Boston Marathon 15/04/2013

vitani wrote: »

I do think there's a place for photos like that and that it is important to document what happened. But I agree that spreading them around the internet is not the right way to go about it.

The whole thing is like the people posting on Twitter last night, desperate to be one of the first to provide new information and so seizing on every little crumb of info that was coming through and posting it before knowing how accurate it was. Not helped, of course, by the NY Post and the like supplying false information. You get the impression that some people are just revelling in the drama.

Twitter was like a feeding frenzy last night, no better than the news channels showing endless repeats of the same pieces of video.

One of the best weekends turned to one of the worst yesterday afternoon.
Thankfully no one in our party were directly impacted by the events at 3pm and all our thoughts are with those who were involved along with their friends and families. What was surreal at first is now exhausting. Too many thoughts to express.
However, one thing is certain. I will return to this great marathon again.
Whoever did this will not stop us from running.

Mr Slow wrote: »

One down, he got off lightly.

The London Marathon organisers have suggested participants wear a black armband for the race on Sunday, I think it would be a fantastic show of solidarity if everyone managed to do just that.

hope he was guilty....... seem to remember a poor guy getting shot after the tube bombings in london by pumped up, itchy trigger police.

Don't have a training log so hope this race report is ok to put here.

Background

Did my first marathon back in 2004 in Dublin (3:48) but couldn’t walk after it. Only did max distance of half’s between then and two years ago due to keep getting injured. What changed was a more determined focus on core strength and foam rolling. Did Philly marathon in 2011 (3:37) and then Steamtown (or Scranton, BQ race, 3:06:36) in 2012. Boston aim was the magical sub 3.

Training

Training was supposed to be a continuation from the Steamtown marathon back in Oct-2012 but impatience with increasing speed firstly and then mileage set me back twice. Consistent training started first week of January 2013 which consisted of 5 runs a week with at least 1 core session and the odd trip to the pool thrown in.

Mileage started at 35 miles per week and peaked at 49 miles five weeks out from Boston. Increase was very gradual each week due to the lesson learned earlier. The week was roughly structured with a long run on the Sunday, a midweek tempo run and three other 6 mile easy runs thrown in where they could fit. Long runs started off at 12 miles increasing each week by 2 miles until I reached 20. Then alternated between 20 and 16 each week and started introducing MP miles with 14 MP miles the peak. The midweek tempo run started off at 8 miles with 4 miles at tempo pace, increasing very slowly the overall distance and tempo section to 12 miles with a peak of 6 miles at tempo pace. Only ran once faster than tempo pace which was during a 5 mile race in early February.

Taper was far from ideal with a week’s skiing right in the middle of it. I love snowboarding so there was no way I was not going to do it. Managed to get a few runs in, granted at altitude, but legs were always shattered from the boarding so couldn’t do any quality, struggled with 9 min/mile most of the time. Got back from the holiday 7 days before Boston and attempted a 13 mile run. Only lasted 10 miles @ 8:40 pace, legs were exhausted :eek:, not a good taper where I’m supposed to be fresh and trying to hold myself back. Concerned, but still no regrets about getting some sweet turns in powder!:D

Build-up

Got to Boston by train Saturday afternoon and went straight to the Expo. Great Expo, crowds were huge so had to get out of there ASAP but not before buying THE jacket (thankfully convinced to do so by the OH). Sunday, did a 4ish mile run along the Charles River which is a nice place to go for a run. Legs still felt tired but was hard to tell at this stage if it was nerves or still tired from the boarding. Not much I could do about it but rest. Hopped on the T (Boston’s subway/light rail) to scope out the course close to the 17 mile marker where the OH was going to hand off a 330 ml bottle of water with a sports cap. (I just cannot get enough water into me to wash down gels from those damn cups :rolleyes:.) Afterwards, met up with Abhainn, DoryDory, their respective OH and some friends to go on a very witty Duck Tour. Straight to Pasta Party afterwards and managed to get an acceptable early night.

Race Morning

Breakfast consisted of the usual, hard found in Boston, Weetabix, 4 of them on this occasion as it would be 4 hours till race start. Got to the bus location by 6:30am and eventually got on a bus at 7. Hopped on the bus and didn’t speak to anyone, just closed my eyes and visualised the race strategy. Take it easy at the start, don’t be worried about being behind time, cruise the middle, lose time on the hills but make it back in the last downhill section. Simple!:rolleyes: Had an even split pace band with me to keep track if I was on schedule. No GPS watch for me, I’m old skool!:cool:

The athlete’s village was abuzz with runners and blaring tunes. First trip to the porta-loo out of the way and then found where the bag drop was. It was actually quieter there with fewer lines for the porta-loo so just hung out here on a bit of grass in the sun. Changed, porta-loo, bag drop and then walked the mile down to the start line while nibbling a bar of chocolate for some last minute sugar. When I got to the corral it was pretty much empty so jogged up and down all by myself and did some stretches as it slowly filled up. It was a cold enough morning but was warming up now so discarded the garbage bag I had to keep warm. Still had an extra t-shirt.

