much of a difference. I didn't want to do too much experimenting at this point so I began to focus on how to complete the race.
40k 4:00:52 0:38:57
From this point on in it was more of the same. I considered walking it in but as I looked around I noticed all the other runners still plugging along so why shouldn't I. Anyway, walking seemed more painful then running. The crowd support became very important and it was great throughout these last few miles. One of my most memorable experiences of the race was running by a cluster of a few hundred BU students on Comm. Ave. They were screaming and yelling and, in my delirium, I was hardly aware. Then my trusty ears picked up the sound and I looked around me and noticed everyone was picking up their stride for the final thrust to the finish line. I then realized that I was the only one walking and all the students were looking at me screaming and yelling and trying to encourage me to start running again. At that moment a woman came by and put her hand on my shoulder. I don't think she said anything but she smiled and gave me this concerned but encouraging look. I said "I'm ok, just taking a little rest" and thanked her. I then looked over at the BU kids who were still cheering me on and smiled and broke into an easy stride toward the finish line. The kids went wild and I felt like a superstar. I turned the corner and then headed on to a satisfying finish.

PostRace:
After crossing the finish line I was in deep pain and had no idea how I had done in the race. A simple math calculation requiring looking at my watch and figuring how long it took vs. my goal was too difficult and I decided to figure it out later. I started to feel very cold and my legs were cramping up bigtime. I grabbed my little bag of food and devoured a lemonade and then walked to the bus to get my bag. Decided I had to sit down for a minute and compose myself. BIG MISTAKE. I began receiving lots of special attention. ;-) I was offered a wheelchair at least three times and I replied confidently that I was just fine and would be up and around in a minute. When asked if I drank plenty of water throughout the race I replied, "Oh yes, I was drinking water at every mile". She smiled and said, " Why don't you just sip on this bottle of water while your waiting". Eventually I had to ask one of the medical aid staff to help me stand up. Boy did that hurt. Walked down to the bus, got my bag, and starting wandering around to see if I could find anyone I knew amongst the crowd of a hundred thousand or so.
After a while I noticed Daniel coming down the shoot after a successful race. He looked a lot better than I did. Must be the fact that he's done this about 28 times before. We wandered around and talked about the race and eventually I started to feel better. Met up with some other friends and went back to take a shower at a local health club. It was definitely one of the best showers of my life.(by myself that is).

Now four days after the race my legs are back to normal and I'm ready to plan my next big goal. Another marathon, half-marathon, 10k, 5k, triathlon? Who knows, but I am definitely encouraged and looking forward too it. Also I need to figure out how to get a Boston number for next year. Any ideas?

Thanks for reading. Looking forward to any insightful observations from the knowledgeable folks on the list.

ORN:
Swam a half mile on Wednesday and again on Thursday. Good therapy for the legs.

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