The Training Plan & Prep
The 2009 Boston Marathon was my first time at Boston & my second overall marathon. My first marathon & Boston Qualifier was done at the Charlottesville Marathon in April 2008 (3:04:xx final time). I spent pretty much all of 2008 putting in an average of 40 miles per week running, in addition to 3-4 bike and 2-3 swim session per week. I began my Boston specific prep in mid December 2008. My training plan was to ramp my weekly running to 55 miles per week while also remaining consistent with my cycling (3 weekly sessions) & swimming (2-3 weekly sessions) schedules. My training plan was based on the Pfitzinger 18/55 schedule (outlined in the book Advanced Marathoning by Pfitzinger/Douglas). I modified the base plan to allow me to get the mileage in using 5 running sessions per week (the original Pfitzinger plans are based on 6 days running, with some days of double running sessions and 1 day of x-training). This modification plus my plan to maintain a regular cycling & swimming schedule meant that most of my training runs were longer (average run length for me was around 12 miles) and also less intense than called for in the plan.
I also found that the higher intensity cycling (esp the Saturday morning all-out effort to stick with the fast dudes) impacted my ability to complete all my runs as planned. In particular, I struggled with maintaining enough energy to execute faster tempo runs. In addition, planning necessitated scheduling my weekly long runs on Sunday, often the day after the Saturday long ride. In order to keep with the training schedule and avoid injury, I made some additional changes to my original plan. First was to back off slightly on the Saturday Morning long rides. I decided to let the fast pack go and stuck with the Development group. Second, I eliminated all speed work from my running schedule. After some reflection, I decided that several solid efforts on the bike with higher RPMs as well as decent pool work would translate to the speed I would need for the marathon. I felt it was more important to a successful marathon to maintain the mileage than to worry about doing fast training runs. My early season race times – Colonial Half Marathon, MJ8K seemed to validate this approach as I was able to turn in fast times at those shorter distances.
The final important factor in this training period was my health. In May 2008, I was diagnosed with sub-clinical Hyperthyroidism. While I can think of many things that are much much worse, treatment for this condition (radiation therapy followed by Synthroid medication, for which I am still trying to find the right dose) definitely affected my energy level & thus my training efforts & runs.
Getting to Race Day – Marathon Weekend
We arrived at Logan Airport in Boston on Saturday evening, flying in from Newport News. Logan was buzzing with very fit looking folks, many sporting Boston Marathon apparel from previous years. My cousin Gina met us at the airport. She had kindly allowed us to stay with her while in Boston. We had spent the previous 2 days attending the UVA Student ASCE Student Chapter Concrete Canoe & Steel Bridge Contest. The contest was a blast by the way. I could spend a page just on that, but I’ll save this for another time.
Sunday morning was spent picking up race bibs & stuff at the Expo. Then Gina had invited most of the Boston clan over to her house in the afternoon for a big send off party. The party was a combination Marathon send-off and 60th Birthday for my Uncle Manny. Needless to say, there was ridiculously good food and drinks had for all, including 2 kinds of lasagna, pork & clams (oh so good), 2 cakes and on and on. The temptation to go overboard on the food & booze was overwhelming, but I steeled myself against my more bacchanalian side.
Race Day
The Boston Marathon is unique in many ways. The first of which is the point to point route. The start line is located 26 miles west of Boston in the town of Hopkinton, Mass. The route runs through 7 different towns on the way in to Boston and results in road closings throughout the Boston area. The BAA (Boston Athletic Association) is kind enough to arrange buses for all the runners to ensure that everyone makes it to the start line with minimal hassle. The buses leave from Boston Common between 6 and 7:30 AM to order to have everyone set for a 10 AM race start. As long as you are on the bus, you’ll make it to the start line on time.
So, we get up just before 6 AM and after 2 cups of coffee & a bowl of cereal, we head in to downtown Boston. Getting over to the common was easy & I was on a bus just after 7 AM. Had a great ride up to Hopkinton and met a very interesting group of people – including one charity runner who was doing his first marathon ever! I finally got off the bus in Hopkinton at about 8:30 and headed straight to the line for the port a potty. Waited in this line for a solid hour! At about 9:15, the announcer starts telling everyone in Wave 1 to start heading to the starting corrals. Or course at this point, I’m still looking down a line of about 10 people to use the port a potty and start to freak out! As the minutes go by, I get more and more anxious. 9:30 comes and goes – still waiting. Finally, I decide this may be for the best after all since my bladder will be empty quite close to the start. I also decide it’s time start my warm up routine. So I sit down in the port a potty line and start getting my race gear all set up – fuel belt & GUs, hat, shades, race number all check. Then I go ahead and start stretching out. Now the folks waiting in line think I’m some sort of nut case. Of course they are all in the Wave 2 start, which doesn’t go until 10:30 – plenty of time for them! Finally, I get my turn high tail it out there at about 9:40.
