Boston Marathon 2018

They're soft times all the same. And I'm not being 'ironic'. Would like to do it but the logistics and cost right now count it out.

Will certainly do it again one day, but not next year. Shame to waste a couple of qualifiers but you're right, they are not that hard to achieve once you've made the first one. Much easier than London and NY GFAs - because there are far more spaces available per age/sex category as this is a qualifier only race (apart from the relatively small number of tourist slots). Will one day return to exorcise the 2016 demons! It really is a terrific atmosphere.

paulers06 - the cut off was 3:23 - ever second counted for you!

purelike wrote: »

Hi, I’ll be doing Boston for the first time this year. Nearly time to start the training cycle. A quick question for all you veterans, what is the course like, and how does it compare to the Dublin Marathon in terms of hilliness? Any tips or advice would be great, thanks!

Assuming I make the start next April will be my 4th Boston. I've done Dublin twice. Boston is a tricky course to get right - I still haven't nailed it. The first time I went over I was thinking they over-egg the chat about the hills but they don't. I do a good bit of mountain running but "hills" in a marathon road race are a different challenge.

Although in Boston you are running a net downhill it's pretty much always rolling so you are either going up or down - there's nowhere really flat.

The steepest downhill sections are probably in the 1st 5k and this can come back to bite you later. At 25k you get thrown down a hill before you meet a series of 4 climbs from 25k to 34k that finishes with the real Heartbreak Hill.

It's then up and down to the finish - mostly down - but every time I've done it my quads were in bits from the early downhill so that I would have preferred flat or uphill!

I'm doing one of the online plans from the BAA website this time that includes specific training for running downhill.

You're in for a treat - my favourite marathon by a long way despite the fact that the course (and weather) have nailed me on previous attempts.

Have a read of this: https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-marathon/2017/04/17/toughest-miles-boston-marathon-course

I think Boston is a much tougher course than Dublin (I haven't run the new Dublin course though - last time was 2012).
The weather (wind direction on a point to point course) can be a big factor too but that's outside our control.

Running on undulating hills should definitely be part of the plan. The plan on the BAA website had hill sessions every 2 weeks that start with 6 x (300 up + 300 down) building up to 6 x (800 up + 800 down). The thing with these though is the down parts are to be done @ marathon pace. They also suggest a number of the long runs (including marathon pace) to be run on rolling hill courses.

Depends on where you are in Dublin but the Sutton side of Howth Hill goes up and down a bit - some of the EOI courses like Lusk and Balbriggan would be good and probably a better match to Boston. There's more options on the south side of Dublin as you get closer to the Dublin mountains but other than being actually on the mountains I'm not familiar with the roads.

All the expert advice says to go easy in the 1st half - easier said than done when you go flying down the hill at the very start and that sets the rhythm! The 2nd half is tougher than the 1st half so it's likely to be slower anyway unless you've taken it too easy. One piece of advice I read is if you are passing people in the 1st half of the race then you are going too fast - this is based on starting in a corral that matches your level which in general is true in Boston.

Wave 1 Corral 5 for me. Couple of sessions left but the long runs are done. Race has kinda crept up on me despite starting the plan early December.

I haven’t got my ‘runners passport’ yet either but you can pick up a copy at the expo if it doesn’t arrive so don’t worry. I didn’t get entry acceptance in the post this time either so it’s possible they’re not sending physical post to Europe - although I’ve got it for all previous years.

Best of luck everybody - stay sound for the next couple of weeks.

purelike wrote: »

I haven’t received my race pack. When should we be expecting that and what is usually in it?

The Runner's Passport. I still haven't received mine. Gives details of expo, start, etc. Basic stuff and you present it when picking up your actual race pack.

But if you don't have it there's a desk at the expo to get a replacement.

There's nothing in it that isn't in the main race pack.

Make sure to bring ID (actual passport) to the expo when collecting your race pack even if you already have the Runner's Passport. You won't get your race pack/bib without ID.

Got my race passport on Friday.

Weather forecast is changing every minute and will up until the race start!
Current forecast suggests we'll miss most of the rain but unfortunately it does look like there will be a stiff easterly wind.
The weather in Boston in April is extremely changeable.

If it is raining then there is cover in the athletes village - just makes it a bit crowded as we're all under cover. In 2015 it was cold and wet and they handed out the foil blankets to everybody.

You'll be walking down to the start from there which takes 15 or 20 mins and then maybe 10 mins in the starting pen standing.

The bus transfers are the best way. We’ll all be under a big tent huddled like penguins in the athletes village so hopefully won’t be that bad. There’s a balancing act between getting there early enough to be in the centre or a later bus but then being stuck on the edges of the tent - I’m gonna head out as normal, maybe one of the later wave 1 buses, and wear lots of disposable layers.
The time actually goes quite quickly out there.

OOnegative wrote: »

Scary number of posts there PaulieYifter........

Think someone hacked my account...

Best of luck tomorrow guys and paulie bring home that sub 3

are they running with or against the wind?

Pretty much into the wind I'd say.