Boston Strong! Boston was definitely strong; strong winds, strong rain, strong cold, you had to be strong to finish the 2018 version of the Boston Marathon. Not all bad things, Boston was strong in history, strong in character and strong in beauty. The people of Boston are also very strong; they have gone through a lot of shit and come out stronger on the other end.
This was not my first time qualifying for Boston but, it was the first year I actually had the means of going to Boston to run it. I qualified for Boston Marathon at Revel Canyon City with a time of 2:50:01, good enough for a BQ -20.
Boston Wrong: I always said I would run Boston one time and one time only, that is a strong statement that I might have to reassess..
Boston Strong: My training leading up to Boston was really a mix of trail running and speed work, as I am also training for Western States in June. I felt I needed to continue to be "mountain" strong with the added benefit of speed workout for Boston. I got in some great tempo, speed drills and long runs on pavement leading up to the race and was really confident Until...
Boston Wrong: About 3 weeks out, when I was suppose to be at my peak week. I rarely get sick as is, so getting sick for two weeks straight right before Boston really waved my confidence going in. I ended up running the Pacific Half Marathon after the Chesebro Half was cancelled due to rain. I went into the half completely sick; it was a horrible idea and I suffered greatly doing so. I could not catch my breath, I was very pale and ran a horrible time (for me). Instead of a gauge of fitness and a confidence booster it made me sicker and destroyed any confidence I had left going into the race. Boston Strong: I took a step back, worked on recovery and reassessed my goals for Boston, my #1 goal was to have fun, #2 would be to break 3hrs (as opposed to the sub 2:50 I was training for).
Boston Wrong: Friday night red eye flight to Boston, what a horrible idea when you bring a 17 month old lap seated kid along! Needless to say it was a long flight and we did not get much sleep.
Boston Strong: Luckily, after we took an expensive taxi ride to the hotel (another bad idea) they were kind enough to let us check in early and we were able to sleep for a few hours to recharge. I had strategically booked a hotel right next to the T where we were able to conveniently ride into downtown Boston the rest of the trip (good idea).
Boston Strong: The weekend in Boston before the race! We spent Saturday exploring Bostons historical sights, checked out the finish line and met up with some of the awesome folks of Altra, Rabbit and Goodr for a great 3.5 mile shakeout run around Boston. After a great run meeting some of my great Altra Team Red teammates we headed off to the Marathon Expo. The expo was huge, bib pickup was easy and we visited a lot of great booths. Sunday was a relaxing day, we met up with some of Desirae's friends for breakfast, went to The Boston Children's Museum, shopped for needed supplies and had lunch. Boston really is a great city and I would love to come back to explore it some more (preferable in better weather).
Boston Wrong: Getting to the start line = definition of wet hell! Woke up at 3:30AM to eat and change my clothes as I head off the T and grab a coffee at Dunkin Donuts along the way to keep my hands from freezing. Short walk from the T drop off to the bus loading zone where you wait in the first of several lines in the freezing rain, security check line, then bus loading line. Even the bus was cold, I know the bus must have a heater, what the hell? Long (almost an hour) bus ride to the drop off where we walk another half mile to athletes village. Athletes village was horrible, what a shit show, as I destroy my shoes in the mud that surrounds the huge tents. I look for a place to sit down on the muddy frozen ground with thousands of other runners and do everything I can to stay warm and dry to no avail. After what seemed like an eternity I finally decide to use the bathroom before my wave is announced. Another line in the wind and rain (probably 15-20 minutes) get out just in time to slosh through the mud and line up to make the 3/4 mile trek to the starting corrals. After unsuccessfully trying to change into dry socks (they ended up being wet before I could even get them on) I finally shed my layers and shivered waiting for the gun to go off!