The second challenge of the Boston Marathon, I’ve already alluded to peripherally. You usually have a couple hours to sit around in Hopkinton between the time the buses drop you off and the race start at 10 AM. I was annoyed that I’d managed to spend most of that time in a stupid line for the bathroom, but I guess it kept me busy. The third challenge at Boston is the trip from the athletes village (which is really just a few huge tents at the High School football fields) to the start line about 2/3 of a mile away. So, I drop my warm clothes in my labeled BAA bag on the bus bound for Boston & head off at a slow jog over to the start. The jog served as a brief warm up to shake out the legs after waiting in line so long!
I make it to the start line at about 9:50 – the National Anthem had already finished playing by the time I get there. Good news is I’m there with only a few short minutes before the start, so no time to stand around and get cold again. At this point, the excitement is palpable. I share a couple of nervous words with others around me as the announcers get the crowd pumped. The elites are brought to the line, of course everyone cheers for Ryan Hall, Brian Sell and some of the other American favorites. Then comes the fly-by from a pair of F-14’s – just amazing! They are so low I think I can reach out and touch the one nearest me. I feel the roar of the engines and my adrenaline levels redline.
Now it’s time to rock and roll. One by one I tick off my fears – did I do the right things in training? Do I have the right nutrition and hydration strategies? Did I use up just a little too much energy in the build up over the past couple days to this race? Is my timing chip secure? Do I look cool? Then I let them all go – they don’t matter. What matters is the next 3 hours.
The Race
My qualifying time of 3:04:xx had me in Corral 3 with other runners around the 7 min/mile range. Given my full year of training since then and recent race times (Colonial Half Marathon in 1:22:xx), I had selected a target pace range of 6:30 to 6:40 per mile. My plan was to shoot for 5K splits right around 20 minutes until the hills, between 25K and 35K, manage the hills with an even effort & then bring it home over the final 7K with whatever I had left.
5K - 20:32 (6:37 per mile)
We’re off. The sizeable crowd at Hopkinton lets loose with a rousing cheer and the runners are underway. Within a quarter mile I hear my first boom box playing Eye of the Tiger – this will become a theme throughout the day. I think the entire town of Hopkinton must be here because the road is lined with people right from the start clapping and cheering.
One of the best parts in this early section is the families that line the road cheering on the runners as they head on their way to Boston. As you run along this section, gangs of kids are out, offering their hands out, just looking for a high five. After every slap, you a chorus of “Yes!” and “Mom, did you see that, I got a high five!” Great support for these future marathoners!
I go along with the pack for the first mile – my watch had it about 7 minutes. Too slow. I wanted to be conservative, but this was ridiculous. If I’m going to find my rhythm, it was not going to be with the pack. The first half of the race follows what is essentially a two lane country road. So the early part of the race is highly congested as 26,000 some odd runners head in to Boston. I start to pick it up, but of course in the crowded, narrow course this required endless bobbing and weaving. I’m sure I wasted some energy navigating the crowds through the first 15K of the race. I would say I didn’t get into a good rhythm until the half way point of the race.
10K – 19:58 (6:32 per mile) Total Time: 40:30
I’m still looking to find a decent rhythm in this section. Bob & weave is the theme here. The simplest way to do this is to stick to the left edge of the course & go by runners. But the crowds still require this to be more start-stop than anything. I also notice that my legs don’t feel great. No real problems or anything, but not a smooth and confident as I had hoped.
15K – 20:19 (6:32 per mile) Total Time: 1:00:49
Just before the 15K mark is the only section where the spectator crowds are sparse. We run along Lake Cochituate for about a mile. Midway through this section I finally feel free to run my own unimpeded pace. I’m running along with a good group & we’re finally all going at about the same race. This is the group that – barring disaster – will likely take me the rest of the way. There are a few characters in this group – Dreadlock guy (got lots of cheers from the kids); Captain America (yes, he’s there, and holding up pretty well considering the heavy outfit).
20K – 20:31 (6:34 per mile) Total Time: 1:21:20
Pretty uneventful here. We pass through Natick & get great fan support coming through the center of town.
