2010 Boston Marathon

The Boston Marathon was everything I remembered from 2000, but so much more too….

Here’s a quick run down of how things panned out:

Walked to the start corrals with Chaz and Caleb where we agreed to run together and try to hit 10 miles between 1:05 and 1:07. This fitted in nicely with my race plan and sounded quite doable. C&C were both in corral #1 so I positioned myself near the front of corral #2 where I could keep them in sight and gradually catch them up.

Due to a niggly heel issue, my last long run (20 miles) leading up to Boston was three weeks ago and the sharp decrease in mileage had left my legs feeling pretty good and ready to race. The early miles felt great (as they should in any marathon) and it was enjoyable to run alongside C&C. We didn’t chat too much and for the most part it was straight down to business and settle into a good groove.

It was cool to cross the 5K timing mat knowing DailyMilers would be tracking us. The 10K mat seemed to appear in no time at all too. We were bang on pace but already at this early stage in the game I was aware of some heel pain. I think I dropped back a couple of strides a few times, not really struggling but not really feeling like I was flowing either. Chaz with his six sense glanced back to ask if I was okay and of course I replied “Yep, feeling good”.

I also needed a stop to relieve myself. I managed to hold on until the 11 mile mark, but at this stage I was also struggling a bit to stay with C&C and was in need of regrouping and settling into my own groove.

I think the port-a-john break was about 40 seconds, but boy did my bladder feel better! Definitely a wise move to stop. Wish I could say the same for my heel though, as on starting to run again, it felt pretty painful just to run normally. I hobbled through about half a mile and honestly thought about quitting. I’m not proud that the thought entered my head, but it was definitely an option. It was either stop and be taken back to the finish in one of the medical vehicles or run/walk to the finish and probably log my slowest marathon time ever. I even played through my mind that I’d have to sell my 2010 Boston jacket that I’d purchased just two days earlier — no way could I wear it with a DNF or an unBulldog like finish time.

Somehow, however, I managed to find a running gait that worked for me, although I definitely favored the toes of my left foot and the ball of my right. It felt like a fast limp and probably looked quite awkward. The flat sections and inclines on the course turned out to be the most manageable but the downhills were painful and definitely made me slow down.

Crowd support was so much better than I remember in 2000, and really helped me through those middle miles, but once through the crazy noise of Wellesley, I suffered a bit during 16, 17 and 18 (17 was actually my slowest split of the race). I felt strong though, and the momentum of passing people kept me on a bit of a roll. I dug deep, really deep and attempted to pick up the pace.
Somewhere just after Heartbreak the crowds swelled and the enthusiasm seemed to carry me along. I pushed the heel issue to the back of my mind and went for it. Finish line or bust. Runners all around me were struggling now; some hobbling along the side of the road, some stretching their calves and some trying to keep cramps at bay.

Finally the huge Citgo sign came into view and before I knew it were rounding the final couple of bends to the finish with just four tenths of a mile to go. Up ahead I spotted the blue singlet and shorts of Caleb M, but it was too late to catch him and snag a great finish line pic.
I crossed the line in 2:54:26 (the Garmin had died just after mile 24) and congratulated Caleb on a fantastic Boston debut. Chaz was also waiting a little further down the line. He’s finished about a minute ahead of Caleb and was looking good on his race. Good times.

So, overall, I’m really happy with my time — 10 minutes faster than my one and only Boston 10 years ago and my fastest marathon since November 2008. Can’t be bad eh? I’m not looking to use the heel as an excuse. Actually, the pain of mile 11 may have helped me from going too fast in the middle miles and unintentionally allowed me to hold something back for the final 10k. Who knows? It is what it is.

Congrats to C&C for a great couple of race times and for dragging me along for the ride in the early stages of the race. I’m looking forward to seeing the official photos where we were running side by side. Congrats also to all the other DailyMile Boston finishers and to everyone who tracked my splits, sent me messages or were out on the course cheering me on.

Splits:
1 — 6:35
2 — 6:29
3 — 6:43
4 — 6:34
5 — 6:45
6 — 6:42
7 — 6:38
8 — 6:34
9 — 6:32
10 — 6:31
11 — 6:30
12 — 6:32
13 — 6:33
14 — 6:30
15 — 6:37
16 — 6:40
17 — 6:59
18 — 6:47
19 — 6:31
20 — 6:36
21 — 6:54
22 — 6:27
23 — 6:36
24 — ??
25 — ??
26 — ??

5K — 20:33
10K — 20:50
15K — 20:31
20K — 21:03 (pit stop)
25K — 20:19
30K — 21:18
35K — 20:35
40K — 20:34

1st half — 1:27:21
2nd half — 1:27:05