My First Boston Marathon, A Race Report

This is going to be a long race report, I just have a feeling. So don’t say I didn’t warn ya’.

Expo day, Saturday, April 14, 2008:
My hubby, the baby and I went to the sports expo to pick up my bib number and to spend a boat load of money on souvenirs. At the Expo I met John from the Master’s Forum. He, Monica and I had planned to meet in Boston before race day. Anyway, what a great guy! It was such an honor to finally have met him in person. Moments after we met, a pretty young lady approached us and asked me if I visited the Runner’s World Message Boards. When I said yes, she shook my hand and introduced herself as Smick (and then her real name). It was so nice to meet her! She introduced us to her husband, who would also be running the race. After the intros, she and her husband went on their way.

John walked around the expo with us for a little while and after lunch he ventured over to Harvard to hang out on his old stomping grounds. At this point my hubby and I decided to tackle more shopping. Oh my, there was so much to buy! I got an official 111th Boston Marathon Jacket, a bunch of t-shirts, and a couple baseball caps. I also got Mizuno thigh length compression tights, a matching shirt and a Mizuno beanie and gloves (this was my race day attire). As I surveyed the throngs of runners at the expo, I felt greatly intimidated. I thought, “Holy smokes. These people are so freaking fast. I hope I don’t make a fool of myself here.” I left wondering how I was going to be able to do this.

We walked around downtown for about an hour or so before we were to meet John and Monica for dinner. We ventured into Ladder 15, Engine 33 located on the corner of Boylston and Hereford, the corner where we would take our last turn before heading down Boylston to the FINISH. Mike introduced himself to the supervisor in charge that day, named Jimmy. Jimmy was so nice and took us on full tour of the house. Before we left to head back to the expo, he invited Mike and the baby to watch the race from the firehouse! What a great gesture! Of course it helped that Mike is also a fireman in a big city. Just on the opposite coast.

We met Monica and John at the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. Now that was an awesome time! We had so much fun laughing and eating. It was like a reunion with old buddies from way back. My husband was such a good sport and just let us ramble on about running and the other forumites. Monica, John and I were virtual training partners on the Masters Forum, constantly encouraging one another to maintain our training schedules and to just have a great time in Boston, no matter what the conditions. After dinner, we all hugged and wished each other good luck on Monday. Sunday was to be a day of laying low for all of us.

Sunday night, April 15, 2008:It was a dark and stormy night. Seriously, it was. The night before the race I could not sleep because all I could hear outside the hotel room window was the wind howling, and the rain and hail pelting the building. I tossed and turned thinking that it was going to be a hell of a race, or more like racing in hell. A lot of thoughts ran through my head as I lay there sleepless. I wondered if what I planned on wearing would be warm enough, or was I going to shiver and get hypothermia? That was my biggest fear: hypothermia. Not once did I think, “There’s no way I’m running in that weather.” I told myself I was going to get from Hopkinton to Boston even if I was soaked to the bone and crawling over the finish line. Everything was packed in my gear bag, ready to go. My race clothes were laid out. I just had to get up, shower and dress, and get dropped off at the T-station (subway) by 6:00 a.m. to make the buses to Hopkinton by 7:00 a.m. I think I ended up getting about 4-1/2 hours sleep.

RACE DAY, Monday, April 16, 2008:
As I prepared for the race, I could still hear the 40-50 mph winds and the unrelenting rain outside the hotel window. But one thought kept running through my head now, “I REFUSE TO BE INTIMIDATED.” I knew the weather sucked, but I also knew that I was in BOSTON to run THE BOSTON MARATHON. I knew there would be some seriously fast runners there, but I also knew that I trained so much harder for Boston than I did for my qualifying race in December. When my husband woke up I told him, “Honey, I’m so ready for this race. I refuse to be intimidated.”

When he dropped me off at the T station, the winds were so darned strong that the Chevy Impala we rented was literally swaying in the wind. Over my race clothes I had on 2 wool sweaters, a long pair of sweats and a head to toe rain suit, plus my beanie and gloves. I also wore different shoes than the ones I would race in, and I’m glad I did because they were a muddy mess by the time I changed out of them into my Asics Cumulus. Anyway, I was still shivering from the cold despite the throw away layers I had on. The lines for the buses were long. I think I waited in the rain for about 15 minutes prior to boarding a bus.

