Prior to Leaving
The week before I left, I battled a terrible cold. I barely ran and had so much pressure in my chest, I had to get a Z-pack. I gradually started feeling better, and by Monday, I was pretty much back to normal. We left for Boston immediately after work on Friday, but little did I know what my school had in store for me before I left!
Everyone at work is always supportive about my running. They always ask questions and seem legitimately interested in my training. On Friday, I showed up for work, and all the ladies had on green. I was wondering if I missed the memo, and then they told me that they wore green for good luck in my honor! I thought that was so thoughtful. Then, on our morning show, they wished me luck and did all Boston Marathon fun facts. Of course, all the kids in my classes wanted to know about the race, so I spent some time telling them about it. 7th period came around, and four girls (good kids) never showed up for class. My other students told me they were called to the office, so I didn't do anything for awhile. About a half hour into class, I noticed my class staring at the clock and whispering to each other, so I thought something might be up, so I didn't call them on it.
With about 20 minutes left in the day, the principal came in and told my students to drop their pencils, and get out of there. They all ran off, and he told me to come with him. As he walked me downstairs, I noticed that there was noone in any of the classrooms. I told him I was getting very nervous, and he told me I should be. As we walked closer to the downstairs, I started to hear screaming and the band. I then realized that they were doing this for me. I immediately felt my face get red, and I told him that I couldn't go down there. He walked me downstairs to the entire 7th grade cheering for me with signs. The band was playing and everything. The one girl in my homeroom was standing in the middle of the lobby with a microphone and then handed me a framed copy of the Runner's Prayer. I almost lost it, but then she started reading the history of the Boston Marathon so I was able to compose myself. The principal then said some words about how proud they were of me, and gave me some Gatorade. The ladies I work with gave me a gift card to a spa as well! Apparently, the kids in my homeroom came up with this idea, and everyone helped them pull it off. I was and still am so touched and I couldn't believe that they did this for me running a race. I am so lucky to work with such great people and kids.
Boston Trip
We arrived at our hotel around 11 PM on Friday night and immediately went to bed. Saturday morning we woke up and went to the Race Expo. It was crazy! There were so many people and vendors. I bought some merchandise, got my bib and packet, then we left for our duck tour. The weather was terrible. It was cold and rainy, and while I booked the Duck Tour almost a month ago, we really weren't looking forward to it when we saw the weather. Lucky for us, it was covered! It was an enjoyable tour, and we were able to familiarize ourselves with Boston. After the tour, we went to see the finish area, which was pretty neat. We then went back to our hotel to change, and our friend, Kevin, who lives in Boston picked us up. Kevin took us to Downtown Boston and showed us the sights. He then took us to Cambridge to show us Harvard. We went to a great Mexican restaurant and had some great food and margaritas. After dinner, Kevin got us tickets to see Martin Sexton at the House of Blues. It was a great show. For someone I never heard of, he was really good! After the show, Peg and I went back to the hotel, and Aaron went out with Kevin for some guy time.
At the Expo
Finish Line
On Sunday, we took our time getting moving in the morning. We took the T into Boston and walked around Quincy Market. We ate lunch at a cute Irish pub before going to the Red Sox game. Again, the weather was terrible. Fenway was very neat to see, and luckily, our seats were under cover. The Sox lost, but we had a good time at the game. After the game, we met up with Kevin and went to the North End for some Italian food. Our dinner was fabulous! That is such a cute section of Boston. After dinner, we went back to the hotel and I was in bed by 9:30. I actually slept pretty well.
Quincy Market
Fenway
Race Day
I woke up around 5:30 on Monday morning. I got all my stuff together and Aaron walked me to the T. I took the train to downtown Boston and just followed the crowd of runners to Boston Common. The line for the buses was HUGE. I made friends with people I was standing in line with and we finally got our bus around 7:45. The ride to Hopkinton took forver. We were on the bus for about an hour and a half. When we got to the Athlete's Village, I immediately got in line for the Porta Potty. By the time I got out, I only had enough time to get dressed and pin my gels to my shorts. We saw the jets fly over at the start of the first wave which was pretty cool! I immediately went to check my bag, and followed the crowd to the start of Wave 2. It was a .7 mile walk. I felt like we were walking forever. I got to the corrals with 7 minutes to the gun, and I was at corral 27. I was in corral 15, which was closer to the start line. Wave 2 featured corrals 14-27, so mine was towards the front closer to the start. The problem was there were people everywhere. I saw people with lower bibs running across lawns to bypass the crowds, so I followed suit. I got to my corral with about 3 minutes to gun time slightly out of breath. For someone who is always early, this made me flustered. They were really strict about letting people into my corral. You had to show your bib, or you weren't getting in. The nice thing about the corral system is that everyone in my corral had close to the same qualifying time as me. So we were all pretty much the same level runner.
The gun went off, and it took me about 2 minutes to cross the start...not bad! I felt pretty good, but got hot immediately. It pained me, but I threw away my nice pink tech long sleeve shirt. I didn't want to carry it the entire race, so I ditched it around mile 2. At least it will be donated to charity. My corral went out kinda fast, so I hoped I didn't regret it. I'll post my splits later, but it was faster than i anticipated. The crowds were absolutely amazing. There were people the entire course. The first half of the course was pretty easy, some downhill with some slight rollers.
