Race Report: 2011 Boston Marathon

I had no trouble falling asleep on Sunday night—but I did have trouble staying asleep. Sometime around 2:30 I woke up and never fully went back to sleep again, yet somehow there was no nervousness, no tossing and turning, just calm. Finally at 5:30 my alarm went off and it was time to get ready. I had everything laid out the night before so by 5:55 I was out the door. I hopped the T at Hynes and the station agent was letting all the runners ride for free! Soon I was at the Common to catch a bus. By around 6:15, thanks to the enormous efficiency of race volunteers, I was on my way to Hopkinton.

I rode next a really nice guy from Houston who had also done Boston in 2010 and while I ate my usual bagel with peanut butter we chatted away. It definitely makes it a more fun experience to talk to new people.

A little before 7:30 we arrived at the Athlete's Village. I found the folks from the Boston Forum and sat with them to pass the time away. What a great group and what a difference talking to people made during the long wait. At 9:15 they called my coral so I head towards the baggage buses with a runner friend. He’s run Boston more than 10 times so it was great to pick his brain a bit before I lost him in the final port-o-john line. Since my throwaway clothes include a Packers hoodie, I got plenty of comments on the way to the corrals.

By the time I was in my corral, there were only about 15 minutes until the start…I waited with anticipation as they announce the elite field and before I knew it the gun was off! 

The First Half

As with my past two marathons, I used Greg Maclin's customized pace band for the race. I set 3:03:49 as my goal, a conservative one because I really wanted to have a good time.

My main focus was not to go out too fast—the first mile drops about 130 feet and you will pay for it later if go all out. The crowds kept me honest and clocked Mile 1 at 7:10.  Things stayed crowded, but by Mile 2 they had opened up enough that I clocked 6:52. Mile 3 was nearly the same at 6:53. By this point I think it had finally settled in that I was actually running Boston! Even though I did it the year it doesn’t take away from how amazing this experience really is! Mile 4, with its downhill ended up being my fastest at 6:46. Mile 5 went by in 7:01 and I could tell that my average pace was were I wanted it to be. I’ve heard a lot of people say that when things flatten out around Mile 6 if you’re not feeling fresh, you’re done for. Thankfully, I was feeling good and Mile 6 in 6:51. Mile 7 went by in 6:54 and I took my first gel of the race. Thanks to my race-ready shorts, I hadn’t lost any gels yet. Last year by this point I only had one left!

By this point, my mind had shifted to Wellesley—not just to the screaming girls, but also to the halfway point. With my eyes on the prize I ran Miles 8, 9, and 10 in 6:57, 6:56, and 7:02. Mile 11 is loads of fun because you run through Natick’s town center and there are tons of cheering spectators. It went by in 6:59.

Mile 12 was downhill but pretty uneventful in 6:54. After that, it was on to the famous Wellesley Scream Tunnel! I swear it was a lot louder this year. Needless to say, Mile 13 was not a slow one in 6:57. The race then entered the heart of Wellesley where there were tons of fans. I went through the half in 1:31:04 (one second ahead of what my pace band said), knowing that my A, B, and C time goals were all still very doable.

The Second Half

After the half, my thoughts shifted to the Newton Hills that start at Mile 16. My thought process went something like this: If you can make it to 16 feeling strong, then you can make it through the hills. They will suck, but they will take up 5 miles and by the time you are done you will be in the home stretch. As Mile 14 took me out of “downtown” Wellesley in 6:54 I passed cheering spectators and quaint cafes, almost wishing I had time to stop for a bite!  Mile 15 is mostly gentle uphill so I did it in 7:00. Mile 16 has one of the steepest downhills in the whole race and since it’s followed by the Newton Hills I tried not to kill my quads in 6:51. Finally I entered Newton and part way through Mile 17, the first climb began with the I-95 overpass (probably the least scenic part of the course). At this point, I could feel the heat and had started dumping water on myself at almost every stop. Through the rolling hills of Miles 17, 18, 19, and 20 7:08, 7:17, 7:00, and 7:15. Now it was time for Heartbreak Hill! I’ll be honest, last year I didn’t think Heartbreak Hill was that bad—this year, as I ran Mile 21 in 7:31, I though it may in fact lead to my own heartbreak. Thankfully there were tons of screaming BC students who helped pull me through. Mile 22 is a nice downhill break and I did in 6:48. Now I knew I just had to hold on through the final, relatively flat, miles. I forgot to hit the lap button so Miles 23 and 24 were 13:59 together. I could see the Citgo sign, taunting me! Finally after a short but steep-feeling uphill I past the Citgo sign and ran Mile 25 in 7:22. At this point it was clear that there was no gas left in the tank and the only way I was going to cross the finish line was through sheer willpower. As I passed the 1 Mile to Go sign, I told myself I wasn’t going to stop. I saw a couple other runners start to walk, or alternate between a walk and a shuffle and I knew that no matter what, I was going to keep running (if you can call what I doing running). I dipped under Mass Ave and made the “Right on Hereford” where there were hundreds of screaming onlookers. This was a slight uphill, but since I was staying a block away I knew to expect it. I turned “Left on Boylston” and could see the finish. If I’d had anything left this would have been time for a kick, but I settled for a slower pace down this final downhill stretch. I gave it a little extra umph when I heard people calling my name and crossed the finish in 3:04:37, a new PR by 77 seconds!

