Boston Marathon Race Report

I went into Boston with no expectations; aside from having a good time and enjoying the experience as much as possible. Having just recently recovered from patellar tendonitis in my right knee my training going into race day was well below where I would have liked it to be. That being said, the race went very well and I had an absolute blast.

My parents and I drove to Boston Saturday morning, stopping in Natick along the way to pick up my girlfriend Meghan before going to the expo. Funny aside, two days before the race I learned that her apartment complex is on the race course. Spent Saturday afternoon bumming around the expo getting free gear and spreading the good word about e21 Recovery.

Sunday was spent resting the legs and visiting some old stomping grounds. I lived in Lexington (15 miles outside of Boston) for two years when I was younger so it was nice to visit the town after having been away for ~12 years. Since I was staying in Natick, Meghan and I took a practice run out to Hopkinton to judge how long we needed in the morning. As it turned out we made the trip ~20min faster race morning. Go figure, but better safe than sorry.

5:15AM. Up bright and early on race day. Out of the house at 6:15AM and on the way to the start after a pre-race breakfast of a banana and a PB&J bagel. As I had mentioned earlier we made it to "athletes village" VERY early, I think I was one of the first 5 runners to enter as the buses coming from downtown Boston had not arrived. Meghan took a quick moment to snap a picture of me in the calm before the storm, as race volunteers warned her that her car might be towed at any moment. No worries though, we made it through unscathed.

While I arrived at 6:30AM my wave of the race (wave 1, corral 2) would not be staged until 9:10AM (10:00AM start), so I had a long time to wait. Monkey see, monkey do, so I snagged a spot on the wall of the high school and I am glad I did. The athletes village was situated in the middle of the varsity football field and the wind was blowing at 15mph. Next to the wall I was able to stay relatively warm. While waiting I met a few very cool individuals. Neat experience.

At roughly 9:00AM I started to get prepared to head down to the start line. Let me tell you, taking off my warm pre-race gear (thanks again to xterra) and getting into my race kit was not the most enjoyable experience as it was still cold and windy. With my gear finally in the hands of a volunteer I jogged down to the start line.

The start was broken into three separate waves this year; each broken down into 10 corals. I was lucky enough to be in wave one coral 2, right behind the pros. When I finally made it to my starting area I happened to bump into one of my buddies Anthony Wind. We had run high school cross-country together and actually qualified for Boston at the same race, taking 1st and 2nd in our age group at the Rochester City Marathon. It was great to see him before the race, we even managed to run the first few miles together.

Just prior to race start, they brought out the professional males. It was great, they walked right in front of us! The last one to come through was Ryan Hall and he was PUMPED!!! Jumping around and high-fiving everyone in sight. This happening moments before the start definitely contributed to the high-energy atmosphere.

Moments before the race there were a million things running through my head; how would my knee hold up? Would I be able to race to the level I wanted? And then the gun went off....

I had no expectations. Based on the patellar tendonitis I had been fighting two months prior I would have been happy with running the entire course, no walking, and finishing strong. As we rolled through the first few miles I felt VERY good. The first 7 miles are all down hill and even holding back I was running a very comfortable 6:10min/mile pace. Aside from the ease at which I was running I recall the strange silence that encompassed the first 3-4miles. There were packets of spectators, who were out in force, but otherwise there was just the sound of thousands of shoes striking the pavement.

Ashland: (mile 4)

The first town we ran through was Ashland, and this was the first location that my family had arranged to meet me. Left hand side of the road. Corner of Main Street and RT135. Sure enough I found them easily and slow just enough to smile and say hello. Seeing them definitely fueled my legs. At this point I knew that it was going to be a good day.

As we rolled through Ashland I was still holding a 6:10min/mile pace and feeling strong. More and more spectators had made their way out and the noise of the crowd was definitely increasing. A very cool experience.

Natick with Nerve: (mile 10)

As the race made its way into Natick my legs felt incredible. Still running strong it was hard to believe we were already approaching mile 10. To this point I had taken water and Gatorade at every aide station, and I would continue to do so through to the finish. In addition I was taking salt tablets, one evert 3 to 4 miles, something I forgot in the Rochester Marathon and paid for dearly. Running through Natick town center was quite an experience. There were tons of people out, crowds cheering, bands playing. Made it very difficult to run slow and I came through still holding onto a comfortable 6:10min/mile pace.

Wellesley: (mile 13)

Prior to the race, someone had told me that running past Wellesley College was one of the highlights of the entire race. Man were they right. The ENTIRE college was out cheering at the top of their lungs. No joke the sound made my ears ring and it went on for a solid mile (which I think I covered in 5:30min flat). For me it was definitely one of those moments that stuck with me. Rolling into the town center (and the half way point) my legs were still feeling great. Passed under the 13.1 banner in 1:24 and change, head up, feeling great, scanning the crowd for my people. Again, the power of the crowd was amazing and I found it very hard to run slow as we continued our journey to Boston.

Newton with Grit: (mile 20)

As my legs kept churning I could not help but think what an amazing day I was having. Returning from injury, in the Boston Marathon, running at an amazing pace, and feeling outstanding. As we entered the rolling hills I started to feel the slight pangs of fatigue but one moment of listening to the crowd made all the pain disappear. At I passed through 20miles I was still running a solid 6:10min/mile pace and flying high.

Shortly after mile 20 (and just in time for heart break hill) my legs started to suffer. Thankfully it was not an issue with my knee but rather the lack of pre-race milage finally catching up to me. As my pace steadily dropped I kept my legs turning over as best I could, refusing to walk. With each stride I convinced myself to take another, and another, and another. As I made my way up heartbreak's final climb I was so focused I didnt even notice my family cheering for me on the side of the road until I was nearly past them. I crested the climb and began the descent into Boston, convinced that I would make it to the finish without walking.

Boston with Swagger:

As we made our way into the city a thousands thoughts were flooding my head. The magnitude of the day finally started to settle in and I forced myself to take in the atmosphere. By this point in the race my legs were all but gone (but still refusing to walk), but the crowd kept me moving forward. At one point in Brookline I saw someone holding a sign that read "Don't slow down now, everyone is watching.....seriously EVERYONE is watching". So true, I had to laugh. The long straight descent to the finish was alive with spectators and it helped ease the pain, but the sight of the Citogo sign was something that could not come soon enough.

After having suffer through miles 21-25 at an 8:30+min/mile pace I found the strength to push 7:00min/mile pace as we ran over the final bridge. At this point it became a race again, my body felt the rush of the crowd and I found it difficult to run slow. As we approached the end of the race the course dipped under an overpass and the strange silence of shoes on pavement returned. When we reemerged on the other side the crowd was even loader and I felt a surge as I powered around the last turn. To my dismay the finish line was still a quarter mile away but I relished the final stretch as I reflected on the day and read the Adidas sign that boldly shown "Boston with swagger". I crossed the line in 03:05:34, exhausted, but happy.

As I reflect on how the race unfolded, I really could not have asked for more. Having been injured and racing on minimal training a 3:05 was something to be proud of, considering the exponential increase in course difficulty as compared to the pancake flat Rochester City Marathon. It would have been a dream to stay on pace and run a 2:40-2:50 but all-in-all I was very happy. Best of all my finishing time qualified my for next year (pending I can get a spot). Encore in 2012?

As an aside I have to acknowledge e21 Recovery and their amazing line of recovery supplements. Having used e21 Recovery before, during, and after the race I was AMAZED at how quickly I recovered. I was back to my normal workout routine less than four days after crossing the line in Boston! Looking forward to the continued benefits of racing and training with e21 Recovery!