It rained all the way to the runner’s village. We got to Hopkinton and it was still pouring down rain and the winds were still very powerful. But I felt no panic. I just kept saying that I refuse to be intimidated, by the weather, by other runners, whatever. The tents were jammed packed with runners trying to stay as warm and dry as they could. Some were lying down on garbage bags, some were standing and others sitting. We were all wet and freezing though. Waiting for the port-o-potties was the worst because there was nothing to shield us from the rain or wind there.

The first wave of runners was summoned to the starting corrals. My stomach did somersaults as I saw them walk away in the downpour and into the wind. At this time I removed my throw away clothes but put the rain gear back on. I started to jog around in the rain to warm up. I had a big blanket wrapped around me too and it helped a little. It seemed the weather would not break as predicted. The weather was still pretty bad as Wave 1’s gun went off. Shortly afterward, Wave 2 was called into the corrals. I felt as “warm” as I was going to so I shed the rain suit pants, but kept the jacket and blanket as long as I could.

As the corrals filled up, the rain turned to a light drizzle and the wind died down. It was like some miracle happened.

For the first time after arriving in Boston I thought, “I can actually do this. I can go for that PR. I can do it.” And if the weather took a turn for the worse, then so be it. I would still give this race all I could.

I ditched the blanket as the gun went off and jogged behind the thousands of runners toward the start line. It took a few minutes to get there and I thought I’d be able to speed up after crossing the start, but nope. It was SO crowded.

I ran the first mile with the rain jacket on over my long sleeve running shirt, running T shirt, windbreaker running vest and compression shorts. I was feeling comfortable.

I want to preface the following details with this: I took Gatorade at every stop available with the exception of 2-3 stops, and I walked as I gulped. A few seconds of walking at each stop helped conserve some energy in my legs.

