Summary

This was my second Boston, having run the 2000 race. This time I had no nagging injuries, and handed in a 3:26 chip/3:36 net time.

Pre-Race

I wanted my daughters to come with me to the Expo this time, as last time I ran I registered with only my mother with me. My mother, sister and niece met up with us at the Hynes entrance. In 2000, after you received your chip packet, you were to wave it over a mat in the hallway to verify that you had the correct chip for the correct runner. I wanted the kids to all wave the chip to show how it worked. Unfortunately they no longer had the setup to verify the chip, so we didn't have the ceremonial wave of the packet. I still got a little emotional to actually hold the number in my hands. It wasn't as intense as actually having a qualifier number, but it still felt special to be able to run Boston. I got this number from the Merrimack Valley Striders(MVS), as they get some comp numbers for work they do for the marathon.

The expo seemed not as busy as 2000. I didn't notice as many running celebrities. We decided to wait in line to get Kathryn Switzer's autograph. Kathryn was very pleasant and patient with the girls, and I felt honored that she wished me luck in the race. For those who don't know the story, Kathryn was the first woman to run Boston with a bib number(1968?). The race director, Jock Semple, tried to rip her number off during the race and someone running with Kathryn pushed Jock out of the way and she completed the race. At home even now, my daughters still are talking about Kathryn Switzer.

We wandered around looking for freebies. I particularly enjoyed the Adidas poster which had the names of all official entrants into this year's race.

My parents graciously offered to babysit our three children so Elizabeth and I could make the DRS Encounter. Thanks to Robin Cain, Susan, Val, and anyone else involved in the organizing. We had a great time mingling and seeing the auction stuff. We actually got the winning bid on the meal at Big City, so we'll have to set that up to get back there. Somehow I never managed to get to the Boston Encounter in years past, so I'm glad we finally made the event.

At Big City, however, I felt a cold coming on. I was hoping it wasn't too serious, but there was nothing to really do about it.

As it was the last time I ran Boston, I don't remember much of Sunday. We did go to church, and had a slow day around the house.

Race Day

I was taking the MVS bus to the start area, so I had to get to Methuen by 8 a.m. It didn't seem too hard getting out of bed. I taped on my heart rate monitor as I've had problems with it slipping down on longer runs, so I was wired for pulse at 7 a.m. for a noon race. The buses had some minor mixup getting into Hopkinton, but we got to the supermarket parking lot in plenty of time. I wandered around looking at the corrals and the starting line. I was wondering why the graveyard had so many volunteers and security people. After watching the race on video, I learned that the elites come out of the church and walk through the old New England graveyard to get to the starting line.

A friend running the race told me that she was going to be hanging out pre race at a friend's house just beyond the starting line, so I walked over there to say hello. There were maybe 6 other runners getting ready for the race. The clock over the fireplace was not yet set for Daylight Savings Time, and somehow this made me anxious to be sure I knew what time it was and when the race would start.

I was in corral 13, so I lined up with a handful of MVS runners for the start of the race. The weather seemed a lot nicer than the predictions. It was 50 degrees and cloudy. I definitely had a cold, but I told myself it wasn't going to stop me from doing the race.

The gun went off and we were standing for quite a while, then we slowly started moving forward. There was supposedly a restriction to the pack before the chip mats, so the congestion is freed before one gets to the actual starting line. By the time we crossed, I was running. As I remember from 2000, it took me 3 minutes to start from corral 8, but my first mile was in 9:20 or so. This year it took me 10 minutes to start, but my first mile split was 8:30.

My first friends along the course were to be in Ashland. I passed my friend Dotty who had started one corral ahead of me, then spotted the first of the people I knew would be on the course. These friends used to live in Natick where the pack is more spread out, but in Ashland at mile 3.5 it is still congested, so we were glad to make contact.

My next memory was seeing a group of bikers(motorcyclists) on the left of the course, and a runner near me had a biker related singlet on, so the bikers were cheering madly for this runner. It made me wonder how many people enjoy both motorcycle riding and long distance running.

For some reason I have an aversion to the Framingham section of the course. I think it is the train tracks being nearby, and a phobia I have that it is where I'll step into a pothole and mess myself up. I managed to keep a steady rhythm along here, although I totally spaced and missed the mile 7 marker.

I had trained using a heart rate monitor, and was hoping for a steady, consistent run, staying around 155 bpm. I seemed to stay in range until mile 21 or so.

Near the Natick/Wellesley line in the right side driveway was a man in drag, decked out in red white and blue. He was calmly telling the passing runners that the Wellesley College women were just ahead. I was not sure how to interpret this. Did anyone else see this guy?

I liked the Adidas banners, which were at the start and along the course. There was one related to the Screaming of the Wellesley women. It didn't seem as loud to me compared to 2000, but it still is a fun stretch. I have scar tissue on my right eardrum, so really loud noise on my right side bothers me. In 2000, I was irritated because of this, but this year it didn't seem so loud.

In training I had run on the course through Wellesley several times, but on race day I totally blanked out on the Wellesley High School stretch. Some other runner said that Marathon Sports was handing out powergels, so I weaved to that side of the course to pick one up. Further ahead were people handing out banana halves, so I grabbed one of them, too. I ate these and descended to the Charles River as smoothly as possible.

I felt strong crossing route 128, and looked for the official powergel station. I was interested in the Apple flavored gel, so I searched the volunteers until I found that flavor.

