Boston '09

113th Boston Marathon, April 20, 2009

Official Results
Checkpoints - Time - 5K Splits
5k - 0:24:33 - 24:33
10k - 0:48:53 - 24:20
15k - 1:13:00 - 24:07
20k - 1:36:51 - 24:07
Half - 1:42:05 - 23:51
25k - 2:00:51 - 24:00
30k - 2:25:48 - 24:57
35k - 2:51:47 - 25:59
40k - 3:18:53 - 27:06
Finish
Pace - 0:08:02
Official Time - 3:30:38
Overall - 7469
Gender - 6196
Division -3105

Prelude to Boston ‘09:
2008 was a year marked by the 3:37 – not that it’s a bad thing, just strange. I ran Boston, Vermont City (Burlington) and Philadelphia all within 25 seconds of each other. The consistency may sound impressive but honestly, each race was run in a completely different fashion (not by design), with different paces and circumstances leading up to it. I was able to maintain my weight throughout the year so it came down to maintaining health and mileage. I suffered a calf injury just before Boston ’08 and finished feeling like I had a lot left in the tank so I was pretty disappointed (although happy with a new PR). I turned around and ran Burlington a month later and ran out of gas late race as I was still recovering from Boston. I had a calf injury 2 months before Philadelphia and missed a lot of peak mileage so my endurance faded as that race wore on.
This winter I was able to run consistently with sporadic breaks to deal with bouts of illness – food poisoning, intestinal flu, fever, etc. It’s great having a kid in day care. I did have to sacrifice some mileage compared to last year – no fault there, just that family time is priority #1. So overall, my fitness was good but I wasn’t sure if I’d have the same endurance as last year as my overall mileage was down 10-20%.
Sunday before the race is usually spent relaxing but this year it was a pretty busy day. I had to hit the expo because I wasn’t able to get there on Saturday – time and traffic – and then head to Hopkinton to stay at The Respite Center for the night (amongst, errands, child care, etc). I was really looking forward to an earplug assisted solid night of sleep.
I coughed down my chicken & vegetable whole wheat pasta stir fry (including a healthy dose of artichoke hearts) prior to hitting the hay.
Contrary to a lot of other Boston runners, I have the luxury of being able to sleep in at my charity and woke up at a relaxing 7:45AM. The rumble of the buses rolling into Hopkinton was droning along as I made my banana pancakes & maple syrup. The downstairs was starting to fill with runners and way too much nervous energy so I headed back upstairs and chilled out w/some other long time Respite Center runners. After showering at 9:30, gearing up, we were out the door – Rod, Missy, Andrea (sistergoldenhair) & me. I was psyched to see missy & to meet Andrea – I’m glad they took advantage of the hospitality. We split up coming down to the start as Missy & Andrea had to work their way up towards the front corrals. Pretty soon the lines were dropped, the crowd huddled closer to the start and we were off.
The start conditions were overcast in the mid to upper 40’s with a light head wind - completely manageable – really nice.