Mile 1: I looked at my watch. Despite the downhill, my first mile was 8:31. It felt slow but I didn’t panic yet. The course was absolutely packed with runners. I ran as far to the right as I could be, and high fived as many spectators that I could, especially the kiddos. Seeing them made me miss my 7 and 9 year olds who were back home rooting for me.
Mile 2: Still slightly downhill and still an 8:30 pace. I kind of started to panic and started to weave through runners in the right gutter of the road. It was tricky, but I slowly made my way through the crowds. I also ditched the rain jacket.
Mile 3: I was still over pace, but picking up a little speed. The course started to introduce rolling hills a little here. At this point I said I had to get through the crowds if I was ever going to make my goal pace of 8:00 minute miles.
Mile 4: I looked at my pace band and I was within seconds of my goal. I felt much better.
More of an uphill here but nothing too serious. It definitely was not flat.
Mile 5: Sometime after the mile marker I heard a big thud toward the middle of the road and as I looked over I saw a woman on the ground, quickly picking herself back up. She said to everybody who tried to help, “I’m all right. I’m all right.” And she ran on! I thought, “Right on! Good for her!”
Miles 6-7: Not much happened here except we got some flat road to run on. I was still doing a lot of weaving through the runners in order to keep pace.
I also started to feel the need to go to the bathroom. I kept telling myself just to hold it and it would go away.
Miles 7-8: Another slight incline. I was feeling good at marathon goal pace and still giving out high fives to the spectators along the route. At mile marker 8 I took my first GU gel with water.
Miles 9-11: The rollers started up again. At this point I started repeating this mantra at every little elevation gain along the way: “Even effort on the hills.” As I got tired I shortened the mantra to “Even Effort.” I also started to feel the short gusts of winds here. Whenever a gust came up, I would just tuck my arms in as close to my body as possible and drive my legs forward. No high fives given from here all the way to the Wellesley “Tunnel.” I wanted to conserve as much energy as possible for the rolling hills and any other wind gusts.
Miles 11-12: More rolling hills. I repeated the mantra. Between Mile 11 and 12, I knew I had to go for a port-o-potty. I didn’t want to run into Wellesley having to stop for a break. I wanted to high five the Wellesley Girls! I stopped and waited about a minute for an open bathroom. I lost about 2-1/2 to 3 minutes on the potty break.
Mile 12-13: I headed toward the Wellesley “tunnel” feeling much better! I could hear the screaming from a half-mile away, and I said out loud, “Right on!” I was so excited to run the through “tunnel”. It felt like there was A TON of gals out there just screaming! It was AWESOME! And if you high fived them as you ran by, they screamed even louder. I think I high fived all of them! It was amazing, just as I was told it would be.
Miles 13-16: I took a GU gel somewhere around Mile 13. I had picked up the speed a little but was almost 2 minutes behind pace still. My half marathon split was 1:45:43. I knew I needed to be back on pace before hitting the Newton Hills. As I got to Mile 16, I was within 10-15 seconds of goal pace so I was happy. Then said a quick prayer for extra strength as the real hills began.
Mile 16-17: My legs were not yet tired as I entered Newton Lower Falls. However, I felt that first climb. “Even Effort,” I kept repeating. I looked at my watch as I got to the top and had lost a few seconds.
Mile 17-18: Then I made the right turn at the Newton Fire Station, and headed up the hill. I really felt this one. At this time in the race I actually thought about saying, “Screw it. Just jog to the finish.” I thought about giving up on the PR. My legs started to feel the burn and my breathing began to get louder. I started to doubt myself, so I started praying fervently in my head, saying just 4 words: “Thy Will Be Done.”
I also kept repeating: “Even Effort.” And every now and then I’d throw in: “Refuse intimidation.” I was too tired to repeat “I refuse to be intimidated,” even if it was only in my head. During this race, I learned that long mantras are mentally draining! I decided from here until the top of Heartbreak Hill, I would NOT look at my watch anymore. I didn’t want to get discouraged. In retrospect, I think this hill felt harder than Heartbreak Hill.
Mile 18-19: I took a GU gel with water just prior to mile marker 18. This part in the race was like a brief respite from the burning in my legs. “Aaaaah, flat land,” I thought. It went on like this for a long time. I think for almost the entire mile. I felt my leg strength and breathing rhythm come back here, so I picked up the pace again. I tried not to look too far ahead on the course because I was kind of scared to see another hill. I just didn’t want to deal with the mental aspect of seeing one.
Mile 19-20: Still flat up until the end of the mile. Then there was another climb. There was more burning, more mantras, and serious fear of hitting the WALL.
Mile 20-21: Here we go. I felt like I had summoned a little leg strength back so I pushed it up this hill they call Heartbreak. I actually did not feel as bad as I thought I would going up this last of the Newton Hills. I thought about The Learned Foot (Jenny) who is battling Hodgkins Lymphoma and had a feeling if she were running this, she would never give up! She would NEVER GIVE UP. I thought about my nephew, Chris, a Marine in Iraq with a small infant son and sweet wife waiting for him to come back home. I knew he COULD NEVER give up.
I then thought about my three children and how much my older ones would have loved to be here yelling, “Go mommy!” I knew if they were here and I gave them high fives as I ran by, they would remember it forever. I thought about how sweet they have been to me, even when I was cranky and tired after my tough workouts or long runs. I missed their faces and their voices and their smiles so much that I started to tear up as I climbed toward the top of the hill, and as I reached it I openly sobbed as I ran. They were tears of sadness that my kids weren’t here with me mixed with tears of joy that I finally made it through the Newton Hills.
I lifted my hands up in triumph as I bawled and ran. Spectators didn’t know whether to cheer for me or what because I was smiling as I cried. Runners would look over at me as I passed because I was sobbing so loudly. Finally I got to the downside of the hill and picked up the pace and just jammed as fast as I could toward Boylston Street.
