Ok... here it is. I've had this blog running for quite some time outlining my preparation for the Boston Marathon. On Monday I actually ran the race. It was an experience unlike any I've ever had. I've been running competitively for 11 years, and nothing I've done was quite like the Boston Marathon. Amazing. The crowds, the course, the pain, the sense of community, etc. etc. Awesome.
So... from the beginning. I got up at 6:30 and took the T to Park Street with Bromka and Pete Jurczynski where we met JR Cruz (Tufts '02) at 8:00. We boarded on of the several school buses they had shuttling people out to Hopkinton. The ride was actually a lot shorter than I thought it would be. It was fun to be on a bus with fellow nervous marathoners. People were trading stories, talking about the race, etc. Runners are really good people. It must be something about the shared dedication and sacrifice that distance runners make that makes them good and understanding people. The four of us made it to Hopkinton at about 10 or so, and hung out in the athletes village for a while. There were plenty of port-o-john's, and even though you had to wait in line, it certainly wasn't a problem. As race time grew closer, people started going through their routines. Excess clothing was removed, vaseline was applied, stretching was done, and people generally got ready to run a marathon. At 11:15 we started to make our way to the start line. The walk to the start is about 3/4 of a mile from the high school where we were all stationed. I realized just how many people run this race (22,000) on the walk over. Man it was a lot of people. We reached the start line with plenty of time. The plan was for JR, Bromka, Moose and I to run at least the first few miles together. Unfortunately, due to some extenuating circumstances at the start, I was separated from the group, and started about a minute behind them. Due to these difficulties, I was extremely anxious for the first few miles of the race. (I'm not going into any more detail, but I
narrowly avoided a situation that would have completely ruined my marathon.)
After I crossed the start line my legs felt funny as a result of a ton of adreneline I had going through my system. I tried to relax as best I could early on and not think about the start. I was behind quite a few people, but I knew the race was long and I could make up ground later on. I went through the first mile in 6:48, and felt nervous, but ok. For the next 4 or 5 I ran 6:20 almost dead on and felt ok. Aerobically I was really holding back. At about 7 miles I spotted JR, Bromka and Moose up ahead of me, and picked it up a little to catch them. I made contact with them right around the 8 mile mark, and running with them really helped me relax. I stayed with these guys until the 10 mile mark, which I reached in 64:30. This was just a bit slower than I wanted, but nothing at all to worry about. After the 10 mile mark I told the guys I was going to pick it up a bit, and separated myself from the group. There were no real huge landmarks during the first 10 miles of the race, other than a really awesome biker bar at the 2 mile mark. That was sweet... a ton of Harley and leather. Everyone was drinking to haha....
After I separated from the guys the race started to get a little more serious. I picked it up and started splitting between 6:15 and 6:25. This still felt really easy. My legs could tell I had run a lot of downhills, but they weren't so much tired as they were aware of the fact that they'd be
tired later on. At 12 I knew we'd be getting into Wellsely soon. I was pretty pumped up for this, and the girls didn't disappoint. It was a like a wall of sound, long hair, pretty faces, and female figures. What an awesome distraction from the reality of running a marathon. Actually, thinking back on it, there were a ton of cute girls there. Totally sweet. At one point I stopped at a girl who was holding a sign that said "Kiss me I'm a senior!" and granted her request. I think she really liked it and the crowd went nuts, it was really fun.
figured I would have to have a pretty good second half if IJust after Wellesley was the halfway point, which I passed in 1:24:18. I was going to break 2:50, as the second half of the race is very difficult. I still felt very good at this point, and told myself to run consistently until the 17 mile mark where you turn on to Comm. Ave. (Oh.. .also, during the whole time I had been taking gatorade and water at the aid stations... I think I was pretty well
hydrated the whole way. Luckily I didn't have any bathroom problems at all, both before, during, and after the race. That's pretty good, because you can lose a lot of time with these).
My parents were stationed at about 16.5 at the Newton Wellesly Hospital (see photos... this is at about 16). It was really great to see them I spotted my mom from about 200m out, and saw my dad on the side taking pictures. They gave me some energy, and my dad ran with me for about 300m or so. It was cool to see them. (After they saw me they hopped on the T to make it to the 24 mile mark to see me again).
At this point, I realized that the marathon would not be easy. I still had about 10 miles to go, and my quads and hamstrings were started to get fatigued. I told myself to just relax, as I was still splitting 6:20s. I knew things were going to get bad toward the end, I just didn't know how bad. I saw
the turn for Comm Ave from a little ways out. The crowds here were just amazing. Fans in Boston are generally knowedgeable, and they really have respect for all the runners. Each town takes pride in its traditions and cheering, and you feel like a rockstar the whole time you're running. I turned right onto Comm. Ave. and told myself that this is where the real race started. (I also took my first GU at this point, which went down pretty smoothly... my stomach got a little upset after, but not too bad).
