My final evaluation is that this race was a complete success. Period. No doubt about it. Did I have the race that I wanted or expected? No, absolutely not. Were the conditions tough and getting tougher with each minute that passed? Yes, absolutely. That said, I ran a tougher course, on a tougher day, only 2 minutes slower than a PR that I posted on a flat, fast course on a perfect day. OH, and I did the one thing that was most important to me for this race.......RE-QUALIFY for BOSTON!
Race day started out like most all do. Up early, BodyGlide and Vaseline, coffee, and start the feeding process. I had discussed a feeding plan with Jessica in the days leading up to the race. With the addition of a bus ride to the start line, the timing of my food intake was very important. We agreed that I needed to eat 2 hours prior to my scheduled start time. So, I bagged up my bagel, peanut butter, granola bars and Gatorade/Water and took it with me to the bus. As I'm getting out of a cab near the bus loading spot, I hear someone yell my name. Ladies and Gentleman, it was the one and only Beth Meadows! Those of you that know Beth know the infectious energy that she possesses. A big hug and we were off to catch a bus. Running into Beth was a bit of a God-send. If you've ever run a big city race, and specifically one where you are transported to the start line, you know the alone feeling that you get when you know no one and are simply being herded like cattle to your destination. We laughed and talked the entire way to Hopkinton. Thank you, Beth. Your timing could not have been better. (Read her race recap here...... https://ultramarathonoflife.wordpress.com/2015/04/22/boston-marathon-ok-it-was-cool/)
When we arrived in Hopkinton, it started raining. I had truly thought of everything that I needed to pack heading to the race start. Throw away clothing, gloves, hat, food, water, toilet paper, and a.......garbage bag......not so fast my friend. I left the garbage bag in my backpack. DANG IT! Luckily Beth and I only had a short walk and the rain mostly stopped. We found a spot in a tent where I continued to eat my bagel and peanut butter. If you ever want to be the envy of every runner around, have a bagel and peanut butter in a crowded area prior to a race. According to Beth, for every person that asked me where I got mine, there were 10 more than were staring at it. My response to the question of where I got it became, "At Dunkin' Donuts, 26 miles away." haha!
As we started funneling toward the start line, I had one last chance to get in line for a porta-potty. I walk into this open area where there are literally thousands of runners and walk right up on Greg Kyle, Jackson Miller and David Canas. So great to see these guys prior to the race. I hope they know how much they helped to quell the nerves that were starting to build. While we were standing in line, the National Anthem began and a sense of urgency took over. Everyone started moving faster and faster. Finally walking toward the start line again, I was quickly routed into my corral and heard the announcing of the elite runners. I knew we were only minutes away.
I was in the 8th corral of Wave 1. Wave 1 contained about 7,500 runners. With 7,000 people ahead of me, it took about 5 minutes to get to the actual start line. This 5 minutes seemed like an eternity. As you approach the start line, it narrows significantly. It really is a two-lane road from Hopkinton to Ashland. Based on what I had been told, I knew it was narrow and down-hill, but don't think I was prepared for this. Felt like I was running down the middle of Old Glasgow Road. It was hard to believe that 27.000+ runners were going to 'fit' through this section of road. But, they've been doing it for 119 years, I think they know better than me.
And I'm off. I knew to be patient during the first mile and things started to open up a bit during the second. I rattled off a couple of really good miles and settled in. I took a gel at mile 4 and grabbed a sip of water. I took another gel at mile 8 and another sip of water. I felt as though I needed to use the bathroom again and as I approached mile 9, I had to stop and find a tree. Yes, guys are lucky and we don't necessarily have to wait for a porta-potty. I lost about 30 seconds or so during this stop but was quickly back underway. The course seemed to be fair at this point and I rolled through miles 9 to 13. I made it half way at 1:32. I was hopeful of a bit faster, but knew that I could still drop a PR if I stayed after it. Speaking of mile 13. This is where the all-girls Wellesley College is located. About a quarter mile away, you can hear the roar of the crowd and it grows and grows as you get closer. It seemed that the bulk of the runners were making their way to the right side of the road. This is where ALL the girls were. Sensing this, I made my way to the left and found a good bit of open space to run in for about a half mile. This was also about the point where it started raining lightly. I took another gel at mile 13 and grabbed a sip of water. This time I actually walked through the water stop to ensure that I got a good bit of it in me rather than on me. I am not good at managing those cups and drinking water from them while running.