Boston Strong: Seeded in Wave 1 Corral 2 I got to start right behind the elites. The start wasn't too bad, a little crowed the first mile or 2 while the crowd sorted itself out and everyone got into the pace. The crowds of spectators lining the course, cheering you on from mile 1-26.2 were amazing. The amount of fit runners were awesome (I am used to running in small packs of runners or by myself) and the "impaired" athletes were inspiring! I had the pleasure of running next to Mike Wardian for 12 miles as he expertly guided his blind runner around puddles and crowds of eager runners. Among the many runner with artificial limbs, blindness and wheelchairs I also got to share a few of the final miles along side of an autistic runner that I follow on Facebook.
Boston Wrong: I know a city cant control the weather, but come on Boston, your weather sucks! The combination of constant downpour, 25 mph headwinds and 30-40F ("real feel" temps in the low 20s) weather made for a nasty concoction of suffering. Despite the many layers of clothing including three layers, a rain shell, knee high compression socks, gloves, hat and two buffs I was miserable the whole race. Once you get wet, which happened as soon as I left my hotel room that morning, it was impossible to stay warm, so I tried my best to stay Boston Strong but my Southern California ass failed.
Boston Strong: What a great historical course to run on. The opening downhill miles made for fast running and the old colonial building along the way made for a beautiful backdrop. The middle miles were rolling and went by quick, the hills in Newton were not bad at all and the energy of the last 3-4 miles are just unmatched.
Boston Wrong: The relentless cold and headwinds finally took its toll around mile 21, right where I should have been able to take advantage of the downhill closing miles, and I struggled to keep a sub 7 min/mile pace. I'm usually pretty good about passing people in the closing miles of a race so it felt horrible getting passed by throngs of runners the last few miles. I wanted so badly to finish fast to get myself and more importantly get Desirae and Zach out of the rain. I searched the sidelines among the deep crowds for my wife and child to get a bump of much needed energy to finish the race but was not able to spot them.
Boston Strong: Despite my fading pace, freezing limbs, hurting legs and horrendous weather I managed to cross the line with a smile on my face and a hit a sub 3 hour goal coming n at 2:56:45.
Boston Wrong: The finishing chute was a triage center, the carnage was crazy! The first thing they do is tell you to keep moving, the wind is now even colder as it hits the sweat all over your body and now that your not running you are not generating body heat. The volunteers then hand you an ice cold water.. really!? because my hands aren't frozen enough? Now try and take my picture, I am definitely stoked that I finished the Boston Marathon but have to force a smile for the camera was tough. I walked another half mile to finally get a medal around my frozen neck when someone finally ask how I am doing, " not good, I am freezing and need to warm up now" I said shivering uncontrollably. They offer me a a ride in a wet wheelchair but I declined as I again ask for a spot to warm up; finally another half mile as I wait in a line to get into a church to warm up. I stay just long enough to stop shivering and promptly leave as all I could think about is my wife and son freezing waiting for me. Disoriented I gather my barrings and walked another 1/4 mile to find the R last name family meeting area.
Boston Strong: A sight for cold eyes! My wife and son waiting to congratulate me! As we duck into hallway to avoid the wind that was tipping my sons stroller over, I exclaimed that all I wanted to do is head back to the hotel and take a hot shower. Hot shower done its time for some good food and beer before we call it a night!
Boston Wrong: The flight home was riddled with fails as we set out 5 AM to the airport, our seat assignment were fudged, baby Z was restless, my legs hurt and the airline misplaced the car seat.
Take away: Despite all the Wrong, it was amazing to be among the Boston STRONG! It was a memorable weekend and I felt privileged and blessed to run such a historic course with the best of the best.
Once again none could be done without the help and support of many people, one person in particular has been my biggest fan, supporter and help. I owe so much to my wife Desirae for loving me despite all the crazy shit I put her through, all the training hours, helping with the kiddos, following me around to cheer me at races and putting up with my bad days, love you! Special thanks to Altra running for all there support and gear, Altra head to toe! Thank you to Walter for all the great advice and thank you to all my running friends who slogged out training miles with me! Yes I will be back (eventually) I feel like I got robbed of a genuine Boston Marathon experience due to the weather, I would love to see what I am capable of in better weather and Boston is a kick ass city! Till then a beer to celebrate and another trail to run...
