Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Race Recap: The Boston Marathon

Yesterday I was one of the lucky people who ran the 115th Boston Marathon.  In less than 6 months I have run two of the most prestigious marathons- New York and Boston and I couldn't be more thankful.  It wasn't easy and it wasn't always fun, but with the support of my close friends and family, I was able to finish the grueling race in 4:26:25 only two minutes off my PR. As most of you know I got the number late and I wasn't training for a spring marathon.  Truthfully, I was only training for a National Half Marathon PR (which I did).  I ran several 10-13 milers in training but only two legit Boston marathon training runs- one 16 miler and one 20 miler.  Two weeks ago I was supposed to run another long run, but was so sick. So in hindsight, I should be pretty proud at what I was able to accomplish but I wish it felt easier.
The day didn't start that early unlike NY.  Corey informed me that we could take buses from Hopkinton State Park.  The park is only about 12 minutes from my house so I didn't even leave the house until 8am. It was genius to take that bus.  Thanks Corey!! I had a wonderful time hanging out with Corey before the start.  She is one of the most calming people I know so it was fun to spend time together before the race. (I'd show you the pics of us hanging out and athete's village but those pics are on my camera that are lost in my race bag- more on that later...) However once they called Wave 3 to leave Athlete's Village, I started to get a bit frantic. I couldn't find my bus before the start and I actually never did find it.  I ended up handing off my bag to a volunteer who said he would get it to my bus.  After that fiasco, I didn't get to my corral until 10:40 which was my start time.

The beginning of the race was fine but I felt hot RIGHT away. Right away I thought I was overdressed.  I also started drinking gatorade almost immediately.  I knew the areas we were running the first part of the race REALLY well. Which should have helped me, but I felt almost bored.  Hopkinton was quick.  Framingham is kinda ugly and dirty. (I hope no one takes offense to that- parts of Framingham are gorg, just not what we ran through).  Luckily even though I wasn't feeling the best, my friend Kristen jumped in with me at 6.5.  I told her right away I felt off.  We took some walking breaks, I told her I wanted to drop out, wanted to quit. Kristen ran MCM a few years ago and went out too hard and ended up being in a negative place early in the race so she felt my pain.  But she reminded me that I would regret dropping out and that 15 minutes after stopping I would want to jump back in.  So I powered through.  I was definitely worried how awful I was feeling so early in the race.
I ran into my mom around Mile 8 and handed off my gloves.  In Natick Center at mile 10, I saw Dave.  He snapped some great pics and I gave him a kiss and went on my merry way.  I was still SO hot.  The sun was beaming over my head. I was wondering where the wind was because I didn't feel it. 
Through Natick Center I saw more of my high school friends including Stef and Nancy and seeing them made me so happy.  Kristen was supposed to drop off around there but she didn't want to leave me until I had someone else- she was seriously worried I would drop out.  Yes, that is how bad I was feeling! When you know the course as well as I do it can be a curse because I COULD easily get home. (Luckily I didn't drop out!) I ran through Wellesley and hit the halfway point.  I came through the half at 2:05.  My goal was to come through at 2 hours but at my mental state I was proud I was still running.  All goal times went out the window and I was just trying to concentrate on finishing.  Once I came through the half, I was finally able to start counting down miles.  Just before Mile 15 at Marathon Sports in Wellesley, I saw my best friend Courtney and said goodbye to Kristen.  
Awesome sign made by Court!
Courtney chatted my face off and made me forget I had just run so many miles.  I started to feel better and more positive and I LOVED the enormous downhill on route 16.  Then we had some rolling hills getting to Comm Ave.  At Mile 17 I saw my brother in the crowd and he jumped in and joined us.  Having two of the most important people in my life running next to me made me so happy.  Together we tackled the first Newton hill and had fun together.  Around Mile 18, Courtney turned around as Mike and I carried on.  I was definitely struggling on the hills but I was looking forward to the downhills.  Right before Heartbreak at Mile 20 I saw my favorite On-the-Run-Girls and they quickly threw down their posters and jumped in with us. 
 Lauren and Becky told me they wanted to run me home on Saturday and I was SO excited.  I absolutely had an entourage running with me and it was a blast.  Those last six miles were some of the most fun miles I've ever run.

LOVE THIS PIC of you Becky!
My brother, who ran with me even though he was sick, jumped out of the race around mile 23 near his apartment and Lauren, Becky and I carried on.  I cannot thank the girls enough for being there for me.  I remember I kept asking them if they were going to be dissappointed in me if I didn't  PR.  Ridiculous I know.  Once we turned onto Hereford, the girls jumped off course and I tried my best to sprint to the finish.
I was just so happy to cross that line. 4:26.  I ran my first marathon in 4:28. Second in 4:24 and third in 4:26.  Hey, at least I'm consistent.  I saw my friend Stef at the finish and I remember telling her that was it.  No more marathons for me.  Like Sammi Sweatheart, "I'm done." (Mike that's for you!)  I'm not sure I believe that today, but I need a break from the marathon.  I'm not sure we're good for each other. But I'm so unbelievably happy I got to experience this race.  Although I never felt great, I was so proud of myself.

