We took our time getting packed and ready for the trip home on Tuesday morning. I went out for a short walk and visited with some other runners, who were easily identified by their characteristic hobbling gait and/or marathon-related clothing. We visited with a few more runners at the airport and I sat next to a young (28-30 or so) man on our flight to Washington who had not only run the marathon but had previously completed an Ironman Triathalon. All but one agreed that the hills cost them in one way or the other. Only one woman said that she felt good in the last six miles, the portion after most of the hills had been navigated.
It was back to work today and I spent some time telling the tales from the trip and the run. There are a few who think I'm crazy but another couple who both have the goal of completing a marathon.
The Boston experience - including the fundraising, the training, the trip and the race - will be something that I'll always remember. I'm deeply grateful to all of my friends, relatives, colleagues and former colleagues who supported my fundraising efforts. This wasn't something I was sure I could accomplish but thankfully met and actually exceeded my goal of raising $7000 for the Melanoma Foundation.
Where will my running shoes take me next? That, I can't answer. During the last three miles of the race, I told myself, "never again." But, does never really mean never? I don't know, at least not with respect to running marathons. I'm going to relax for this week, get back on the road next week and see where that road leads me.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
Boston: Day 4
The alarm went off at 5:30 this race-day morning. I got dressed and packed up some post-race clothes and caught the shuttle to the subway along with a number of other runners. A fairly quick ride down to the Boston Common where we all caught school buses to Hopkinton. The organization was fantastic, but I guess after 112 years of practice, the race organizers have this part pretty much down pat.
I had about 2 1/2 hours to kill in the "Athlete's Village" so spent most of it sitting around, drinking Gatorade and eating bagels and bananas. It was a bit chilly when I arrived but by the time the race started, it had warmed up to the 50's.
The race started off well enough. I had hoped and planned to try to run around 10 minute miles for the race, based on my 9 1/2 minute/mile pace for the 3M half-marathon that I ran in January. I kept this pace up for the first 10 miles or so, but given that these miles were comprised of a series of rolling hills, by the time mile 11 or 12 rolled around, I was feeling the effects of those hills and was pretty much certain that the rest of the race was going to be difficult.
The temps warmed up to around 60 with very light winds but unfortunately the breeze, which was cool when it got through to the runners, was blocked by the dense trees along both sides of the course most of the way. With sunny skies, it was definitely warmer than I would have liked.
I managed to struggle along until mile 16 when "Heartbreak Hill" loomed. Actually Heartbreak Hill is a series of four hills over a stretch of four miles, the first and fourth being the most difficult. Well, Heartbreak Hill broke my heart (and a few other things). I really struggled up the fourth section and this pretty much ruined me for the last six miles. Ostensibly the last six miles are "all downhill" but that is not entirely true and even if it were, the ups-and-downs earlier in the race tends to take its toll on the quads so even downhills are no piece of cake.
The last three miles were particularly excruciating. They were mostly flat with crowds long the side of the road cheering but it seemed that they went on and on and on. I found that several Melanoma Foundation team members agreed. The worst part was a small (but it seemed very big) hill followed by a left-hand turn after which the finish line came into view seemingly several miles away (actually it was about 600 meters). Those were the longest 600 meters of my life but eventually I managed to negotiate all 600 of them and finished in 4:52.
That time is, obviously, slower than I had hoped for but given the nature of the course, I really can't be disappointed. I did, after all, receive a finisher's medal.
After having some water, a banana, receiving my medal and retrieving the clothes that I had checked at the start, I managed to hobble the two blocks to Jury's Hotel where the Melanoma Foundation was having a post-race get-together. Connie was already there when I arrived.
Trish, the race coordinator for the Foundation, had found out that the hotel had made some rooms available for runners to shower and change. I had to wait a few minutes for a room to be available, but after showering and changing, I felt several hundred percent better. I then went down to join the group and have something to eat. I visited with several of the other runners and compared notes on the race. It was really a lot of fun and quite an experience. Afterward, Connie and I went back to our hotel and spent the evening relaxing and watching TV.
I had about 2 1/2 hours to kill in the "Athlete's Village" so spent most of it sitting around, drinking Gatorade and eating bagels and bananas. It was a bit chilly when I arrived but by the time the race started, it had warmed up to the 50's.