Miles 14 and 15 were not good. I don't know if I lost focus during this time or what, but the results of those miles seemed to set a tone for what was to come. By the time I got back to running hard at mile 16, the rain picked up and the wind started to blow. By the time I reached the Newton Hills, it was pouring and the wind was in my face at 25 mph. This is not what I had in mind for this day. Seriously, can a brotha get a good weather condition race day??? I took another gel at mile 17 and grabbed a quick sip of water. I knew then that this would be my last gel because I really needed to get after it to get close to the PR and re-qualifying. There are 4 Newton Hills but the only one that gets any talk is 'Heartbreak Hill', the last of them. Don't get me wrong here, Heartbreak Hill is tough given that it's the last of the 4 and mile 21 is at the top of it, but, in my opinion, it wasn't the toughest. The second hill which was shorter, but much more steep, was more difficult. When I got to the top of Heartbreak Hill, my thought was, 'surely that isn't all'. Seriously, that's all you got??? Maybe they should rename it 'Heartbreak Hump' 'cause where I come from, we don't call that a hill. hahaha!!!
Mile 21 and realizing that I'm losing hope for a new PR. The rain continues to pour, the wind blows harder and now the temp feels like it's dropping. It's downhill from here but I need to get after it. Somehow, from somewhere, I found a little zone where I just ran as hard as I could for the last 5 miles. Mentally I checked out. I remember seeing the Citgo sign and knowing I was close. I remember seeing Fenway Park off to my right. Aside from those landmarks, I don't remember much at all about this part of the race. Mile 25 and I realize that no PR is coming and I need to hustle if I'm going to re-qualify so I dig a bit deeper. The crowds are picking up as we are now in Boston. And then I see it........Hereford St.
Likely the most famous statement in marathon running is, "Now a right on Hereford and a left of Boylston." I feel like these should be within a few short feet of each other when I hear that said. When I turned on Hereford, I expected to almost immediately turn left. Nooooo.....it's more than a quarter-mile and seemed even farther. The crowd was even louder! I turned onto Boylston and could see the finish line.
Oh My! The crowd roared! They were 4 or 5 people deep on each side of the street. I'm running down the most famous street in ALL of running and I'm about to requalify to be able to do it again. AMAZING! If I wasn't actually doing it, I'm not sure I would believe it. I know that Tricia and Judy are going to be on the right side of the street. I work my way to that side hoping to see them. I see Tricia and she's yelling at the top of her lungs with an enormous smile. I can't help but smile just a little bit. I cross the finish line at 3:12:19. 2 minutes 41 seconds under the 3:15:00 needed to qualify for Boston in my age group. BAM!
The finish line chute was a zoo. I've never seen so many people using wheelchairs and being moved to the medical tent. As I slow down, I begin to shiver. The farther I walk, the more uncontrollable the shivers. I can't open my banana, or my water, or the protein bar because my hands are so cold. I'm soaking wet and by the time I get to my heat sheet, I'm freezing. I meet up with Tricia who has dry clothes for me. I'm so wet and cold that it actually hurt to put on dry clothes. I tell her that I've got to get warm and we decide to start walking to get to a cab. After walking a half block, we see a building that the lobby is open. She suggests ducking in there for a few minutes for me to warm up. Great idea. We do exactly that as she walks to figure out how far I've got to walk before we get to a cab. Ten minutes later we walk 2 blocks, hail a cab and back to the hotel.
There is something very special about this race, in this city, on this day, Patriot's Day. I knew when I toed the line that I was surrounded by runners that were better than me. I knew that everyone around me had earned the right to be there and that none of them were going to take that opportunity for granted. I've been incredibly lucky to run some incredible races. After this race, when someone asks me which is my favorite, I have a new answer.
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