After the race I met back up with Becky and Lauren.  My bag had gone missing so I was lucky they had extra clothes to share with me!  We then headed out of Copley Square towards the Park and met up with Mom-on-the-run who snapped this pic.
 It was smart thinking to leave the area because we were able to get right into Fajitas and Ritas - one of my fav Mexican places near my office.  First piece of business- Mango Magheritas!  Cheers to my 3rd marathon in less than a year!
 And a bit later, Dave came and met us in the city to drive us home. Being just a mile away from the finish worked out perfectly- Dave was able to drive AND park on the street and we hit no traffic getting out of Boston : )
 Dave snapped this picture when we got home.  Can you tell how burnt I am?  My face is so RED and I'm also rocking a sweet Farmer's Tan but only on my right side.
 Words cannot explain how privileged I feel to have run this race.  I know many people dream about it and it was an incredible experience.  Thank you all for your support.  Special shout out thank you to: Corey, my mom, Kristen, Dave, Stephanie & Mike, Nancy, Courtney, my brother, and the on-the-run family.  I could not have done it without you guys! xo

Now I'm not going to answer this publicly- but I do have a question for those runners who have ran both the NY and Boston marathon.  Which one do you like better?

40 comments:

  1. CONGRATULATIONS! You finished Boston! You ran your hometown race. It's a beautiful thing! Marathons are a crazy beast and they send us on a roller coaster like no other race, but you did it! I am so proud of you and honored that I was able to share this experience with you. Enjoy that magical post-race high as you rest those legs and recover.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Congratulations on your run! I have a pretty sweet right-side tan too :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. So proud of you Lizzy! I'm really impressed at your time, especially since you weren't feeling great. I'm glad you stuck it out!

    ReplyDelete
  4. That's fantastic, congrats!

    I hope the cheering fools along the race course (like my son & me around mile 20) helped spur you on.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AWESOME JOB!! I kept looking for you but I think you passed the last mile marker just before we got over there to watch. We came out after the Sox game. I love that you had so many people willing to jump in and run with you. (I have an awful sunburn too!)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow, congratulations on sticking with it and finishing. Sounds like you have an awesome support group.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Congrats, Lizzy!! Looks like you had a blast and really enjoyed every second of the race. Hope you're feeling good today and recovering well!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. I've been patiently waiting for this post! congrats my dear! you are definitely consistent with your times, I am so impressed. i love how so many people jumped in with you at different points. and what a way to celebrate with those margs!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. CONGRATS Lizzy! I am so impressed by you! To come in 2 minutes shy of your PR when you had a "bad" race mentally, a short training session, and were recently sick is nothing short of amazing!

    And it makes me so happy that you have such an awesome support system! I loved that your friends and bro were there to help you along!

    I hope you're proud of yourself, girl! You completed BOSTON, in a great time!

    And NYC and Boston are my two "must do" marathons. I'm interested to hear which you liked better, but I'll ask you privately ;)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Congratulations Lizzy! I am so proud of you. It is incredible that you trained in such a short amount of time and still ran a consistant race. I hope you are recovering well. Miss you!

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a great race!!! AMAAAAZING!

    ReplyDelete
  12. You are amazing and inspiring and my hero. Congratulations on an amazing race. I'm so proud of you and so excited for you and can't wait to run by your side SOON. You're a rock star.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Great job Lizzy! It's so cool that the ontherun girls ran the last bit with you. So helpful! I have run one marathon and a friend ran with me for the last mile. I don't think I would have gotten through it if it hadn't been for her!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Ahhh Lizzy I loved reading about your race...wow that is so awesome that you basically had someone to run with the whole time!! It seems like that helped so much (which I can understand). I definitely wanted to quit yesterday too and am so glad I didn't - I think you did SO incredibly well having not really been training for a marathon for a while, and for having been sick recently. You are such a strong runner, and such a great friend. I loved hanging out with you before the race, you totally calmed me down too. Its okay to want to swear off marathons right now...just know that might change ;) <3 you!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Congratulations on sticking with it and finishing it out! That is amazing you were able to run in the Boston!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Yay, you did it! I'm so glad you didn't let your mental state get to you early in the race... I feel like it's so easy to slip into that mindset if things are off. Funny thing is, the "before" and "after" person in us would tell us we're CRAZY for thinking of dropping out of a huge race like that! Oh, crazy brains. And I'm rambling...