What I Learned

I definitely ran a much smarter race in Boston than in New York. I had some fast miles in there, but they were intentional and well thought-out. Ultimately I think it was more the downhills than anything else that got me in the end. Still, I was able to stay roughly on pace through Mile 24, much later than in NYC so I feel like I’m really growing as a runner. Hopefully by Chicago I’ll be ready for my sub-3!!!

Race Report: 2010 New York City Marathon

Thank God (and the government) for Daylight Savings Time! My alarm went off at 4:30 which felt like 5:30. I had everything packed so really all I needed to do was get my usual bagel and PB ready and put on my race-day outfit. I was assigned to a 5:30 bus from Bryant Park so rather than hassle with the subway I opted for a cab—amazingly there was one right in front of my building!*

I got to Bryant Park where the buses were being load like a well-oiled machine and by 5:30 I was off towards Staten Island. We got there sometime around 6:15 and then it was time to play the waiting game. I claimed a spot along the fence so I had something to lean against.

It was freezing even though I was bundled up. I passed the time talking with a woman from Scotland, a guy from Boston, another from NoVa, and one from Florida (he really enjoyed the chilly weather).

At 8:10 it was time to check my bag and bid farewell to my coat and phone. I made my way to the corral (which had port-a-potties too, score!) where there was more waiting and fence leaning. At 8:55 they shut the corral and gradually over the next 30 minutes they move us onto the bridge just past the tollbooths (I’m omitting a lot of the peeing that was going around me during this wait). I was in the blue group which was great because that’s the same group as the elites which means I could see all the speakers, TV cameras, etc. As the time approached, Mary Wittenberg, Mayor Bloomberg, Meb, Deena, and and the Chilean miner all spoke within a stone’s throw of where I was standing. Finally, it was time.

And They're Off!

A cannon shot off and the sounds of Sinatra’s “New York, New York filled the air.” We started slowly up the Verrazano Bridge—the biggest hill of the whole course. I was shooting for a sub-3:05 and my Greg Maclin Pace band had my first mile at 7:44. I was so excited that I did it in 7:24. There were helicopters overhead and beautiful views of the harbor off either side of the bridge. Good-bye Staten Island!

Mile 2 was all downhill to Brooklyn and trying to take advantage of the incline I ran a 6:20 mile, a lot faster than my goal 6:54 time. A nice runner alerted me to a sharp left-then-right so I took advantage of my first tangent as we turned onto 4th Avenue where miles 3 through 8 happen. Brooklyn was out in full force to cheer us on with music, signs, and lots of noise. Thus I did what should have been a 7:00 mile 3 in 6:46! Green runners merged with us around this point, but it didn’t seem to be much of a problem.

Mile 4 I did in 6:48, closer to my goal of 6:54. I was now in familiar territory from my long runs, but it was completely different running with thousands of other people and screaming spectators. I swear I almost had tears of joy.  Mile 5 was practically dead on in 6:51.  And right by mile 6 I saw some of friends from Georgetown which was awesome. They cheered me onto a 6:46 mile (should have been 6:55). I deliberately slowed down as we got closer to downtown Brooklyn. Here the crowds were slightly reduced and I did mile 7 in 6:58 (instead of my paceband 6:51). I knew my mom, stepsister, and aunt were waiting near mile 8 so even with a very sharp turn onto Lafayette, I did a 6:55 for mile 8.

At his point we were in Clinton Hill which has lovely brownstones and is quite different from the 4 to 6 lanes of 4th Ave. The crowds were still out in force which is good because there was a noticeable uphill for a half mile or so. I did this mile 9 in 6:52, 4 seconds ahead of my goal. I was still feeling awesome. We continued generally downhill as we turned onto Bedford and headed towards Williamsburg. There was some good hip hop along this stretch and I did mile 10 fast in 6:50. Once we passed into the Hassidic section, the atmosphere changed noticeable. The Hassidim weren’t happy to see us. There was no cheering, just sober faces and blurs as they rushed across the street between runners. I’d been warned about this, but it was still quite startling. Perhaps this is why I did mile 11 in 7:05, 9 seconds slow.