The race started off well enough. I had hoped and planned to try to run around 10 minute miles for the race, based on my 9 1/2 minute/mile pace for the 3M half-marathon that I ran in January. I kept this pace up for the first 10 miles or so, but given that these miles were comprised of a series of rolling hills, by the time mile 11 or 12 rolled around, I was feeling the effects of those hills and was pretty much certain that the rest of the race was going to be difficult.
The temps warmed up to around 60 with very light winds but unfortunately the breeze, which was cool when it got through to the runners, was blocked by the dense trees along both sides of the course most of the way. With sunny skies, it was definitely warmer than I would have liked.
I managed to struggle along until mile 16 when "Heartbreak Hill" loomed. Actually Heartbreak Hill is a series of four hills over a stretch of four miles, the first and fourth being the most difficult. Well, Heartbreak Hill broke my heart (and a few other things). I really struggled up the fourth section and this pretty much ruined me for the last six miles. Ostensibly the last six miles are "all downhill" but that is not entirely true and even if it were, the ups-and-downs earlier in the race tends to take its toll on the quads so even downhills are no piece of cake.
The last three miles were particularly excruciating. They were mostly flat with crowds long the side of the road cheering but it seemed that they went on and on and on. I found that several Melanoma Foundation team members agreed. The worst part was a small (but it seemed very big) hill followed by a left-hand turn after which the finish line came into view seemingly several miles away (actually it was about 600 meters). Those were the longest 600 meters of my life but eventually I managed to negotiate all 600 of them and finished in 4:52.
That time is, obviously, slower than I had hoped for but given the nature of the course, I really can't be disappointed. I did, after all, receive a finisher's medal.
After having some water, a banana, receiving my medal and retrieving the clothes that I had checked at the start, I managed to hobble the two blocks to Jury's Hotel where the Melanoma Foundation was having a post-race get-together. Connie was already there when I arrived.
Trish, the race coordinator for the Foundation, had found out that the hotel had made some rooms available for runners to shower and change. I had to wait a few minutes for a room to be available, but after showering and changing, I felt several hundred percent better. I then went down to join the group and have something to eat. I visited with several of the other runners and compared notes on the race. It was really a lot of fun and quite an experience. Afterward, Connie and I went back to our hotel and spent the evening relaxing and watching TV.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Boston: Day 3
Today we had planned to go on one of the "Duck" tours of Boston, but found out that they were sold out. Instead, we took the subway to Harvard and went through the Harvard Museum of Natural History. We spent most of the afternoon there and then took the subway back into Boston where we attended the official pre-race pasta dinner. We shared a table with runners from Cleveland, Cincinnati and the Bay Area. It was fun and the food was pretty good too.
After returning to the hotel, I got my things ready for the race tomorrow. Hopefully I won't forget anything. The weather forecast looks pretty good and I'm hoping for a good race.
After returning to the hotel, I got my things ready for the race tomorrow. Hopefully I won't forget anything. The weather forecast looks pretty good and I'm hoping for a good race.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Boston: Day 2
I slept in late this morning - yesterday's 3:30 a.m. wake-up call caught up to me. Our hotel is near Logan Airport on Boston Harbor. I went out and ran along a walking/jogging trail along the harbor and into a nearby neighborhood and back for a total of three miles. There were a number of runners both on the trail and in the hotel fitness center getting in their last miles before the race.
After lunch at the hotel we took the "T" downtown to the Hynes Convention Center where we attended the pre-race expo and I picked up my race number. Afterward we attended a get-together of the Melanoma Foundation team at Clery's Bar and Restaurant. It was nice to put a face to the names of the team members.
Trish, the race coordinator for the Melanoma Foundation had given us passes to attend the "Mayor's reception" for race organizers and other dignitaries so after appetizers at Legal Seafoods in Copley Plaza, we attended the reception at the Fairmont hotel. We had some food and drinks and then after a couple of relatively short speeches and a couple of video presentations about past men's and women's Boston Marathon winners, we headed back to our hotel.
The weather forecast remains favorable for race day.
After lunch at the hotel we took the "T" downtown to the Hynes Convention Center where we attended the pre-race expo and I picked up my race number. Afterward we attended a get-together of the Melanoma Foundation team at Clery's Bar and Restaurant. It was nice to put a face to the names of the team members.