Miles 1-4

The horn sounded and we were off……slowly. Race clock had 3:15 when I crossed the start line and the support was immediately apparent. A little incline up to my right was packed with cheering supporters and the noise never really quietened down throughout the 26.2 miles. Good lift to the start of the race.

The number of runners all running the same pace as myself felt claustrophobic at times. It was very difficult to move any which way at all and I was constantly looking at the ground to avoid all the feet. Pace felt slow for sub 3 so needed to move around people which was very difficult. Didn’t panic though and kept it casual with the overtaking. Thought it would open up after the first mile but even at 4 miles it was still like this but with a little more room for manoeuvre. Because of all the looking down it was hard to tell if I was going uphill or downhill or to know what pace I was doing. Just focused on my breathing making sure it was never laboured and hoped the pace was good enough at this stage.

Splits: (target 6:52) 7:02, 6:44, 6:44, 6:44.

Turned out alright even with all the overtaking and not knowing if I was going up or down (mostly downhill though in this section). 13 seconds in the bag. Threw away the extra t-shirt around 3 miles.

Miles 5-16

The congestion didn’t really ease up and I was constantly, slowly and conservatively overtaking people. There were a group of three guys in red keeping the same pace so kept an eye on them (one of them a tall with blonde hair so was easy).

The legs should have felt good at this stage after the nervous energy had been flushed out and also be in a sort of cruise mode. This wasn’t happening this time which was a bit of a concern and kept thinking the legs hadn’t fully recovered from the boarding the week before. Nothing I could do about it now, breathing felt controlled and easy so just hoped the legs would hold up.
Took first gel at mile 7 and washed this down with a few sips from the 330ml bottle of water, with a sports cap, that I was carrying. Took others at mile 10 and 13 at which point I threw the bottle of water away with a little still left in it, arms getting too tired from carrying it anymore.

Supporters were great along here and with each town centre we passed through the decibels went even higher. They seemed really genuinely proud that the marathon was passing through their town and came out in huge numbers. There were bands playing and I think along here somewhere were a group of burly bikers revving their bikes making a huge raucous.

Mile 14 saw the Wellesley girls and you could actually hear them a good ¼ mile before seeing them. It was loud. One guy ran the whole length high 5’ing all of them while another kept stopping, giving a kiss and then sprinting ahead to the next one. The decibel levels went even higher when this was going on.

Legs took a turn for the worse at mile 16, the quads were really starting to hurt and they felt a bit like jelly. Meeting the OH and the mental preparation for the Newton hills kept the mind off them.

Splits: 6:54, 6:51, 6:48, 6:47, 6:42, 6:52, 6:54, 6:43, 6:52, 6:48, 6:51, 6:43.

Course is undulating along here but still managed to keep good pace and end it with 48 seconds in the bag.

Mile 17-21

Close to the 17 mile mark is where I planned to meet the OH who was to hand off a second bottle of water. It is also where the T meets part of the course so was expecting some crowds but turned out that there is a cancer hospital here and is also where they decided to hand out the official gels. Loads of people! Luckily we had planned it well and I was able to pick her out no problem for a super smooth handover. Took a gel with the water straightaway as there were hills a coming.

I had in my head that the first of the four Newton hills started just after the 17 mile mark. Turns out from the elevation profile that is was actually before 17 miles. Noticed that I had gone up an incline but it didn’t feel any more of a hill than we had been going through all along. This confusion would later stand to me.

Just after 17 miles we started going up a fairly decent hill which I thought was the first of the Newton hills. This slowed me down a bit and took quite a bit of effort but overtook a good few people going up. As I thought this was the first hill, not the second, I was getting worried about how I’d be able to take on another three of these and knew the final one, Heartbreak Hill, was the toughest. Next hill wasn’t as bad as the previous but the legs were definitely hurting more now. Past the 20 mile mark and with Heartbreak Hill cresting exactly at mile 21 I was expecting two hills within this mile. Was psyching myself up to just plough up these hills, suffer the pain, as once I get to 21 it is all downhill from there. As the incline approached I did just that, head down, arms pumping, overtaking people, breathing laboured, crowds as loud as ever urging everyone up the hill (Boston College is around here). Eventually it levelled off, one down phew, Heartbreak next. Turned a slight corner with a very slight incline and low and behold… the 21 mile marker. Huh! Fantastic!!!:D Didn’t dwell, now the race begins!

Splits: 6:52, 7:05, 6:55, 7:08, 7:23.

Lost over a minute on those hills which left me 17 seconds to make up in order to still get sub 3. No easy task as the quads were a hurting.