As we crossed under the Williamsburg Bridge, things livened up—we were now in the hipster part of Williamsburg. The road was extremely narrow, but there were tons of people out and many of them cheered my name as I went by! I did mile 12 in 6:55 as we passed through McCarren Park into Greenpoint. I still felt solid and knew that Queens wasn’t far off. I ran the tangents just as I’d practiced as we turned towards the Pulaski Bridge and mile 13 in 6:53. The bridge was noticeable but not awful and I passed the half in  1:30:23. I really thought I had a chance of breaking 3 (or at least coming close to it).

Queens, Where You Make It or Break It

Hunter’s Point in Long Island City was almost a total blur because all I could think of was the fact that the Queensboro Bridge was coming up. I’ve run this bridge many times before, but in the marathon, it has a reputation for being the make-or-break-you point. Mile 14 I did in 7:00, just 3 seconds slow. I could see the Citibank building ahead (it dominates the LIC skyline) and knew that it marked the turn to the bridge. Just before mile 15, which I did in a slow 7:14, we started onto the bridge. The incline looked as though it stretched on forever and everyone slowed noticeable. There were maybe 8 spectators on the whole bridge and the subways continued to rumble by on the right. Somehow I still did mile 16 in 7:10, 2 seconds fast.

The Island at the Center of the World...and Center of the Race

I stayed to the left as we began the descent into Manhattan and the incline became steeper. Well before we got to 1st Ave you could hear the crowds roaring in excitement. A quick loop and a hairpin turn dumped us onto 1st where the crowds were 6 deep on each side. Although I got a nice boost when I saw Footloose from the Boston forum with his HTFU sign, I did mile 17 in 7:03, which was slow for what should have been the fastest mile of the race according to Maclin. 1st Ave was full of energy but I was not. This is where the race started to become more mental than physical.

I knew my family was waiting at near Mile 19 so that kept me going strong, 14:08 for miles 18 and 19 (I forgot to hit the lap button) which was slow, but still put on pace for a sub-3:05. Seeing my family gave me some extra juice as we headed into the Bronx. I knew if I could hold on until we turned back into Manhattan, I’d be okay.

The Bronx and Harlem

There was far more energy in the Bronx than I expected, but all I could muster was a 7:20 mile 20 and a 7:15 Mile 21. As I entered Harlem, I just kept telling myself that as long as I kept upright, a PR was still a possibility. It helped that none of the spectators wanted to see anyone quit. As I headed down 5th and around Mt Morris Park, the thought of my family up ahead gave me a 7:17 mile 22.

The Final Miles

Now Central Park was in sight. I’ve run this portion of the course so many times that every dip was ingrained in my head; that didn’t matter. There was very little left in my legs. My breathing was fine. My upper body felt great, but there was only lead down below. The infamous 5th Avenue hill (which goes on for nearly a mile) was a case of mind-over-matter. I did mile 23 in 7:23, but was spent. As we entered the park, it was like coming home after a long journey. My law school friends cheered me on just before Mile 24, but all I could give was a 7:43. I managed to take a little advantage on the downhill on the rolling hills of the next mile and did a 7:23, but I barely remember anything about this part except that I took a Gatorade at two waters. We passed Mile 25 into the home stretch. There’s a nice downhill at this point, but I couldn’t appreciate it anymore. I turned onto Central Park South, which looks flat on a normal day, but is actually uphill. Thank God for spectators because I really felt like walking. I counted the Avenues as we approached Columbus Circle and the turn into the park. I passed mile 26 in 7:43 and could hear the finish area. I stayed left (the shortest distance) and felt like I was crawling until I saw I had fewer than 200 meters. Then I gave it all I had, which wasn’t much, and heard the announcer say “DAVID” as I crossed, the final .2 in 1:39, an 8:15 pace! I didn’t care, I had finished, PR’d with a 3:06:14 and had the time of my life. Too bad I had 20+ minutes of walking to the baggage truck.

Race Report: 2010 Boston Marathon

Let me apologize as this is really long and way more info than you probably wanted... but I wrote up yesterday, so if you're are interested here's my recap of my first Boston Marathon experience.

Pre-Race

My alarm went off at 5:15 am. I wanted to get up in plenty of time to make sure I had all my gear (even though I laid it out the night before) and to take a quick shower to loosen up. The family I was staying with was super nice, they drove me and my awesome friend Mariah (aka my moral support) to Boston Common at 6 am. By 6:20 I was loaded on the bus and en route to Hopkinton. I had a nice chat with the guy sitting next to me -- it was his third Boston, but the first he'd qualified for (he did the first two for charity).