Trish, the race coordinator for the Melanoma Foundation had given us passes to attend the "Mayor's reception" for race organizers and other dignitaries so after appetizers at Legal Seafoods in Copley Plaza, we attended the reception at the Fairmont hotel. We had some food and drinks and then after a couple of relatively short speeches and a couple of video presentations about past men's and women's Boston Marathon winners, we headed back to our hotel.
The weather forecast remains favorable for race day.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Boston: Day 1
We woke to the alarm at 3:30 this morning. Not the time I would normally choose, but the time required to get to the airport, run the gauntlet of airport security and still get to the departure gate on time for a 6:05 a.m. flight. Our flights to Chicago and then to Boston were pretty close to on time and uneventful. We managed to get a little sleep but how well do most people sleep on airplanes anyway?
After our arrival in Boston and after retrieving our luggage, we caught a shuttle to the Hyatt Harborside Hotel and arrived around 3:15. There are apparently a number of other runners staying at the hotel and the staff seems excited about Marathon Weekend.
The weather in Boston was wonderful for the tourists but would have been a little warm for runners. It looks like it will be cooler on Monday.
We got somewhat settled in and then took a hotel shuttle to the "T" and took the train downtown. We walked around and saw some of the sights for a while and then worked our way to the "North End" where we had dinner at an Italian restaurant called Bocco. The food was great albeit a bit on the expensive side.
We were both tired so took the T back to the hotel where we watched some TV and then called it a night.
After our arrival in Boston and after retrieving our luggage, we caught a shuttle to the Hyatt Harborside Hotel and arrived around 3:15. There are apparently a number of other runners staying at the hotel and the staff seems excited about Marathon Weekend.
The weather in Boston was wonderful for the tourists but would have been a little warm for runners. It looks like it will be cooler on Monday.
We got somewhat settled in and then took a hotel shuttle to the "T" and took the train downtown. We walked around and saw some of the sights for a while and then worked our way to the "North End" where we had dinner at an Italian restaurant called Bocco. The food was great albeit a bit on the expensive side.
We were both tired so took the T back to the hotel where we watched some TV and then called it a night.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
The end is in sight
I had a good week of running this week. This was undoubtedly due to the fact that race day is now in sight and the mileage is less. I had a fabulous trip around the seven mile loop at Lady Bird Lake this morning in beautiful conditions - upper 40s, light breeze. All that remains on the training front are three milers on Tuesday and Thursday plus another three miler Saturday in Boston. I'll probably do that on the hotel treadmill.
The only preparation left to do is to eat properly this week - I'll start emphasizing carbohydrates - and to make sure I've got the proper clothing for the race day weather. As with all weather reports it seems, the forecast for the 21st is uncertain as of this writing. One website calls for 68 and sunny while another predicts 55 and partly cloudy. Fortunately, so far at least, there is no rain in the forecast. But I'm sure that too could change.
I will be hopefully be posting daily updates from Boston starting Friday evening, April 18.
The only preparation left to do is to eat properly this week - I'll start emphasizing carbohydrates - and to make sure I've got the proper clothing for the race day weather. As with all weather reports it seems, the forecast for the 21st is uncertain as of this writing. One website calls for 68 and sunny while another predicts 55 and partly cloudy. Fortunately, so far at least, there is no rain in the forecast. But I'm sure that too could change.
I will be hopefully be posting daily updates from Boston starting Friday evening, April 18.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Tapering
Today was the official start of the pre-race tapering period. I went downtown to Lady Bird Lake and ran 12 miles in pretty good weather conditions. A lot of runners look forward to this phase of the training for the simple reason that the weekly mileage decreases but others become anxious. nervous, etc. fearing that the reduced training will result in a loss of conditioning. My concern isn't so much about the loss of conditioning but whether I have enough conditioning to begin with!
The longest run left on my training schedule is a pedestrian six miler next Sunday. In between are just three and four mile runs.
The accuweather.com website shows forecasts 15 days in advance. That means that I can now start looking at the race day forecast for Boston and fretting over it. Will it be hot? Cold? Rainy? Only time will tell.
The longest run left on my training schedule is a pedestrian six miler next Sunday. In between are just three and four mile runs.
The accuweather.com website shows forecasts 15 days in advance. That means that I can now start looking at the race day forecast for Boston and fretting over it. Will it be hot? Cold? Rainy? Only time will tell.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)