Mile 1: 8:14 - Typical starting situation w/the crowd but I’m noticing that it’s slightly less congested than previous years. I had room to run, but was still weaving, surging and slowing. All I could think of was it must be nice to qualify and have room to run right out of the gate. I took the opportunity pass along a compliment to two hot chicks wearing team Canada colors (if they didn’t want comments, they wouldn’t have worn what they were wearing – they chuckled). Wow.
Mile 2: 7:46 - Still crowded and finding consistent running lanes is tough. I was working harder to run this pace than I should have been but was pleasantly surprised when I looked at my watch to find I ran a sub-8. Do I continue to push my pace hoping to even out?
Mile 3: 7:46 (15:29) - Forgot to hit my watch. There was some jackass from Canada literally telling people he was coming on the left, then elbowing others and apologizing. What an ass. A perfectly formed snowball to the back of the head would have been perfect for that dinkus. (I think I dropped him around mile 4-5)
Mile 4: 7:45 - When I hit my lap button I surprised w/my pace although not disappointed. I replayed last year’s race in my head and the feeling of (slight) disappointment that I felt when I had fuel in my tank after crossing the finish line. I figured if I didn’t push my pace now and run faster than I probably should, I’d never know what I can do. So I sold myself on running a bit quicker knowing that if I crashed at mile 16 or 20, I had good reason for it.
Mile 5 : 7:51 - Just clicking off gobs of people and the crowds are thinning (by Boston standards) – I’m passing more than I’m being passed which was pretty standard for the day. I’m feeling okay but not light-footed. Typically by this time in a race I’m feeling loose and fluid. Today, my legs are heavy and I’m feeling ridiculously sluggish. Just couldn’t help but thinking that there was no way I was going to hold pace for any length of time.
Mile 6: 7:48 – Coming through the train station I chatted w/a Lance Armstrong wannabe (after he encouraged the pink tu-tu guy). He was wearing more equipment than I think I had ever seen – fuel belt, pacer band, iPod, garmin, HRM, laptop, antenna, kitchen sink and I’m sure I’m missing some items. Kripes, I do all I can to shave weight, not carry any more than I need. My legs get enough of a pounding from what I naturally carry around. He must have been 200#+ too.
Mile 7: 7:49 (15:37 with mile 6) - A forgettable mile. So I forgot what was going on here.
Mile 8: 7:47 (avg) (watch read 8:20 but I hit it late) – Forgot to hit my watch again but I did see my buddy Murph and gave him a high-five. The wind is picking up a little bit but nothing too strong – just slightly annoying.
Mile 9: 7:46 – (7:13 for the shortened mile 8) – Cruising along the reservoir in Natick I heard a spectator announce “It’s Boston Billy”. I had just passed him and his small contingency and hadn’t noticed. He graciously smiled, waved and kept on his way. Some woman behind me made some comment so I slowed my pace and offered her a high-five for passing a marathon champion. Gave her a chuckle and I was on my way. I was hoping my 15K photos caught my little short hiking but they’re not doing it justice.
Mile 10: 7:36 – This is where the Respite Center crew usually is – hanging at the church and good for a little moral boost. Although most of them had left for the finish area so they could see the other front runners. Still good for a photo op though. I’m feeling okay, strong but still working harder than I had expected to maintain the pace.
Mile 11: 7:39 – Yeah, I definitely wasn’t paying attention to the course right now. The scenery was just too good so my pace stayed a little quick. I’m finding that I’m rubber necking – maybe a little too much so I have to haul my attention span in and focus on what I’m doing.
Mile 12: 7:44 – Coming into Wellesley College – and man, were they loud!
Mile 13: 7:48 (avg) – (actually it ready 8:32 – I was late hitting my watch so I hit it a @ the ½) – Hit watch at the ½ so I knew I was keeping an okay pace (1:42:05 – I’ll take that!). I got a little sugar at Wellesley. I debated acting on some not-so-sage advice I received earlier in the day but considering the Craig’s list garbage that has been going on around here lately, I took a taste, not a handful or mouthful. Just a kiss on the cheek to someone who looked like she needed it.
Mile 14: 7:48 (avg) – (7:04 for the 0.9 mile) – Saw my cousin’s wife and her mom – good for a little family boost. The crowd through downtown Wellesley was pretty thick but I was really dialing in on how I was feeling and keeping focused to pay much attention.