We arrived at the Athlete's Village around 7:30 and like a good little marathoner, I hit the port-o-jons before the lines started. After that I had 2 1/2 hours to relax and digest my bagel with peanut butter. I'd hoped to meet up with a friend from the MCM, but she was on a later bus and with my cell phone about to die, I realized it wasn't to be. Checked my baggage around 9:00 and headed to the start line. It was awe-inspiring to be surrounded by so many great runners! Two fighter jets flew overhead to announce the start and we were off--sort of. It took several minutes to actually cross the start. 

The First Half

First off, I used Greg Maclin's customized pace band for the race. I highly recommend him since his bands are customized to the terrain of the course. My goal time was 3:08:30 and I the band predicted a positive split of 42 seconds for the second half.

I had been warned by EVERYONE not to go out too fast---the first mile drops 130 or so feet and you can really kill your quads if you rush it---though the massive crowds keep you from exploding. I clocked Mile 1 at 7:30, 12 seconds faster than my goal pace for that mile. I lost one of the three gels I had pinned to my shorts at this point too! I tried to keep myself in check, but Mile 2 was also fast at 7:10. Turned out okay, though because Mile 3 was slow at 7:09. At this point I couldn't really believe that I was running this race. It was hard to take it all in because it was just so amazing! Mile 4, another downhill mile, took 6:56. I was getting a little nervous about my pacing so I did Mile 5 in 7:20 (9 seconds slow). Miles 6-10 were relatively flat withMile 6 my fastest of the first half at 6:53 and and the others at 7:05, 7:13, 7:07, and 7:13, right around my 7:11 goal average.  Just after mile 7 we passed the famous Hansen Electrical Supply window where runners can "check themselves." Very cool! Of course there were tons of people lined up along the course, handing out oranges, water, and beer... Somewhere in these miles, I lost another gel so I was down to one until since. I shoved it in my arm-warmers so I wouldn't lose it! Mile 11 was almost dead on at 7:10 and at this point a girl told me that she was using me to pace her which I took as a complement. Mile 12 was downhill so things picked up to 7:00. After that, it was on to the famous Wellesley Scream Tunnel!!!! It was amazing seeing that many people out cheering us on! No, I did not kiss any of them---no time to stop---but it was still inspiring. Mile 13 was also almost dead on at 7:04. We continued through the town of Wellesley to tons more screaming spectators and I was 1:33:41 at the half and feeling good!

The Second Half

After the half, all I could think about were the infamous Newton Hills that start around the end of Mile 16. I did not want to run out of gas. I had the first gel and did my best to stay on pace. Mile 14 was slow at 7:09 but I had some time in the bank. Mile 15 was also 4 seconds slow at 7:15, but I refused to worry about that. Mile 16  was faster than the previous two, but still slow at 7:02 instead of 6:55! Now I was really starting to worry that I wouldn't meet my goal time. As the hills began my pace suffered. Miles 17-19 were slow at 7:26, 7:25, and 7:07. I was now getting gatorade at almost every stop, so that may have been part of it, but there was also some doubt creeping into my mind. I realized fighting that feeling was even more important that fighting the hills. Wouldn't you know it? I did Mile 20, the famous Heartbreak Hill, in 7:20, 9 seconds faster than my pace band time. It also helped that people were yelling "Go Dave!" (my name was on my arm) and "Go Georgetown" (I had my G-Town singlet on). Even so, Mile 21 was one of my slowest at 7:28. I knew I was going to finish but "just finishing" isn't really my style. What did I do? I dug down deep! Mile 22 I did in 6:58, 11 seconds faster than goal pace. Mile 23 in 7:11, 6 seconds faster! The area was far more urban by now and crowds were starting to swell here which just upped the excitement. Mile 24 was my fastest of the race at 6:52, 25 seconds faster than goal pace! From here on out you could see the famous Citgo sign and as I past it and Fenway with the hoards of cheering (and probably drunk) Red Soxs fans, I did Mile 25 in 7:07, 10 seconds fast. We passed a sign saying "1 mile to go" and as I looked at my watch I knew that no matter how slow I ran, I was going to run under 3:10 but I tried not to let up. I thought of all the great runners who had run this stretch before me running Mile 26 in 7:12. I really wanted to bring it home for the last 385 yards but I was feeling sluggish. After the first 200 or so meters (which felt like the longest 200 meters of my life) I found whatever I had left and sprinted (as much as a person can "sprint" after 26.1 miles) to the finish in 3:08:02! 28 seconds faster than my goal and a 1:53 PR!  It was the greatest feeling of my life!

Post Race

After a meeting up with my friend and my step-sister, eating a little and drinking a lot (of water, alcohol comes later) it was off to shower. On the train ride home I watched Run for Your Life, the Fred Lebow documentary to get myself psyched for New York in November. God, I love running!