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FLRC Newsletter - May 2004 |
| Boston | |
And it is a story. I went into Boston with no expectations. I had the long runs and regular speed workouts in but did not have any combination of speedy long runs and I did virtually no training on hills as I have in the past. Once I heard the weather report I had decided that this would not be a race for me but a run with 20000 running partners. Don and I hung out for about an hour and 1/2 in Hopkinton before the race began. We searched for a shady spot because it was hot just sitting in the sun. I was worried. My last longish run was done at the Skunk Cabbage 1/2 marathon and we all know how wonderful the weather was that day, can anyone say SNOWSTORM! There is no way your body can be ready to run long and well in 86 degrees when you've done all of your training at 20 or below.
Once the gun went off It took me over 7 minutes to get to the start but I still managed to run a 7:52 first mile. I remembered something Rick Cleary had once said about start out slow and tapper. That is exactly what I did. I ran slow even though I felt like I could run faster. I knew that I wanted to finish and the early miles can be very deceiving. I carried a water bottle for the first 8 miles but still took a cup of Gatoraid at each aid station. I felt a hot spot on my right foot somewhere around 12. I spent most of the run thinking about sweating and making sure I still was. I looked at the sea of runners ahead of me. It was very cool to see all those bodies. I watched others, followed others and past others. I was a little disappointed in the reception at Wellesley. It was not nearly as impressive as the earlier years or perhaps it was because I was there much later than in the past and they were getting tired by than. I looked for Ann and Eddie but somehow missed them.
The hills did not bother me as much as the heat. My right foot was getting very sore where it had blistered. Running uphill reduced the pain, running down hill made it worse. I stopped at a first Aid tent around 19 to have my blister taken care of. I spent a lot of time running up on my toes on one foot. They said it looked pretty bad but I knew I have had much worse and that I could finish with this.
I saw John Whitman around mile 23. I stopped to say hello. Once I started running again I got a left side stitch. I was feeling miserable and knew no matter how hard I tried at this point I would not finish in a decent time so I said screw this and walked. I walked for all of the 24th mile and most of the 25th. These two miles took my over 27 minutes. My lips were cracked. My tong felt swollen and my mouth was dry. I drank but my stomach felt full. I knew I was no longer absorbing the fluids I was taking in. It was mind over body from here. I figured even if I walked the rest of the way I would be able to finish. Every time I tried to run a little the side stitch would come back. The last mile was a jog / walk. The crowd support for the last few miles was better than Wesley. These people did all they could to help runners finish. They were so encouraging. It was hard to try to block them out.
I crossed the finish line in a jog. Went through the standard motions. All I wanted to do was find Don and Fall into his arms. After I collected my finishers medal I made my way through the crowd toward post race refreshments. There was a case of Ruby Red grapefruit juice on the table. I could not stand the thought of drinking water. I new I found my salvation. I grabbed a bottle. This was just what I needed. My body sucked it in. I felt so much better after drinking it. Maybe We should add grapefruit juice to our aid stations?
This was my 10th Boston Marathon. This was my slowest Boston Marathon. This was my hardest Boston Marathon. This was also my proudest Boston Marathon. I came, I may have not conquered but I finished.
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