The Boston Rundown

Where do I even start? How about I fast forward through the week leading up to Boston where the only running I was doing was to the bathroom every two minutes with who knows what kind of evil, vicious food poisoning or virus. Don't ask me how I always manage to get sick right before big races that I train my heart and soul out for. I swear I didn't jinx myself, even though some of my friends and family probably think I did because I was so scared of getting sick before this race. I was doing everything I could to make sure I was in TIP TOP condition for April 18th, and I COULD. NOT. BELIEVE. IT. when I woke up Sunday morning sicker than sick. My poor mom probably thought someone died when she answered the phone that morning and I was such a blubbering mess I could barely talk. I'll spare you the lovely details of the next four days because lucky for you, my husband's the only one that has to know those details, and lucky for me, he still loves me after knowing those details. :)

Now that I got that out of the way...the rest of the details won't be spared. I waited for this day for too long and worked too hard to forget any of it. Was it perfect? No. But I'll take the good and learn from the bad because run, learn, repeat is what it's all about.

I was so grateful for the prayers and fasting from my family and friends while I was sick. I was also really grateful to get a blessing  from Scott and our neighbor Wednesday night. Then Thursday morning I woke up feeling pretty much normal again. Normal as in not feeling like my head was on a merry-go-round anymore, and like I could eat something without running to the bathroom two  seconds minutes later. Actually, I felt like a million bucks compared to the past four days, and it felt so surreal that we were really, truly boarding the plane to Boston in a few hours! 

The marathon expo to me was like Disney World to a five year old. Picking up that packet felt like Merry Christmas, Happy Birthday, Happy Mother's Day, and Happy Anniversary all rolled together. The look on my face pretty much says it. The Boston marathon expo is a little slice of runner's heaven. I could have stayed there ALL day. Oh wait, we pretty much did. 

 "Boston with determination." This poster sums it up in a nutshell how I came to be standing there. I still can't believe how unbelievably lucky I am, especially after reading so many stories in Runner's World about all the people who qualified, but weren't able to get in. I'm blown away by the sacrifices some people make to qualify and run this race. I would love to read everyone's unique story about how they got there, but it's fun to look around at all the people and wonder too.

After wandering around the expo feasting my eyes on all sorts of running gear, my tummy on all sorts of bars, drinks, and supplements, and my muscles on all sorts of massagers, I came away with a few pretty sweet souvenirs. I loved the pink shirt that said Bos 2011 on the back so much that I wore it on race day! I also got a pair of running tights (which I highly recommend), a hoodie, and a running belt. 

The day before race day was nice and relaxing. We slept in, had a big breakfast, walked around Boston Commons Park and Harvard, and made a yummy dinner of sweet potatoes, green beans, and chicken at my friend Aubrey's house. 

When we got back to our hotel that night I had to try everything on and make sure I was all ready to go by 6:00 a.m. sharp the next morning. I wonder if anyone has ever missed the bus to the Boston marathon? Can you imagine? And I thought not getting the time I wanted was a let down...

All ready to go, and I still can't believe it's actually happening. It's such a weird feeling to look forward to an event for so long with so much leading up to it, and then actually get within hours of that event. Very weird feeling....

This is it! Here we go! I can't think of a good way to describe my feelings on race morning, but I was surprised at how calm I was able to keep myself. I knew I had put in the work, I knew I had done everything I could to be as ready as possible, and I was just excited to enjoy the experience, and see what the results of my training would be. 

I quickly made friends with the girl I stood by in line for the buses. I just love how easy it is to become instant friends with complete strangers just by the mere similarity that you are both crazy enough to want to run 26.2 miles, and pay a pretty penny for it too. She took this picture of me with my cell phone while we were hanging out in athlete's village waiting for our wave to start. 

Before I knew it I was off and running, and these cute faces are what I had to look forward to seeing after 26.2 miles, hopefully the best 26.2 miles of my life. I felt great, and I had high hopes for a big PR. I could tell by my training times that I was in the best shape of my life, and if I didn't get a PR I was going to be shocked. 

When I titled this post "The Boston Rundown", I wasn't kidding was I? If you're still reading this, you're awesome. 

I kept track of my mile splits during the race, and those numbers in and of themselves pretty much tell the story of how it all went down. Here they are:

Mile 1: 7:41

Mile 2: 7:26

Mile 3: 7:34

Mile 4: 7:31

Mile 5: 7:41

Mile 6: 7:23

Mile 7: 7:24

Mile 8: 7:34

Mile 9: 7:40

Mile 10: 7:50

Mile 11: 7:55

Mile 12: 7:44

Mile 13: 7:58

Half Marathon: 1:40

I was feeling good and confident at this point. I was on pace to beat my previous PR of 3:37 by 17 minutes. I knew from the other 8 marathons I've run that the chances of running the second half that fast were slim to none, but with 17 minutes to spare, a PR was still well within reach.  

