The Boston Marathon!!!
I remember back in high school, while playing on the tennis court, I would see the cross country kids start off on their long run and always thought "those guys are crazy!" "why would anyone like running like that?"
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| Airport photo as Patrick was fixing the camera (it was still on timer mode) |
Oh how times have changed! hahaha Now, after years of dreading the final leg of triathlons, I have finally found a love for running! And somehow, with the amazing support of my coach, training partners and unconditional love from my husband, I qualified for Boston.
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| Saturday morning in Boston - right after a red eye flight - super sleepy yet excited! |
Last year, I was in so much shock that I qualified that I told myself that I just wanted to enjoy this race. Its Boston! I made it and just want to take it in. It was also my way of lowering my expectations of myself. But as training began this year, I found myself really embracing the training and built up confidence.
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| Super stoked to be at the expo!!! |
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| Official swag! |
The 2 week taper before Boston was truly the toughest part. I never really followed a taper plan before, I used to have taper week and just did nothing! Guess thats not really a taper, thats a drop off of training :) I was worried that if I worked out too hard or too much that my legs wouldn't feel loose for the race. But, fortunately, I had my coach telling me to get off my butt and do my workouts. I followed my training plan as close as I could, did an easy 2 miler the day before with my hubby and by Marathon Monday, my legs felt great! Its just worrisome thinking about the amount of fitness I was potentially losing from those 2 weeks - thankfully, my body loved the break and I felt fantastic for the race!
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| Just hanging with Elite runner, Amy Hastings. Just a normal day ;) |
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| New fave: Desi Linden! 4th Place @ Boston 2015 (and fastest American woman), 2nd @ Boston 2011! |
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| Autographs!!! |
Days leading up to the race, well lets be honest - it was months, I was tracking the weather patterns in Boston. Everyone warned that the weather in Boston is unpredictable! The weather just kept changing! Even the week of the race! Accuweather was saying that the rain would be days before the marathon... then the day after... and on April 19th, it was saying rain on Monday, April 20 starting at 11am. Well, thats just 35 minutes after my wave start time :/
Leading up to the race, I changed my mindset. If it was going to rain, I decided that I just wanted to go out there and enjoy it. Its Boston, I might as well soak it all up!
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Race outfit & Post-Race Outfit - Oofos Sandals are AMAZING!
(also thin socks and aquaphor = no blisters!) |
I had about 3-4 hours of sleep, so I was exhausted! Nerves kept me up! I ended up listening to some meditation that calmed me down and I was knocked out.
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| 4:30am! I can't believe the hubsters let me wake him up this early! |
Morning came, I downed a bowl of oatmeal, a bit of coffee and loaded up the car with my husband. He dropped me off about a quarter of a mile away from the bus loading area (that was as far as the police would allow cars to go) and in a last minute decision, I threw on my super cute new vest. I was too cold and the rain was just getting to me. I knew that I needed it. And if it was too warm, my husband said I could leave it with him at mile 17.
I got to the bus loading area and found my friend, Diane. She is an amazing runner and I have been in awe of her abilities for the last year that I've known her! It was so great starting the race with her! She gave me so many tips, which in the end helped me out so much! I know the most helpful part was actually doing the race with her!
The bus loading was so organized and quick! They were diligent about all safety precautions but they made the search extremely efficient. The bus ride was great! It was nice to just sit and talk. I am sure if Diane wasn't with me, it would have been so much more nerve-wrecking! The others around me were super nice as well. We all were slowly trying to embrace the cold and imminent rain.
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| Me and Diane in our ponchos and layers as we entered the Athletes Village |
Once at the Athletes Village in Hopkinton, we got to business quick, PORTOPOTTIES! errr port-o-johns as the east folk call em. Its a really calmer to know that you dealt with that business ahead of time so you dont have to worry about any stoppage during the race. Unfortunately, it was not the time! So instead, I grabbed a cup of coffee and found a nice spot on the ground to relax before our wave was called. The ground was so cold that Diane and I foraged for some leftover scraps from the first wave of runners who had just left the tents. We scored big with a cardboard box and 2 mylar blankets! With such items, we created a makeshift bed :) It was much warmer than sitting directly on the floor. We bundled ourselves up like 2 burritos and tried to think warm thoughts until we had to get up and go. This whole situation could have easily been super nerve-wrecking but again, having a friend to experience this with help TREMENDOUSLY!
Once it was our time to go, we made one last potty break, and this time it was a success and I felt ready to go! (sorry, TMI!). Diane made sure that I didn't get too ahead of myself during the warm up. She reminded me that the start was still a quarter of a mile away. There were folks running to the start line but she said that it was not necessary. And she was right! We got to our corral start, chatted with some of the other runners and in no time we were off! The start was a complete blur. It seemed to just go by so quickly! The crowds were there cheering us all on and I smiled as a tear fell. I was really there!
The first 5k was mainly downhill. Diane told me to try to keep a high cadence and short strides. We held back our time knowing that this was a tricky course. Many people go out really fast during the first 10k because of the downhills but they pay for it once they hit Heartbreak Hill at mile 21. The rain was definitely coming in and I was feeling chilly. Diane even kept her plastic poncho on for at least 6 miles!
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| Wet and cold wont stop us! #BostonStrong |
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| Vest was my last minute purchase... but I must say it completes the ensemble :) |
I don't know how but this race just seemed to go by really fast! I was amazed that the mile markers were popping up so soon. It may have been the fact that the crowds were out, even though the weather was dreary. They made each mile seem easy! It was funny how at mile 12 or so, a woman told her friend "enjoy the quiet calm now cause once we hit Wellsey College, its going to be loud all the way to the end!" And boy was she right!