The hills in Newton were tough, but not killer. My legs were getting pretty bad at this point. I thought I'd finish, but that running fast would be hard. The whole time through Newton people were cheering for me like crazy... I must have heard "GO TUFTS!" about 250 times. It was great. I saw some Tufts crew girls at about 18. All of this was just a preview for the top of heartbreak though, where I knew the
real Tufts crew would be. I was starting to get pretty banged up, and I had stopped looking up at people cheering for me and was generally in a pretty bad mood. Every now and then I'd feel a twinge in my hamstring or quad, and I knew that things were going to get really difficult during the last 4 miles. I ran up heartbreak with the Tufts guys in mind the whole way. I could hear them chanting "Mac, Mac, Mac!" from about 100m away. Once they saw me coming it was just pandemonium (sp?). Everyone was just going insane, screaming as loud as they could, jumping up and down, and generally looking totally crazy. This was a huge boost, as I didn't even realize I was cresting the toughest hill on the course. Seeing all my former teammates and current Tufts XC/Track and Field athletes was something I'll never forget.
Well, after the Tufts stop at 20.5, things really got difficult. I had run varying splits between 6:15 and 6:35 through the hills, so I was still doing fine. At BC, I said "Dude, this really sucks, your legs are total shit right now". My quads were starting to fail, and it seemed like each hamstring was on the verge of cramping. Luckily the crowds were pretty boisterous and the helped me through the BC section of the course. I ran my first bad split at this point (a 6:40 I think). Going down to Cleveland Circle was terrible, as the downhills were absolutely destroying my legs. I mean like really really bad. I saw Anne McGuire and Andrea Piekarski at this point. I probably looked a lot better than I felt at this point. They were yelling like crazy, which was great.
Turning onto Beacon Street represented the last section of the race. I had about finish the race. My legs were so bad 4 miles to go to at this point that I was starting to get passed by people (after having done nothing but passing since the start). I split a 6:56 and at this point didn't think I'd break 2:50. I even wondered if I'd finish... I had really bad thoughts about my legs cramping up and me running 10 minute miles. This would have been disasterous. I tried pushing as hard as I could during these last few miles, but my legs were just SCREAMING at me to stop. (see picture at right). I starting running just over 7:00 a mile, and at this point I
knew I wasn't running 2:49. I told myself to just tough it out and to keep running as hard as I could. Unfortunately, this was just 7:05s or so. At some point along this stretch, my mom, sister and dad cheered for me. I really don't remember this very well. Going over the highway right before Fenway was pretty sweet... the Red Sox game had just let out, and all the drunk fans were going nuts. It was sooo loud.
Once we got back onto Comm. Ave with a mile to go I knew I'd finish, but man my legs were toast. Every stride was incredibly painful. Both quads were like cement and my hamstrings were not working either. (At this point JR flew by me... I told him good job, and watched him pull away. For the record my chip time was 8 seconds faster than his, so I actually technically beat him hehe). I told myself I had to snap out of the funk I was in and enjoy the last mile of the Boston Marathon. The crowds along Hereford and Boylston were the best on the course. I really played it up along this section of the course, pointing to the crowd, and holding my hand behind my ear to get more cheers. It was so cool. I'd point at a section of the crowd, and they'd start going just insane. I felt like a total rockstar during the last mile. When I turned onto Boylston I saw the finish line about 600m away. I tried as best I could to run strong down this stretch, but it was pretty difficult. I smiled and looked up as I crossed the finish line, with a time of 2:52:38, which averages to 6:35 per mile.
I had run the Boston Marathon.
After you cross the line, a number of things happen. First thing is that your legs IMMEDIATELY thank you for stopping. They had been asking me to do this for almost an hour at this point, and I was more than happy to oblige. You also realize that the pain isn't going away. I was still hurting really bad even though I wasn't running. I made my way through the finish area, got my heat blanket (which was awesome), my medal, had my chip removed, and eventually made my way to the family meeting area where I met my parents. After a bunch of different things, we made it back the to house, and my day was done. Walking was very hard for me to do.
The whole experience was just amazing. I was looking to run a little faster, but this was the only blemish (and not even) on an otherwise perfect day. The weather was great, my friends ran well (JR was right behind me, Moose ran about 2:55, Bromka ran about 2:56, and Burke ran 2:48 (watch time)/about 2:54 chip time. Awesome. I had run the Boston Marathon, and raised over $2500 for Tufts research on nutrition and fitness.
I have so many people I want to thank. I've been typing for a long time, it's late, and I want to make sure I thank everyone I need to. I'll write out a list tomorrow for everyone.
Stay tuned for some more post marathon coverage. (scroll down for pics)
Me post race.
Moose and I not looking too good.
Moose, Burke and I.
My awesome supportive family (minus Scooter (my sister Allison), who didn't make it to the finish.)
tired later on. At 12 I knew we'd be getting into Wellsely soon. I was pretty pumped up for this, and the girls didn't disappoint. It was a like a wall of sound, long hair, pretty faces, and female figures. What an awesome distraction from the reality of running a marathon. Actually, thinking back on it, there were a ton of cute girls there. Totally sweet. At one point I stopped at a girl who was holding a sign that said "Kiss me I'm a senior!" and granted her request. I think she really liked it and the crowd went nuts, it was really fun.
hydrated the whole way. Luckily I didn't have any bathroom problems at all, both before, during, and after the race. That's pretty good, because you can lose a lot of time with these).
the turn for Comm Ave from a little ways out. The crowds here were just amazing. Fans in Boston are generally knowedgeable, and they really have respect for all the runners. Each town takes pride in its traditions and cheering, and you feel like a rockstar the whole time you're running. I turned right onto Comm. Ave. and told myself that this is where the real race started. (I also took my first GU at this point, which went down pretty smoothly... my stomach got a little upset after, but not too bad).