Mile 15: 7:27 – This is the big downhill before the first hill and I worked on keeping my knees high and landing on my forefoot – hoping to rejuvenate my legs and get some spring in them. I started to feel my hammy biting and grabbing and my quads twitching a little – they had better stay with me. The pre-cramp sensations have started so I began to block things out and work on bending the pain to my purpose. I was thankful for the uphills to concentrate on something else.
Here’s the brain game that was going on…But damn, look at those t*ts! No, don’t look at those t*ts – stay focused!
Mile 16: 7:44 – Over the highway and past the Newton Wellesley Hospital – I felt good going up the hill, chalked up some more road kill and kept my knees pumping high.
Mile 17: 8:09 (avg) – Forgot to hit my watch but I did manage to grab a few extra power gels…just in case. What’s this non-caffeinated crap?!?
Mile 18: 8:09 (avg) – I hit my watch after the 2nd hill. Nice…an 8:09 average. And it felt as though I had slowed significantly. This is good, really good news. I’m surprising myself at being able to hold an aggressive pace, working but not really out of breath and I’m still able to maintain my form and speed after the apex.
Mile 19: 8:08 – This is the 3rd and shortest hill but it’s starting to pile up. I’m happy with my time.
Mile 20: 8:12 – The flat before Heartbreak – I’m scanning around to see if I’m going to have another encounter with Tom Brady. Happy with my pace though.
Mile 21: 8:47 – Yeah, Heartbreak took a bite out of me – my pace slowed pretty significantly but I’m still running and moving forward. BC is nuts & really loud…this is great. Again, I’m honing in on my legs – they’re really starting to ache and get cranky. I’m altering my stride and not over-striding as that seems to make my left hamstring grab. I’m running with a pack of 4 or 5 women for parts of the course until I continued to run the tangents and they stayed on the outside corner.
Mile 22: 8:05 – Coming around the hill into Cleveland Circle I heard a huge crash to my left. Some guy on his bike took a huge digger on the tracks that run along with the road. I didn’t stick around but he was moving after he hit the deck. Running tangents is getting tough because the spectators are crowding in and looking for high 5’s and such.
Mile 23: 8:39 – I know Moe is around here somewhere but no chance in finding her. I hate this part of the race – I guess I just associate it with pain…and I’m really feeling it. My legs are on the verge of a lockdown – something I want to avoid. I just did the quick math in my head and realized not only do I have a PR in my sights but a possible 3:30. I’m bypassing the water stops now – the pavement is getting slippery and people aren’t paying much attention and weaving way too much for my comfort.
Mile 24: 8:57 – I had to stop & stretch real quick at a dead spot at 23.5 +/– just after the water stop. Just a quick hamstring stretch. It’s amazing how many people can stream by in 15 seconds. After hitting my watch at mile 24 I’m happy to see a sub-9 despite stopping for a few seconds. I know there’s still some fuel in the tank – vapors count too!
Mile 25: 8:41 – I almost got knocked on my ass from some dude high 5’ing me. Enough of that crap. Legs are locking up and I’m really grinding but keeping my form, raising my knees when I can and focusing on moving forward. I’m not looking forward to the underpass (under Mass Ave) but manage to keep running down and then up. Nice…the final turn. I saw Svinland, one of my fraternity brothers – perfectly timed for a quick boost.
Mile 26.2: 8:43 avg (10:27) – I didn’t see the mile 26 marker although I know where it is. I’m pounding this out and gazing down Boylston. It looks soooo far to the finish so I look down, watch the pavement pass under me until I’m at the grandstand. The folks from the Respite Center are gathered at the far end of the stands and give me a standing cheer & ovation as I pass through and cross the line.
Look at that watch…3:30:41 (I started it early and stopped it late).
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Officially, it’s a 3:30:48 – qualifying if I were 5 years older. A 6:37 minute PR and I’m happy, very happy.

Now that I have had some time to reflect I am still very happy with my time. Although I’m not entirely satisfied. I guess that’s a good place to be. I know I was struggling early in the race and shouldn’t have been. My fitness was there but things just didn’t click early on. So I’m still thirsting for more time to come off of my PR and I think it can.
I found myself toying with thoughts of qualifying while driving to work the other day. Stupid? I’m not sure. But it’s pretty aggressive.
We’ll see what happens. I still need to let the lactic acid trickle out of my legs.
Race Photos are here: www.marathonfoto.com. 2009 Boston, 22666, sweet is all you need