I looked at my watch and I was about 1-1/2 minutes or so behind goal pace. I knew if I really wanted that PR, I could not slow down until I crossed that finish line. As I finished Mile 20 I thought about dedicating the last 6.2 miles to some special people. Doing so helped shift my thoughts to something other than the numbness in my legs, the sporadic gusts of wind and my downright exhaustion.
Mile 21: Dedicated to my older son. His energy is contagious. His sweetness is so genuine. He’s the kindest soul and always trying to do the right thing. He looks out for his older sister and his baby brother, and he always has a hug for mommy. His dimples are the icing on the cake! I ran hard for my boy and looked at my watch as I reached mile marker 22. I was about 45 seconds behind pace.
Mile 22: For my daughter, my oldest child. She’s a confident leader. She’s a loving girl who writes songs for her friends and sings to her baby brother. She gives any project she’s working on 110%, and she encourages others to also do the best they can. She loves to run, and she loves to snuggle up to mommy on the couch. I ran even harder to make her proud. My watch said I was maybe 15 seconds behind pace. Just as I hit mile marker 23, I took my last GU gel with water.
Mile 23: For my baby son who was with my husband somewhere in downtown Boston waiting for me. Soon he’ll be walking on his own and won’t want me to hold him as much anymore. Soon he will no longer want to snuggle up to nurse. He’s so happy and so talkative, and the loudest crier I’ve ever heard, but he’s pure joy and love. Just a little cuddle bug who accompanied me on many, many training runs in the jogging stroller. I picked up the pace even more. I also felt my first significant calf CRAMP. Ouch! For a split second, my right calf froze and my body actually stiffened up in pain mid-stride. I quickly altered my foot strike and the cramp disappeared. I said a quick prayer of: “Thy will be done,” and pressed on. After looking at my watch and the pace band, I realized I was at goal pace or slightly under.
Mile 24: This one was for The Masters. They are the most awesome running bunch I’ve ever known that I’ve never actually met! They’ve encouraged me for months and months, to qualify for Boston and to train smart and to run faster short races. They’ve helped me through illnesses and listened to my “pity me, I’m tired” stories. They’ve helped me through all of this! I jammed as fast as my tired legs would take me and by the time I hit mile 25, my watch and pace band said I was under goal pace. That instantly gave me an energy boost.
Mile 25: This last mile was for my sweets, my husband. He has put up with my marathon training since last summer. He puts up with my moods when I’m overly tired and hungry. He encourages me to run when I don’t feel like it and want to blow off the workouts. He talks about me to his friends and family and tells them how proud he is of me. He tells me how proud he is of me! He has confidence in me that I don’t even have in myself. I thought, “This one’s for you, Babe.” As I got to the Citgo sign and the marker on the road that said, “The Last Mile,” I gunned it as hard as I could. I was hurting so badly but I wanted to cross that finish line and be with my husband and baby. I kept singing that Chris Daughtry song in my head, “I’m coming home, to the place where I belong…” I voted for Taylor Hicks, by the way.
As I approached Ladder 15, Engine 33 on the corner at 941 Boylston Street, I knew my husband and baby would be there. I smiled at the spectators as I ran by and turned my palms toward the sky and lifted them a little in order to get the crowds to scream louder. They did not let me down! The screams were what we all needed to hear as we got to the last turn on to Boylston. I couldn’t find my husband anywhere in the crowd. That was okay, I knew he was there and that I would see him soon.
I took that left turn and looked down the street. I swear that big blue sign that said, “Boston Marathon” was at least a mile away. But it was only 3/10s of a mile. I sprinted as hard as I could, but in reality it probably didn’t look like a sprint. My legs were still numb and I was just beat, but there was this man running next to me at a good clip and I thought, “If I can just hang on to this guy, I will finish strong.”
I stuck with him like glue, through the pain. I couldn’t even hear the crowds yelling at this point. I just wanted to stop running. But as we got closer to that big blue sign, I saw the arrow pointing to the clock that said, “Wave 2 Runners.” The clock said 3:31 and a few seconds. I looked at my watch and it said 3:28 and some odd seconds. I knew I would finish in under 3:30 and I was so freaking jazzed. All I could do as I ran toward the finish was smile. I lifted my arms and pumped them overhead as I ran under the clock. It said 3:31:42. I turned off my watch timer and it said 3:29:20. I was so elated, but so, so tired. After the group around me finished, we walked in silence toward the space blankets, or was the chip return first? I don’t remember. The silence was so weird. It was kind of surreal. I think we were all so exhausted and overjoyed at the same time, no one could talk!
Finally, the chip was removed and the medal placed in my gloved but cold hand. I had done it. I ran the Boston Marathon, the best marathon in the world, and I did it in a record time for me. After retrieving my gear bag, I checked my cell phone and had received a text message from my brother, Lee. He told me my chip time was 3:29:19. A smile came to my mouth as my teeth chattered. I was speechless.

RACE STATS:
Pace 7:59
Projected Time 3:30
Official Time 3:29:19
Overall 5356
Gender 787

Last note: It was a tough race, a tougher course than I had thought. I didn’t think there would be so many big rollers. I thought they’d be small and easy. I didn’t think the Newton Hills would be anything at all. But I will say now that they certainly weren’t nothing. The people of all the towns along the route, the B.A.A. and the countless, kind volunteers know how to DO a marathon. It was a runner’s dream! I couldn’t have asked for a better experience, except maybe NO WINDS, and warm enough to wear a running skirt and a tank top. Just kidding, I have no complaints. I trained my butt off and ran my heart out and am more than happy with the result. And God gave us better weather for the actual race. Imagine what it would've been like to attempt to run in 40-50 mph winds with heavy rainfall. I am so thankful that I didn't have to!

Now it’s time to rest and then get back into the shorter distances for a while. I won’t be marathon training again until August. Got to gear up for the CIM’s 25th Marathon in December. If the weather is just right, who knows what can happen? I’d love to run a 3:20 someday…

Thanks for reading this long winded report! I appreciate it very much. For now, a nap is calling me.

TOTAL MILES: 26.2
WEEKLY TOTAL: 31.6