Mile 22-26.2

It is supposedly downhill from 21 to the finish so was hoping to easily make back the lost time. With quads hurting going downhill it wasn’t exactly ‘easy’. Took a 5th gel, washed it down with some water and threw away the rest of the bottle. Had a 6th gel but didn’t feel I needed it get to the finish line. This is the business end of the race so didn’t want to be carrying a bottle around either.

Mile 22, pace 6:45, gained back 7 seconds. Uh oh, was working hard, going downhill and I only managed to gain 7 seconds back!!

Mile 23, pace 6:56, arrragh sh**, lost 4 seconds, now 14 seconds behind schedule. Was trying to find people that were running the same pace as me as at this stage, the quads were hurting so much it was hard to tell what pace I was doing. Effort levels were high and the breathing was now heavier but still controlled. The miles around here were along Com Ave and along the T so the crowds were loud keeping everyone going.

Mile 24, pace 6:38, gained 14 seconds, bang on target for sub 3!! Think I got help from a downhill. Could see the Citgo sign in the distance which marks the 1 mile to go. Unfortunately nobody tells you that it is not completely downhill or flat from 21 to the finish. There is still one hill to get up leading up to the Citgo sign. Though it is a nothing hill, when you’re hurting it feels so much more.

Mile 25, pace 6:52, gained nothing, arrragh sh** (again!!), this can’t be happening, that damn hill slowed me down. Race is well and truly on now as I am just on sub 3 by the skin of my teeth but the quads feel like they could collapse at any moment and the rest of the legs are jelly. No way am I slowing down at this stage, no f**king way!!:mad:

An underpass!!!!:eek: A short sharp down and up which nearly cripples the legs. Still managing to overtake people but now the easterly wind was picking up (might have been nothing but at this stage it felt like a gale). Tried to run behind people but they were going too slow. Just had to push as hard as possible, had no idea of pace. Turned the final corner and could see the big blue gantry over the finish line, come on!!

Mile 26, pace 6:36, 16 seconds ahead of sub 3, fantastic, but couldn’t let up now as still needed to cross the finish line. Trying to soak up the atmosphere but was working too hard to notice too much. Nearly in tears at this stage with the pain in the quads. Finally crossed the finish line in a time of 2:59:30. Woohoo,:D however celebration of a sub 3 would have to wait, couldn’t stop to walk as the pain was too great, needed to keep jogging slowly. Went straight through the crowds and hit the end of all the tables where they were giving out the water and Gatorade. Eventually was able to walk and proudly let an elderly lady put the medal around my neck.

Splits: 6:45, 6:56, 6:38, 6:51, 6:36 and 0.2miles @ 6:16 pace. Finish time 2:59:30 (just wanted to put that in there again in case anyone missed it ).

Post-Race

Gingerly walked through the various pit stops picking up food, more fluids and bag. Made my way to the family meeting area where I met the OH and friends. Great to see the OH and got a big hug where I nearly collapsed on her shoulder. She already knew my time from the athlete tracking.

Made our way to a bar to get lunch. Having a great big American style juicy burger with a glass of milk (beer was to be had later) when we discovered the tragic events that were unfolding. We were about 3 blocks away, inside, so didn’t hear anything and didn’t witness the panic that ensued afterwards around the finishing area. First we heard anything was when one of our friends started getting text messages asking was she alright. Then we saw the footage on the TV and were horrified. At first was thinking it was a gas explosion or some other kind of accident. Couldn’t believe someone would actually deliberately bomb the finish line. Texts, calls and Facebook messages quickly took over as we let everyone know we were alright. We left the bar a good bit after to let things settle down. Walked through Boston Common on our way back to the hostel and there wasn’t much difference than you’d expect in a big city except for a few more sirens. There were a few runners and supporters doing the same as us and other non-marathon people just out for a walk through the Common. A bit surreal really as only a few blocks away the place was completely locked down with people fearing of another explosion. Got back to the hostel, where there was no TV, and hung out for a few hours. Eventually decided to meet up with DoryDory, Abhainn and their OHs in a bar where we deservedly had a great night. It was great meeting up with them and way better than sitting in front of a TV being scared by the news reporting. It was a horrific thing to have happened and I’m glad they managed to get one of the guys alive. Hopefully he may be able to give some answers to all the ‘why’ questions people have though I’m not sure there will be much logic to their reasoning. My thoughts are with all the injured survivors who now have their own lifelong marathons to run.

Before the tragic events Boston was a great marathon, great course, great supporters and a great city. I have a feeling it is going to be even greater next year.

Gavlor wrote: »

Good work... Sounds like you really had to dig deep but I have no doubt it's worth it!

Your training is fairly similar to mine ie light in comparison to others, so it's nice to see it can be done!

What's next for you?