Mile 14: 7:40

Mile 15: 7:45

Mile 16: 8:32

This is where I started to get a little worried. I wasn't feeling as good as I should be. I'd made the mistake of getting dehydrated before, but I was eating and drinking plenty. I forced myself not to panic, and instead choked down half of a GU. 

Mile 17: 9:06

I knew I was in trouble at this point. I felt weak, and nauseous. It wasn't a buck-up-and-be-tough kind of feeling either. I've run enough races to know when it's a matter of mind over body, and when it's just. not. physically. possible. If you want to know exactly how race day turned out for me, then read this article. It's awesome. I loved it. She's such a good writer, a little blunt at times with a few four letter words, but man I wish I could write like that! 

Mile 18: 11:21

This is when I stopped and walked to call Scott. I knew he was receiving text updates on my time to his phone, and I knew that he knew more than anyone how important this race was to me. He's the only one that knows how much I put in to training for this race right down to every workout, and meal. I didn't want him to worry for the next hour or so that I was going to be devastated because I was falling off pace. I told him that I really wasn't feeling well, that I wasn't going to make my time goal, and that everything was OK.

Mile: 19: 9:07

Mile 20: 10:01

Mile 21: 11:39

One of my favorite memories from the race was during this heart break hill area. I was feeling so sick at this point I didn't know how I was going to make it through the next 5.2 miles. I crouched down on the side of the road to see if I could throw up, or get some relief from the nausea, and in an instant there was a massive group of guys huddled next to me chanting, "RUN, RUN, RUN! You're our hero! You can do it!" 

And that right there is why people will do almost anything to get a chance to run in the Boston marathon. It is truly an experience like no other. 

Mile 22: 10:54

Mile 23: 10:04

Mile 24: 11:35

I called Scott again right here. I'm not a cryer. We've been married almost 4 years, and he can probably name almost all the times he's seen me cry, but man, I was pretty much crying at this point. Not because I didn't get my time goal, and not because my body was in complete and utter misery (although that definitely helped), but because I knew hearing his voice was one of the only things that could make me feel better at that point. Sorry for the cheese, but it's true. It was basically going to take a miracle for me to get through the last 2.2 miles, and wow did that phone call make me realize how blessed I am. 

Mile 25: 11:24

Mile 26.2: Whatever was left over. Forgot to stop my watch in the elation that I was finished!

Final time: 3:52.

Not the 3:20, or at the very least a sub 3:37 that I hoped, dreamed, and trained for, but I finished the Boston marathon, and most importantly, I conquered the voice inside my head that wanted to quit. 

"It's very hard in the beginning to understand that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants you to quit."

Dr. George Sheehan

I knew I gave it all my body had that day when I couldn't even walk to meet Scott and Boston afterwards. It wasn't a matter of my legs being sore, it was a matter of feeling so nauseous, weak, and exhausted that my body didn't even have enough energy to keep itself warm. I couldn't stop shivering. Again. I know. This same thing happened when I ran Boston in 2008. I tried with all my might to make it to Scott, despite a medical staff trying to convince me to get checked out at the medical tent. I did NOT want to go to the medical tent again. That's where I ended up after Boston of 2008, and poor Scott had to wait around for two more hours after already standing in the sun for 4. I tried at least three times to walk to the family meeting area, each time making it about .2 feet. I finally gave in and was wheeled off to the medical tent. Luckily it was a much shorter visit this time around. 

This picture reminds me why I worked so hard to be able to run Boston again. I don't think any other marathon can compare to the support you get from the Boston marathon fans. It is goose-bump awesome.

Some warm, dry clothes, and a shower worked wonders. I can't believe I actually brought a dress and heels to where out to dinner marathon night. What was I thinking? Don't worry, I came to my senses in the shower as I realized I could barely stand on my own two feet. Forget the dress, how about some yoga pants and tennis shoes, and next time I'll remember to bring some flip flops. My toes were so tender it hurt just to put socks on. This is my first meal since breakfast that day. Do I look anxious to eat or what?

That's pretty much the rundown of the Boston Marathon 2011 for me! I'm glad I let everything soak in for a few weeks before writing about it, because I finally feel like I have my head on straight and my thoughts cleared up. I'm not going to lie and say I wasn't disappointed with my time, because as hard as I tried to convince myself that I wasn't, I just plain was. Yes, I felt like I deserved a PR every bit, and it took me a lot longer to get over that fact than I thought it would. For the first week and a half or so after the race I thought the lesson I had learned was simply that life isn't fair, but now I realize that the real lesson I learned was that life is good, but it's not perfect, because that wouldn't be fair. 

If you made it this far leave me a comment because you deserve a medal, or at least some homemade goodies!