    Anyway, congrats again - take a nice long break from running and then find yourself a fall marathon to sign up for ;)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Congratulations Lizzy!!! So proud of you...you're an inspiration. You should be very proud of yourself!! Love you girly. xo

    ReplyDelete
  18. I am so proud of you LIzzy!!! :) And I was so happy to share part of your marathon with you! I had a blast being a part of your entourage - and would do it again in a heartbeat! Even though you were hurting, you were so incredibly determined. And like you said, not only have you now completed 2 major marathons, but you ran 3 in less than a year! That is a HUGE accomplishment! I hope you are rocking that farmer's tan (and medal) with pride :) Get some rest, and I'm looking forward to doing some short races with you this summer!

    Congrats again!!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Awesome Liz!!! I love your bright green shirt and I'm sure all your friends appreciated it too!

    What an experience--you have run 2 bucket list mary's in 6 mos!!!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Aw, awesome - glad you made your way through it! Congrats!

    ReplyDelete
  21. gooo lizzy! i am wowed by your endurance and proud to know you :)

    ReplyDelete
  22. Amazing Lizzy! You did amazing. It's great that you had so many people cheering for you along the way. You should be very proud!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Great job Lizzy! I've been lucky enough to not have too many bad race runs, but many many bad training runs so I feel your pain! You did great powering through it! Totally inspiring!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Awesome Job Liz!!! So proud of you!!

    Don't hate on Framingham ;) Haha jk...I know very well the marathon route in the 'ham is pretty bleek.

    For sounding like it was such a struggle for you, you still kept a great time!! So fun that you had so many supporters running with you!! Hope you had a nice rest day yesterday :)

    ReplyDelete
  25. What an inspiring race...to battle through and finish so strong is an amazing accomplishment you will never forget. You will be able to hold onto to Boston for years to come and know that you took the hardship of it and turned it into a victory. I am so bummed I did not get to see you at mile 19. I found it extremely difficult to pick people out of the sea of runners. Congrats again!!!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Congratulations LIZZY!!! I know exactly how you feel wanting to drop out...thank GOD there were so many people to help you along the way! Congrats and I hope you have an amazing post marathon birthday celebration planned :)

    ReplyDelete
  27. Congratulations!!!!! I'm so glad to hear that you fought through and finished what was a pretty tough race!!!! I hope you are celebrating your butt off this week. :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. I'm so proud of you! Despite not-ideal weather and training, you still rocked this race hard.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Congrats Liz!! Reading your recap made me think of watching my friend run the NY marathon, it's so emotional even for non-runners! I think that's amazing your friends and family ran parts of the race with you! Such great support! Congrats on powering through and finishing with an excellent time!

    ReplyDelete
  30. You are amazing! I can't believe how well you did. I never thought of having people run with me, but I might just have to do that next time. Hope you are recovering well!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Loved reading this recap!!! What a great accomplishment. You'll be talking about this one for years!!!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Congratulations Lizzy!! You should be so proud of yourself. It does look like it was really warm out there. I am amazed you were able to train for a marathon on short notice - it shows how awesome you are! So proud of you :)

    ReplyDelete
  33. Congrats on your race!! I am also curious to see the responses on your Boston vs. NYC question! I have run Boston and would love to do NYC someday.

    Cheers! Enjoy some time off :)

    ReplyDelete
  34. AMAZING! Congrats of pushing through and getting a great time, at that!! You deserve lots of rest, pizza, carbs, TV, whatever you want! :)

    ReplyDelete
  35. congrats and HAPPY BIRTHDAY! with a race like that you've got a massive PR coming your way. SO glad I got to hang with you this weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  36. You did it!!!!! That's really incredible given the short notice you got about the race. And I really know what it's like to feel like you're ready to drop out because none of it seems worth it that very moment. I think having amazing friends and family there to help you was key. Congrats!!!

    ReplyDelete
  37. Congrats Lizzy!!! I am so happy for you. What a great write-up too, I really enjoyed reading it. Looking forward to meeting you soon, hint hint!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Great job Lizzy!!!!
    I felt the same way you did! I was thinking I want to stop!!!! But I knew I would regret it!

    ReplyDelete
  39. Congratulations Lizzy!!! Looks like you did such a great job. Makes me think about running Boston one of these years. :-)

    I have a gift card to Fajita's and Rita's; glad to know its a good place!

    ReplyDelete
  40. Lizzy, I could NOT be more proud of you for sticking through this! I had such a rough race as well...I wish I would have found you at some point along the route cause I think I would have felt MUCH better if I had had someone to run with. Oh well. Next time :P

    You did an awesome job and it's so hard to run when you start off feeling kind of crappy. But we both stuck through it!

    Sad that we didn't get to meet up! But I'm going to plan a boston trip this summer so hopefully we can meet up then!

    ReplyDelete