2010 BOSTON MARATHON - PART ONE

When I heard it was going to be an incomparable experience, a once in a lifetime kind of day and a motivating journey I never realized how true those phrases would be. The Boston Marathon was one of those awe-inspiring events and I am blessed to have been a part of it.

The Expo

The sports and fitness expo was a zoo, simply put, but a very exciting one. Runners were easily spotted carrying their extra-large neon yellow bags that everyone received when they picked up their bib number. In it was a blue Adidas long sleeve running shirt that had 2010 BOSTON MARATHON in bright yellow down the sleeve, pamphlets, an official race program, bottled water and a 2010 Boston Marathon keychain. Think of an athletic apparel company and it was set up at the expo in Boston that weekend. In addition to apparel, Power Bar, Runner’s World and GU were among the other vendors – plus many, many, many more. It being my first Boston Marathon (and as far as I knew, my only one) I had a list of things I wanted to buy and so I did. On that list was a black track race jacket, the nalgene bottle decorated with the race course, a Boston Marathon t-shirt, a pint glass and finally, a print. I know it’s weird – I bought a print for the race – but it’s something I would think was worth it even if it didn’t have anything to do with the race. 

 Pre-Race

The night before we had reservations at a nice Italian restaurant in Boston's North End, Mother Anna's. I split spaghetti and meatballs and had a couple slices of bread so I could get an ample amount of carbs but not an overload. I set out everything I needed the night before, tried on my running outfit, pinned my number to my shirt and attached my timing chip to my shoe. Then I got to sleep as soon as I could. On race day, I woke up at 5:20am, got dressed and prepped my bags. For breakfast I had a banana with peanut butter and a plain bagel. About an hour before the race I had a quarter of a Power Bar. I hydrated myself thoroughly leading up to the race but did not continue that streak on race morning. At that point, you're as hydrated as you're going to be and let's face it - you don't want to have to go to the bathroom while you're running. I left around 6am to head to our transportation to Athlete's Village.

Athlete’s Village

For those of you who don’t know, runners get transported via bus to the start in Hopkinton and are taken to a large area that is available for participants only. Runners were instructed to arrive in the Boston Commons anywhere from 6am to 7:30am, depending on their start wave, and board one of what seemed to be a never ending line of buses. I waited in line for 30 minutes or so and then got onto a bus and sat next to a guy named Richard Ferguson. Similar to OBX I found my bus-riding buddy to have an interesting story. The last time he’d run Boston was about a decade ago where he placed 13^th overall. He used to be a professional runner, sponsored by Saucony. I absorbed as much advice as I could and after the hour-long bus ride to our destination we wished each other luck and headed into Athlete’s Village.

The village was like a community in itself but of course it has to be to occupy 26,000 or so athletes for multiple hours before the first start. The village offered large tents that appeared very vacant since it was such a nice day (thankfully).  My first sight was a sea of runners either sitting on their bags or blankets, stretching, listening to music or laughing with friends (both old ones and new ones). It was crowded but not overwhelming, and if anything, it was humbling to be with the 26,000 other people who were about to take on the same incredible challenge I was. Bagels, bananas, coffee, water and Power Bars were available under the tents for athletes. The announcer on a large platform didn’t let any more than a couple minutes pass between his announcements, and music blared throughout the morning. The lines for the bathroom were fairly long but it’s not like you had anything else to do but wait. I took some time to listen to the sports psychologist speak but he wasn't preaching anything I didn't already know. The elite women started at 9:30am and wave one, which included the elite men, took off at 10am. Right before the start of the first wave they did a fly-over with three F-150s that flew as low as the treetops that surrounded the village. With about 30 minutes to go until the wave two start time at 10:30am they announced for those runners to make their way to the start. I shed my layers of clothes that kept me warm all morning and brought them to the information tent where they will donate all left behind clothing to the Boys and Girls Club. Then I dropped my bag off at the buses to be taken back to the finish and continued onto the starting line.

Starting Line

The starts were broken into two waves. The first wave consisted of all the elite men and runners with a bib number numbered 1,000 to 13,999. The bib numbers were given in order of qualifying times. I was in wave two, which included bib numbers 14,000 and up. My bib number was 14021 – just nearly making wave two. Fortunately for me that meant I was in the first coral of wave two. Corals were separated by the 1,000s. I was in the front of wave two, which gave me plenty of elbow room to start the race. The town of Hopkinton is small, and it’s apparent that it holds a lot of history. I’ve heard concern with the number of runners and Hopkinton being able to host the volume of people but I think it was executed wonderfully. As far as I know, there weren’t any glitches and maybe it was because of my starting position but I also felt that I had plenty of room, relatively speaking for a race.  Hundreds of people lined the streets with signs and cameras, runners were jumping up and down to get loose and turning on their GPS watches and the sun was shining on a mid-50 degree day. After a prayer and counting down – the gun sounded and we were off.

The Race

The night before the race I bought a roll of hot pink duct tape and stuck a couple strips onto my purple shirt and wrote my name in all caps across my chest. What a great idea. From the minute I set out on the course to the finish on Boylston Street I felt like a celebrity. I don’t think I ran for more than a few minutes without hearing my name softly spoken by a quiet spectator, yelled by a fan (sometimes even accompanied with a fist pump) or chanted by a group of friends. The start is electrifying in large part due to the spectators’ energy. We begin the race on a big downhill and I was quickly passed by what seemed like everyone in my coral. I kept an eye on my time and was sure to not start out too fast because I learned from my first marathon that saving energy is crucial to last and stay strong for the full mileage. My goal is to be faster than 8:23 (Boston qualifying pace) but not any faster than an 8 minute/mile, which is right around my last marathon pace (8:13).

The course was beautiful. Trees and back road scenery lined the first bit of the race. We visited several small towns on our way to Boston and experienced each community in a special way. Small kids reached their hands out to offer up their high-fives and encouragement. I tried to hit as many as I could because I think it made their day and Lord knows it certainly made mine. We passed a biker bar where you were a minority if you didn’t have a plastic cup of beer in your hand, we passed Boston fans with chalkboard score boards with Red Sox updates, screaming college students who probably started just as early as the runners to pre-game and all sorts of other fans of every age.

I saw my parents, my sister and her boyfriend at mile 20. They held signs like true supporters - one with a favorite quote of mine, “Pain is temporary, pride is forever.” That quote is undoubtedly true and especially for a marathon. They said that one got a lot of attention; I think most runners can appreciate the meaning behind it. Marley (my sister) came out and ran for a minute, too. Mile 20 was perfect for them because I had just defeated the first part of the heartbreak hills series and I was just about to battle THE heartbreak hill. They gave me the oomph to conquer it. 

Heartbreak Hills

The Boston Marathon is known for a lot of things but one thing that stands out when talking about the race course is Heartbreak Hills. Surprisingly, these did not get the best of me. Around mile 16 you start on the first of four stair-like hills. Like everyone has said, it's not the incline of the hill it's where they are in the race. Much of the first 16 miles is downhill or flat and when you are faced with a difference in elevation - your muscles go into shock. Then you hit mile 20 and you are faced with the Heartbreak Hill. This is a gradual incline stretching for a little less than a mile. The good part - when you get over it downhill is basically all there is left. Don't let it fool you though - those last five miles are hardly easy. They say your body is equipped to run 20 miles and the last six rely on your nutrition and training to pull you through. This is where you have to start racing and you have to get in a mindset that, well, pain is only temporary. 

Obviously I have a lot to say about the race so I’m going to stop there and finish in part two of my post. Part two will include the finish, my results, post-race and more of my motivation, emotions and mentality. Stay tuned for the rest! Thanks for reading!