Boston 2007 (last one... I promise)

I studied the course map and elevation prior to the race and I had a plan. The first sixteen miles are down hill. The first four miles drop from about 515 feet above sea level to under 200 feet above sea level. The next ten miles are a gradual decline. Miles fourteen to sixteen are another significant drop. The next five miles are a series of four up hills ending with Heartbreak Hill. The race ends with five miles down hill, going from over 200 feet elevation down to sea level at the finish.

Like most runners, I prefer to run down hill. I used to joke to my cross country teams about down hills, telling them that even 'a dead guy can run down hill'.

My plan was to go out a little fast and use the down hills. Get to mile sixteen, gut out the hills, then coast down the last five. I would love to know how many idiots, like me, thought this plan would work. What's the saying about the best laid plans? This strategy most definitely did not work for me.

I started out at about 7:10 per mile pace. I probably would have been stupid enough to go even faster, but I couldn't separate myself from the other runners. There were just too many people. Most of the race there were at least a few runners close enough to reach out and touch. Looking back, being boxed in probably helped me.

The first half of the race goes through towns called Hopkinton, Ashland, Farmingham, and Natick. Not much sticks out in my mind about these towns. They were all small New England towns with well-kept homes and a lot of charm. I guess I was more focused on the run than I thought if I don't remember much.

The weather had taken a turn. Just as the race began, the rain stopped. It was now just cloudy and damp. I think it had actually warmed up a little and I was worried that I had overdressed. There was still quite a bit of wind, but it could have been a lot worse. Most people that have talked to me about the race have remarked about how difficult the conditions must have been. I would like to blame the weather, but I don't think it was that bad.

The second half of the race was much more memorable for me. Just before mile thirteen we ran past Wellesley College. Wellesley is small women's college with an enrollment of about 2300 students. It's most famous alum is probably Hillary Clinton. A large number of the students line the street and cheer on the runners. You can hear the high-pitched cheers from about a half mile away. Many of the young ladies were holding signs asking for a kiss from the runners. Several guys running near me stopped and and planted a quick one on one of the waiting young ladies. I did not.

At this point my quads were starting to really bother me. The extended down hill running was taking it's toll. It worried me that my legs were starting to hurt so early in the race. I got to the fourteen mile point and saw another down hill approaching. Each step was getting more and more painful. At the bottom of that hill I remember thinking how glad I would be to see the up hills. I don't like running up hill, but at least it would be something different.

Mile sixteen took me into Newton, another small town. It was here that I saw Kathleen. She and Sally were screaming for me on the side of the street. I took a few seconds and went over to see them. Brennan slept. It was good to see familiar faces.

The series of four up hills was at this part of the race. A friend who has run Boston in the past advised me not to look ahead. He said for me to concentrate on the shoes of the person in front of me. I tried this and it seemed to help. Basically, the theory is to focus on one step at a time, not the entire hill. I got through the first hill fine and was actually feeling a little better. I crested the hill and welcomed the flat stretch that led to the second hill. The second hill wasn't too bad. I think it was relatively short. The third hill was the worst. It seemed to go on forever. It was here where I walked for the first time and the realization that I wasn't going to re-qualify set in. I walked/ran the rest of that hill and ran all of the recovery distance that led to Heartbreak Hill.

I was determined to run all of Heartbreak and got almost all the way up. I was really struggling and a spectator tried to help. "You only have one more minute of running until the top", he told me. I thought I would make it. Wrong. I walked the last 200 yards of Heartbreak. The rest of the race was down hill.

I caught a bit of a second wind at mile twenty one. At this point I was running through Boston College. The young students were out in large numbers. They were rowdy and their energy really helped.

I got to mile twenty three and I was done. I started to alternate walking and running. I made deals with myself. I would find a landmark ahead of me and I would tell myself that if I ran to that point then I could walk for a minute. I would then start running again, find another landmark, and repeat the whole thing.

I reminded myself that the race I was most concerned about was the Pig. Boston was just a training run, so I didn't care that I walked. I took some time to take in the surroundings. I watched the spectators. I high-fived little kids. The pressure I put on myself to re-qualify had lifted and even as sore as I was, the last few miles were enjoyable.

I hobbled into downtown Boston. The huge Citgo sign was approaching and so was the finish line. I mustered up the strength to run the last half mile and was satisfied to finish in 3:29:58. My goal was to break 3:30 and I did by two seconds.

Kathleen and Brennan were waiting for me at the finish along with Jay and Sally. Jay finished in 3:13, so he re-qualified. I gave Kathleen and Brennan a hug and I limped off the course.

It's been nine days since Boston and I've recovered. It's time to put my focus back on the Pig. My Boston experience was great and I hope to qualify again at this year's Pig. I will definitely go back if I do.

Thank you for your patience with the length of this blog. I have been told that I drug my experience in Boston out a bit and that I should have condensed it to just one. Maybe I should have. But here's the thing, this was a once-in-a-lifetime thing for me. As I have said, I hope to qualify and run it again. One thing's for sure, I will never run it as a first timer again.

On to the Pig!