Thanks! Chicago marathon has already been signed up for. Definitely aim for 2:55 there.

belcarra wrote: »

His training since January has been about 50% more than his training previously so I personally reckon there's plenty more to come from him if he stays consistent and injury-free, ain't that right Stephen??

True on the run training but I definitely think the 1 or 2 cycles each week last year helped with the aerobic development too. Hopefully there will be more to come, I'll definitely be giving it a go anyway .

belcarra wrote: »

Go grab a few local road-race victories in Philly and come back in Chicago and 2:55 is in the bag... who knows, perhaps we could even be talking about a 2:4x?!?!?

You stirring again??:p

PaulieYifter wrote: »

Very well done. Your race went pretty similar to mine apart from the last couple of miles

I ended up with 3:02:16 which is a 4 min PB.

We must have been very close on the course - might have heard you chatting to the lad with the Irish flag on his back at one stage?

I've picked out a few pieces from your report that resonated with me. Oh - and it felt very hot to me - picked up a nice farmer's tan from the day!

I was about 30 secs behind after the hills - tried to pick up the pace which worked for a mile then got disheartened when my pace dropped again over the next mile despite the fact I felt I was flying and I was genuinely passing buckets of runners. With less than 2 miles to go I realised it wasn't going to happen for me so I soaked up the atmosphere and played to the crowd like a tool for the last mile - I didn't want to risk cramping up just for the sake of 30 seconds. Can't help but think I missed an opportunity but its easy say that now when the agony has passed. In the last mile I was thinking I'm just going to enjoy the Cork Marathon in June but already I'm starting to think of having another crack.

I'm still obviously deeply upset about the events afterwards - an amazing amazing race experience in total contrast to the the horrors afterwards.

Here's my garmin data FWIW: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/299291147

Thanks and well done on your PB too! I think it is a tough course to get one.

I did speak to a guy with an Irish flag. Well, it was more of a 'go Ireland' or something and all I got back in return was a grunt. He looked like he was sufferring and it was only 4 or so miles into it.

Did you by any chance have a white singlet with a red horizontal stripe on the front with some text? Was going to say hi but after been burned by the Irish flag guy I decided against it. Plus it was later in the race and wasn't exactly in the mood for chatting if you know what I mean. I had an orange singlet myself.

Air temp wasn't hot but the sun was beating down making it hot. I came away with a very bright red right shoulder contrasted against very bright white shaded from the singlet! Very cool:cool:

Been able to soak up the atmosphere and still come away with a PB is a great race. Sub 3 will no doubt come in future races.

Larry Brent wrote: »

Great race and report, well done!

How did you find Scranton marathon? Profile looks quite downhill at places, so wondering if it might be good practice for Boston? Thanks.

Thanks! Scranton is very similar profile to Boston, downhill at the start, flat middle and hills near the end. Scranton has a bigger elevation drop at the start so is tougher on the quads, really need to take it easy here was what we were been told by the veterans, so I did. The middle section is probably flatter than Boston so this section I felt more comfortable, Boston seemed like it was undulating a lot more. Scranton then has three hills, just like the Newton hills, with the last one cresting at mile 23. There is also an uphill to the 26 mile mark. These hills are no tougher than Boston but because they come later in the race they are tough. Having been conservative at the start I was able to handle these and then pick up the pace for the last 3 miles overtaking loads of people. Overall i think lessons learned in Scranton could be invaluable for Boston. For me taking it easy on the hills at the start paid off. People were seriously suffering near the end which is what was constantly repeated at the pre-race talks. It's a point to point too so the experience of sitting on a bus for 40 min thinking I've got to run all this way back is good to get out of the system before for Boston.

nerraw1111 wrote: »

Great report duke. Really gripping, my tea has gone cold reading it, wondering if you'd make it. Savage running to make the time back in last few miles.

Thanks!

Boston was my 3rd marathon. It was an unforgettable and surreal day. Read my race report here. Delighted to finish in PB of 2:46. http://dapower.wordpress.com/2013/04/27/boston-marathon-race-report/

claralara wrote: »

Hi all! So hopefully we're all recovered and enjoying some handy running again. I've been thinking that it was a shame we never got to celebrate our achievements in Boston. At the end of the day, we all trained pretty hard in some tough conditions here over the past few months and it was a very tough day out there. Would anyone be up for getting together for some drinks some evening - it would, after all, be very rude not to dissect the actual marathon with fellow anoraks in the aftermath. Just gauging interest - most likely Dublin and a Friday or Saturday night (majority rules I suppose). We can extend the invitation to out fellow Rott & London marathoners. Although, I think the Londoners celebrated enough for the lot of us.
It would be nice to get together to mark the day which was so significant, testing and emotional in more ways than one.
CL

Sounds like a good idea. Would be helpful to understand that course, plan a strategy for next year (subject to planning permission from my better half) and most importantly refresh my memory of The scream tunnel