On Saturday, I headed to the race expo around noon together with a friend from my running group who was running the race as well. To be honest, I have a hard time getting excited about race expos anymore. I feel like I have seen most of the gear before. But it was interesting to try the new, savory Clif "gels". I could imagine using the pizza margherita flavor on future long runs.
Packet pickup was fast, and they let you check the chip on a chip reader to make sure there are no mix-ups. Something I definitely appreciated!
After the expo, we headed out for a short (2-mile) shake-out run. The weather was so beautiful, cool and sunny. I could have run much longer, but I knew that would not have been a smart idea one day before a marathon. Also, by that point I was starting to get really hungry, all I had had to eat so far was one banana and a couple of grapes. I usually never skip breakfast, and I was supposed to be carb-loading!
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| Ready or not - it's on! |
On race day morning, I was not sure if I was ready to tackle the marathon. I knew I hadn't gotten enough sleep the two nights before and was feeling really tired. I was also nervous about running in the cold, not being used to that kind of weather anymore. We headed to the start with plenty of time to use the port-a-potties, do a quick warm-up, and drop off the gear check bag. I was wearing arm warmers, a throw away sweatshirt, and a heat blanket from a previous race to stay warm. From the beginning, everything seemed really well organized, and the atmosphere reminded me more of a party than of a race. I could feel that I was starting to get excited, and the music they were playing at the start made me want to dance.
Miles 1-6
Before the start of the race I introduced myself to the 3:35 pacer, asked him about his race strategy. I told him that I was planning to stick to his pacing group for at least the first couple of miles. I knew that I would have to be a few minutes below the official 3:35 qualifying time to actually get into Boston, but I was afraid that without a pacer I would start to fast, only to crash later in the race.During the first mile, a guy started talking to me. He told me how excited he was about running the marathon, and that this was the best thing ever. He was having so much fun. It was his first marathon, but he didn't seem to have a single doubt that it would be awesome. Now I wish I still remembered his bib number, I wonder how the rest of the race went for him.
After two miles, I decided to drop my arm warmers. They were cheap, so I don't regret having them for the start of the race, but 45 degrees felt so much warmer than I thought it would. I was glad to be running in shorts and tank top.
The pacer started out a little bit too fast, I think. With the exception of the first mile, which was a little bit slower due to the crowded start, all miles I ran with the group were under 8 min/mile. Goal pace for a 3:35 finish would be 8:11. Since I was actually shooting for a time closer to 3:30, I was fine with it. But another girl running with us seemed less happy about it, and asked me if her watch was off. We started talking for a little bit, and I found out that that was her 22nd marathon (including three Boston Marathons), and her 5th Twin Cities. Impressive!
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| Not sure what mile this is, but enjoying myself. |
Miles 7-13
Miles 7-13 were my fastest miles of the race. After mile 6 I decided to leave the pacer. I was feeling strong, and I was worried that if I stayed with the pacer for too long, I might not be able to make up enough time to actually get into Boston. I knew it was risky to speed up that early, but while I did slow down towards the end of the race, I don't regret this decision. Not running with the pace group meant that the course was a lot less crowded and I was able to pay more attention to the gorgeous neighborhoods and nature we were running through.Miles 14-17
I remember thinking at the halfway point: I should not feel this tired this early in the race. I was still feeling strong, but I was already starting to feel my legs getting tired. I slowed down just a little bit to avoid bonking later on. I remember really enjoying the crowd support during this part of the course. There seemed to be plenty of spectators over all of the 26.2 miles, many of them cheering on runners or bringing their own music boxes to the course. I was wearing my No Meat Athlete shirt, but because the "athlete" was covered by my bib, people were just cheering for "no meat". Hilarious. |
| Still able to smile! |
Miles 18-25
Miles 18-20 were where I was really starting to feel it. The uphill miles 21-23 were very gradual, but my legs were heavy and I just wanted to be done, or at least take a walking break. I was so glad that starting from mile 21, there were water stops every mile. I just kept telling myself: Only one more mile until the next water stop. You can walk for 20 seconds then. This was also the part of the race where I started doing mental math. I figured out that I could slow down as much as 30 seconds per mile and would still be able to finish under 3:30. If I started to walk, however, who knew when I would make it. So I just kept going. I questioned my sanity (why do I keep doing this to myself?!) several times during this part of the course.
Mile 26-26.2
I was surprised to still be able to speed up for a finish sprint. My garmin recorded I a pace of 7:26 for the last 0.4 miles! I raised my arms to celebrate achieving (and surpassing!) my goal, but was also really relieved that it was finally over. |
| At the finish line. |
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| My official race results. |
I liked that the race shirts were only for finishers. It is also nice to have a long sleeve shirt, although I probably won't have too many opportunities to wear it here in Austin. I didn't like, however, that it was white. It seems like it is almost transparent and will get dirty very quickly...
Overall, it was definitely one of the best races I have ever done. Very well organized, perfect weather, beautiful course (they don't call it the most beautiful city marathon for nothing), lots of spectators, and most importantly, a great atmosphere! If you have any doubts whether this is the right marathon for you, I highly recommend it!
Congrats, Helen!
ReplyDeleteGreat post Helen.
ReplyDelete