I had heard that at the Newton Fire Station where the course turns onto Comm. Ave. they place a fire truck on the far side of the street in case of emergencies on race day. I wanted to look for this truck, but I totally forgot to do so. I did see the race photo setup early on on Comm. Ave., which I hadn't noticed the last time I ran.

I saw my friend Deb at mile 19 at the CSU tent. I felt fine here which was a good sign. I hit 20 miles at 2:37, and started to look for my family as they were going to be at around 20.5 miles. I first see my brother in law on the wrong side of the street, but he just went over there to look ahead for me. I waved to him and understood that I should look left. I then saw my father, sister,one daughter, niece, mother, wife, son, and another friend who I didn't know would be there. I said if I was running well I wasn't going to pause at all. I did see that Hannah was holding a sign, but I couldn't read it. After I passed, my daughter Isabel(5) said that her Daddy was coming soon, so she totally missed me. It didn't seem to upset her, though.

I got to 21 at 2:45, so I'm trying to do the math to see if there is any hope of running a qualifier(3:20 for me). I feel it is out of the question, but I decide to at least hold onto my pace and see how far I can go. It seemed to be much sunnier now, but it wasn't bothering me.

I catch one of MVS's best senior runners at mile 22. I was suprised to see him, and I wish him well as I pass him. I tread lightly down Chestnut Hill Ave., as this is a tiny downhill stretch of the course that for some reason I don't like.

Once on Beacon Street I look at my heart rate, and it is at 174 bpm, which is high for me. I decide to calm down as I feel fine, and not look at it anymore. Around mile 23 it felt like someone put packing straps around my thighs. It was a tight sensation, but not painful. Many people around me are stopping to walk, but I had hoped not to walk for the whole race this day, so it motivated me to keep running. The Beacon Street section seemed very long, and I was happy to have a pack of MVS people yell at me around mile 24. Just before the bridge over the Mass. Pike I see another group of friends who I thought would be closer to Kenmore Square. Their neice, who was with them, has run in the Footlocker Regionals, so I was psyched that she was cheering for me in the Boston Marathon. I get over the bridge and look for the mile to go sign in the street. Another runner near me started to pick up her pace dramatically. For a moment I thought of trying to match her pace and bring it in, but I couldn't rev up enough to stay with her. I did keep my steady progress going, and made the Comm. Ave turn to Hereford. In 2000, I remember a sewage smell on Hereford, but this year it didn't seem to be there. I turned onto Boylston and simply focused on the finish line up ahead. Last time I missed the 26 mile marker, but this time I was aware of it and got the split. Boylston seemed endless, but I knew there was an end to all this within reach. I saw the 3:36 on the clock and was grateful for the chip time, as I could subtract about 10 minutes. I crossed the line, waiting a few paces before stopping my watch so the photo of me didn't have me fussing with it.

I have only run in three chip races, but I prefer to remove the chip myself. The volunteers seemed to be struggling with untying runner's shoes to get the chips, so the person who gave me the medal was happy that I just handed the thing to her.

As others have said, the goody bag of an energy bar, apple, and snack is quite weak considering one has just completed the Boston Marathon. I also noticed that they did have a BAA merchandise booth on the way out of the finish area. I would have preferred more food, as smaller races have a much better spread than this.

I did not know where to find my club bus, and the volunteers didn't seem to know either. I wandered until I saw someone familiar, and they made us go to one bus, get our bag, then go about three more blocks to board the bus. In MVS its kind of a game to see if you can get to the first bus to leave Boston, but the bus seemed to stay there an awfully long time.

One of my fellow club members complements me on my 3:26 based on starting in the 13th corral. This made me feel great. Another club member who started with me in 13 was also trying to qualify at 3:10, and he got in at 3:14 and seemed quite upset that he didn't get a qualifier. I was much more satisfied with my effort.

My hamstrings seized a few times during the bus ride back, but they calmed down soon enough. When I got into my car I turned the radio on and heard that the clock was being turned off at 6 pm for official finishers. I was driving into the sunset, so it felt like a nice closure to the day. Later on I heard that Hannah was very excited to hear the noon start of the race on the radio as they headed to Newton. She also wants to see the tape of the coverage with Kathryn Switzer.

My goals setting out were to run better than my previous Boston(3:39), get under 3:30, and get a qualifier(3:20). I managed two out of the three. My marathon times have been scattered between 3:21 and 3:55, with most of them around 3:40 to 3:45. I actually tried to run a qualifier three times last fall at Maine(3:44), Cape Cod (3:55), and the marathon split(3:45) of the Nifty 50 50k. We are planning to not be around for the next Boston Marathon as it is school vacation in Massachusetts, so I probably need a 3:25 to get in the next possible time since I will be 45 then. This run made me feel that a 3:25 is possible. I have been putting too much emphasis on qualifying for Boston, rather than getting other positives out of running marathons.

We went to Washington D.C. for a family vacation, and I decided not to run for a week. We walked a lot, and much of the time I was carrying our son Henry(15 months, 25 lbs) in a baby carrier, which was a reasonable workout as it was quite hot in D.C. We probably walked at least 5 miles a day. My upper legs were really sore for the first two days, but slowly they got better.

I am planning a fall marathon, possibly the Green Mountain Marathon or Hartford. I have a little quest to run a marathon in each of the six New England states, and I still need VT, NH, and CT.

Congratulations to all finishers, and I hope all volunteers had fun as well.

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