I carried a water bottle (disposable), which held me over til about mile 8 when I took my first gel. Right after I took my gel, my legs started to feel a little heavy. I kept my pace up, but I had a feeling that the race was not going to go well. Everytime I doubted myself, I thought of all the people who were tracking me and I didn't want to disappoint. I tried to slow myself down to around 8:20, but I just kept plugging along the 8:00-8:10 range. When we got to the half, I was around 1:46, which was a half PR for me. This was also the section of Wellesley College. It was awesome. All the girls had signs that read "Kiss me, I'm Polish" or "Kiss me, I'm Italian" or "Kiss me, I'm a Senior." Many of the guys stopped for kisses. I ran though and high fived a bunch of them! I took my second (and last) gel around mile 14.
After the half, I started anticipating the Newton Hills. I wasn't sure when they were coming, but I knew it was soon. I didn't look over the course profile too much before the race because I didn't want to anticipate the hills, but I did anyway, and wished I knew exactly when they were coming. We hit some downhills after the half, so I coasted them. My legs felt tight and heavy, and I worked to keep my pace up. I honestly kept waiting to crash and burn, so I thought if I could bank enough time, I could still have a good overall marathon (which is a terrible racing strategy). I started stopping at almost every water station for Gatorade. I could feel the salt on my face from the sweat which made me nervous about my electrolytes and sodium. I kept thinking about my disasterous NJ Marathon, and didn't want a repeat. I would grab a cup and jump off the course so I didn't get in the way of anyone to chug it down. It didn't take me long at all, and I almost immediately caught up to the people I was running with (not really with, but at the same time). One lady kept trying to talk to me, but I wasn't having it. I wasn't being rude, but I was running a marathon, not making friends!
We reached the Newton hills around Mile 16 and they really sucked. The crowds were great, but they were steeper than I thought. Everyone told me that they were overrated, but I disagree. They are quality hills. By the time Heartbreak Hill came around mile 20.5, I really wanted to cry. It wasn't that Hearbreak was that steep..it was just ANOTHER hill to run up. My legs were dead at that point, but I ran every step. Many people walked, but I refused. After Heartbreak was the Boston College section, which was awesome. Those kids know how to party. They were all hammered, but they were great cheerleaders. One guy pointed right at me and said "15220, You are a champion." That really got me moving! What disappointed me was that they said the course was all downhill after Heartbreak, and that was a lie. There were some rollers. Finally around mile 24, I could see the Citgo sign, which I knew was the mile to go sign. The crowds at this point were absolutely amazing. I wished I could enjoy them more, but it took everything I had to keep moving. I never even took my last gel because I was afraid if I stopped, I would cramp up and not be able to get moving again. I skipped all the water stations too, just so I could get to the finish line quicker. We ran past Fenway, and I finally reached the Citgo sign. I tried to focus on all the people and I kept repeating to myself "If it was easy, everyone would do it." I kept thinking of the send off my school gave me, and it really gave me strength, when I thought I couldn't run another step. I started looking for Aaron, who told me he was by the Hynes Convention Center, near the finish, but I wasn't sure how close that was. Every time we rounded a corner, I was hoping to see the finish only to be disappointed. Finally, we rounded a corner (Boylston St.), I saw the finish and my family at the same time. They were right up in front, and I managed a wave. I kept moving with everything I had towards the finish. I knew I was going to PR, but I wasn't sure by how much. Right at the end, there were two chutes, one for Wave 1 and one for Wave 2, so my finishing pic will have close to the right time! Every clock on the course annoyed me because they all started timing with wave 1, so I had to subtract a half hour...thank goodness for Garmin. At the end, I saw a guy raise his hands, so I tried to do the same. I hope the finishing pic comes out good!
Immediately after finishing, I felt like collapsing. Some people did and were in wheelchairs. For one minute, I thought I was going to pass because I saw stars. I just held on to a railing, and the feeling passed. I immediately started drinking water, and was then given Gatorade. I got my mylar blanket, and started freezing. I was so hot on the course, but as soon as I stopped, I felt the wind. They gave us our medals and a bag of food. The chute was probably a block long. Then I was directed to get my bag. The bus with my bag was the LAST bus. So I had to walk and walk and walk. I got my bag, called Aaron, who told me they were at the family meeting area at the "M." Of course, the M was the LAST Sign. It was around the block. I started to get tears in my eyes because I was so frustrated, and I felt like I couldn't walk another step. One lady must have noticed, because she told me congratulations and that I should be proud of myself. I finally saw the M and Aaron, Peg, and Kevin were all there ready to give me hugs. Aaron got me some flower, and Peg was holding my signs. Aaron helped me put on my Boston Jacket (which I refused to wear until I finished). I thought we were going to have to walk to a T then back to the hotel, but luckily we found a cab.
Overall it was a great experience. I feel such pride knowing that I accomplished this amazing feat. Many people work years to get there, and I feel like I had it easier than most. I managed to PR on a difficult course and couldn't be happer. I am definitely taking some time off from running to let my body heal. This summer, I am going to focus on some shorter distances and hope to love running again. While I wouldn't trade this experience for the world, I am done marathoning for awhile!
Here are my splits from my Garmin:
1 8:04
2 8:02
3 7:58
4 7:47
5 8:09 (I tried to slow down after mile 4)
6 8:01
7 8:03
8 8:08
9 8:09
10 8:09
11 8:14
12 8:01
13 8:08
14 8:02
15 8:12
16 7:56 (downhill before the hills)
17 8:24
18 8:21
19 8:03
20 8:18
21 8:39 (Heartbreak Hill)
22 8:07
23 8:14
24 8:21
25 8:26
26 8:29
.2 3:43 (not totally accurate as Garmin says I ran 26.47 miles)
Overall pace: 8:15
Here are some finishing pics