One tip that really helped me out was the placement of my family. I knew that my husband, mother and father in law, brother in law and his girlfriend would be somewhere at mile 17. And knowing that, it pushed me through those middle miles where I could have easily slowed down. Having them there at that point in the race helped me push through. It makes the course seem shorter since I had my own landmarks to get to. I also knew that once I saw them, I only had 9 miles to go!
Once I hit mile 17, I was searching for them. There were so many people! It was so hard! I ran on the right side, hoping that they would be visible or at least they would see me coming. With all of those people running in the same pack as me and with the rain coming down, I knew it was going to be difficult. Fortunately they saw me (Kerry spotted my super bright orange vest!) but i was going a bit too fast that I just passed them and just jumped for joy that I saw them! I wish I had thought to stop and give my husband a hug but when I am running, I am a rocket not a rocket scientist :)Anyways, seeing my family there was so exhilarating! I was pumped for miles after that!
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| Do you know anyone that looks this happy during a race? :) |
Another tip: Know where they hand out GUs. I knew they were handing them out around mile 17, so I made sure to have the 2 Honey Stinger gels that I packed at mile 12 and 16. This went well with how I practiced in my own training. When I found the Cliff Bar Gel station, I took one and kept it in my hand for a good mile or two. I didn't want to put it in my back pocket because my hands were frozen. At mile 16, when I tried to pull out my last honey stinger, I almost couldn't get it because my hands were immobile. So once I got this GU, i just held it until I felt I needed it. By mile 20, I knew Heartbreak Hill was approaching so I tried to rip open the Gel with my teeth but the handle broke off. I tried the other side and the rest of the tab fell off. So, No Gel :( No use in getting worried though. They had gatorade every mile, so I just utilized those. One sip of gatorade at every other aid station was good enough for me, especially with the cold weather we had.
Heartbreak Hill came. I was cold but I was feeling strong. I love running up hills so I felt good pushing a bit. I lost Diane here but I knew that she was a strong runner and was likely right behind. I wanted to just focus on my stride going up this hill. People were cheering all along the climb and it felt amazing! I got to a man holding a sign saying "top of Heartbreak Hill" and I was so confused... that was it? that was not much of a hill! Compared to the hills I've been training on in San Francisco and Marin, Heartbreak Hill was a breeze! That boosted my confidence (as well as confusion) and I knew I basically had just 5 miles left! I had researched the elevation chart before the race and knew last 5 miles looked basically down hill. There were some rollers here and there but I knew, I was in a good place.
Last year, at mile 22 I bonked. I just told myself that I needed to just make it through. I was stopping to walk every half mile and was dreading each step. I feared this was going to happen again at this race! You just don't know how your body will react after 22 miles. Fortunately, my body felt amazing! I wanted to run my heart out but the fear of reaching that bonking point kept me at a smarter pace. I am still learning about my body and how much I can push it. I wanted to make sure to finish the race and i just didn't want to be stuck on the side lines by pushing too hard these last couple miles.
As I checked out my watch, I saw that I actually had a chance at winning the bet I had with my coach. I had a 10 minute handicap. And if he was having a rough day and I was feeling great, I could actually win! Well, that must have gotten me to have a jolt of energy because with 3 miles left, I picked up my pace and was feeling my strongest of the entire race! I ran past the amazing crowd. I ran past boys running without their t-shirts. I just ran! I even got to run past Team Hoyt in the second to last mile. Their journey inspires me and really pushed me to the end! I turned onto Boylston Street and could see the finish line. I was running really well but I looked to my left and the crowd was roaring! I couldn't believe how amazing this could feel. I wanted to run in but I also wanted to soak in that moment. I took a breath of that incredible feeling then ran into the finish line! I finished with a time of 3:19:33! I PR'd by 8 minutes! I don't know why or how my body held up like that! But I am realizing now that last years time was not a fluke (I was really worried about that). I had the most unbelievable support for this marathon. My training friends, my coach, my friends (especially at the high school), my family, and my husband kept me going this entire training season. Everyone believed in me, which really helped when I would be down on myself and worried about my own abilities. I have the most amazing people around me and they really help me better myself every day! The course was fantastic! My entire Boston experience was phenomenal! And I can't wait to can come back!
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| This actually happened! |
I was SOOOOO HAPPY at this point! The cold hadn't set in just yet!
Oh, and one last thing: After the race, the cold really started to set in! It was cold during the race but once I stopped moving, I was unbelievably cold! I was soaked by the rain, my body temperature dropped quickly and the mylar blankets they gave us kept getting blown up from the wind. It was a miserable walk to the family meeting area. We literally looked like zombies roaming through the streets trying to find our way out. People kept saying congratulations and I could only say thank you as I gave a chattering smile. My body was shivering so uncontrollably! Thankfully, right after I exited the runners gates, my husband found me! He rushed over so fast!!! (They were at mile 17 and rushed to the finish line for me!!!) I was so excited to see him and wanted to tell him all about my race but I was also so eager to change my clothes! He had all of my layers ready and I just changed right there in the street (under my mylar blanket of course). My fingers were not functioning, so Patrick had to help me put my clothes on (while also making sure I didn't flash anyone - but by that point, who really cares?!). Once I had my layers on, my wet shoes off and my head covered I was set! After about 10 minutes, I felt fantastic again! Soon after, we hopped on the train and rode down to where our cars were located. The trains even let the runners ride for free!!! The city of Boston really made me (and all my fellow runners) feel like celebrities for a weekend! One of the most incredible experiences of my life :)
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Shout out to my mother and father in law, brother in law and Kerry for making this trip so calm and supportive!
Such a wonderful time in New England! |
The Montani Family in Boston! I got to crack my first lobster on Sunday! And I am pretty sure that lobster made me stronger! :)
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| Post race eating with my love! |