25K – 20:27 (6:34 per mile) Total Time: 1:41:47
As I pass the 20K mark, I begin to hear a distant rumble emanating from somewhere up ahead. My senses actually don’t notice it right away. I’m more focused on my running stride, my steady even breath. Then the sound starts to invade my consciousness. I notice it first as a steady chorus of voices. I exchange some glances with the runners around me, most have a knowing – dare I say mischievous – smiles on their faces. The voices grow louder with each step. Finally, as I come up a slight rise and bear off to the right I see it – Wellesley College. I had heard of the Wellesley Girls, but experiencing them is another matter. I become convinced I must be running alongside Bruce Springsteen - surely someone famous is out here to cause such as mad frenzy. Of course the famous people are the runners. I watch one runner make a beeline for a young lady holding a “Kiss Me, I’m a Democrat” sign. He claims his smooch and is off with barely a hitch is his stride – I think he practiced that move in training. Yes, god bless the Women of Wellesley!
30K – 20:49 (6:43 per mile) Total Time: 2:02:36
Up to this point, course has been largely downhill – I’ve descended nearly 300 feet over the first 15 miles. I’ve been able to hold a comfortable pace & still feel that my energy reserves are well stocked. As we pass the 25K mile marker, I know it’s time for the Newton Hills. For most runners (and many non-runners), the Newtown Hills are probably the single most studied 6 mile stretch of road anywhere on the planet. Entire books have been written dedicated to the 4 hills that now stand between me and the City of Boston.
What these books might not mention is the near free fall that drops runners down into Newtown Lower Falls, halfway through mile 15. This drop is probably one of the more critical sections of the course, it’s only ½ mile, but the drop is so precipitous, if not handled correctly, your legs are toast. I shorten my stride so as to save the quads and let the more aggressive runners fly by me down the hill – they’ll regret that move later. Then upon reaching the bottom of the hill – it’s right back up the other side to being the start of the first of 4 climbs. Time to go to work.
35K – 21:07 (6:49 per mile) Total Time: 2:23:43
After the 30K point, I’m about half way through the hills, still feeling good, my pace is holding up about as planned. I knew I’d give some time back on the climbs. As I reach the bottom of the famed “Heartbreak Hill”, final significant climb of the day, I see “Go Phil” painted on the road. Smiling, I begin to look around for any familiar faces – I don’t see any, but it doesn’t matter- I’m pumped to see someone cheering on Phil. Hopefully that Phil is having a good race too.
I dig in and run up Heartbreak Hill. Not too bad I think as I come to the crest. Then the wind hits me for the first time. The weather forecast was for very good marathoning weather – low 40’s & partly cloudy. The only concern I had from the start were the forecasted 10-20 mph headwinds. Up to this point in the run, they had not been a factor & I was beginning to think they would not show up. Oops. So much for that. Now I’m cursing myself for not giving proper respect to the ghosts that lurk on Heartbreak – demanding respect & exacting revenge on the disrespectful. All I can do is put my head down & run – so I do.
Coming off Heartbreak, most runners think they have the race made. It’s temping to think – looking at the map it appears to be a simple matter of 5K – mostly downhill. In my experience, that is a mistake. The steep drop off of Heartbreak Hill beats you up almost bad as the drop into Newton Lower Falls. I try to take this drop a little conservatively so as not to totally blow out my quad muscles. This is going to hurt in the morning!
40K – 21:23 (6:54 per mile) Total Time: 2:45:06
2.2K – 9:50 (7:01 per mile) Final Time: 2:54:56
I had passed through 35K pretty much right on plan. I take a moment to build my mental energy for a strong push over the final 7K. Suddenly as I’m beginning to pick up the pace, my lungs seem to stop working. Odd, I suddenly can’t get much air! Not really sure what this is. My chest begins to tighten ever so slightly in what feels to be minor asthmatic symptoms. Funny, never had asthma before, so this is what it’s like, that’s interesting. I slow down a little bit and that seems to do the trick, my breath comes back. So after another minute or so regrouping, I try to accelerate again – the legs are willing, the energy is there, the oxygen is not. OK, let’s regroup one more time.
Over this last 7K, I’m basically pushing the envelope ever so slightly to establish a pace I can run at and not keel over from hypoxia. I consider walking, but I just don’t see it happening. The Boston crowds really take over. At any other race, I might have decided to walk for a minute. Not here. Not in front of thousands for screaming Bostonians – yes I’d say the testosterone took over at this point. Finally coming down Boylston St, the crowds are lined 3,4 or 5 deep in most places. Ain’t no way I’m stopping in front of this crowd! A few people are passing down this final stretch to the finish as they tap whatever reserves they have left. Good for them for finishing strong. I’m giving it what I’ve got – which ain’t much. Finally, it feels good to cross the line waving & smiling – I stop my watch at 2:55:00 – a 9 minute PR, can’t complain about that.
I’ll definitely be back for more!
No comments:
Post a Comment