Thank you to everyone who sent good luck wishes for the Boston Marathon. It was a great weekend/start of the week. The short recap is that I made it and I had forgotten how tough the course is. This could be because I’m 16 years older and train in the flat lands of Chicago. On the up side, I got 67 photos from Marathonfoto and I’m smiling in 60 of them. So despite some struggles, I had a lot of fun and finished with gratitude for my health and the ability to run this coveted race again 25 years after my first running.
If you’ve been around here, you know that this year’s Boston was special to me, because it was the 25th anniversary of the first Boston I ran in 1998. I qualified at 25 years old in 1997. When I turned 50 in 2021, I set a goal of qualifying at the (then) 25 year old qualifying time (sub 3:40.59). I didn’t hit that but I had fun trying and qualified in the 3:40s. This was my best time since before the pandemic and it energized my running and training. This was my sixth Boston Marathon and first since 2007.
Race Weekend
The Husband and I went to Boston early Saturday morning. There were tons of people running the race (lots of jackets and past year swag on show.) We went to our hotel in Cambridge and I ran over to the Expo. It was ~3 mile run to get in day 1150 of my run streak.
The Expo was packed. And I inadvertently ran past the finish line on Boylston Street on the way there. They were running the mile races after the BAA 5K. It was a zoo on Boylston and at the Expo. I didn’t stick around. I grabbed my bib, took a selfie and left!
I met The Husband and we took a photo at the finish line. We then went and enjoyed lunch in the North End and walked back to Cambridge to our hotel. We had a low key dinner with friends at their home and went to bed early.
On Sunday, I jogged over to Arc’teryx Boston for our 2.5 mile “Shakedown Run.” Luckily, Amy the Arc’teryx Boston ambassador and my friend Caroline were there to lead the way. Even our simple route was kind of confusing. After the run, Mandi and I gave some of the runners course tips and chatted with Arc’teryx London ambassador, Haroon. There were TONS of other events on Saturday and Sunday, but I decided to just relax and not over do it.
The Husband and I had lunch with Jeff at Legal Seafood, because Boston. Then, we relaxed a while and I got everything ready for the run. We met Ken, Christy and Lake for an early dinner at the Clink in the Liberty Hotel. (It’s in an historic jail! Very cool.)
Race Day
I got ready and took the T to meet the CARA Bus. This was the first time I ever took a private bus to a race and I recommend it! It was nice to have a place to hang out before the start and we had a bathroom and a bunch of porta potties available. I got to hang out with my training group and met some great new people, too.
I was in Wave 3, so my start was at 10:50. At 9:45 we headed to Athlete’s Village and stopped by the Fleet Feet Chicago bus to keep out of the rain. I was excited to get a pre-race hug and pep talk from Dan Daly. I quickly walked through Athlete’s Village and ran into my friend Jen from Boston Bound 2007 on the way to the corrals. I was on the look out for Kelly who was one corral ahead of me and runs a similar pace. It was steadily raining and my “throw away” windbreaker was soaked. I shed it before entering the corral and felt immediately warmer. There was a lot of friendly banter and excitement.
Before we knew it, we were off! It took me about 4 minutes to cross the start line. The first 4 miles are pretty much downhill but it’s so crowded that it helps you to keep the pace in check. I tried to be patient and not weave too much. I kept on the look out for Kelly and marveled at the the sea of runners ahead of me.
Around mile 1, I spotted Kelly. She took my photo and we chatted. We had similar goals for the run and decided to stick together. The first 10K flew by. We both remarked on what we remembered and what we had forgotten. I didn’t remember how rural it feels and how much different is than other big city races. There were some spectators in Hopkinton and Ashland but the rain might have dampened the crowds (pun intended).
At 10K we ran through Framingham. I love the banners marking the towns and seeing how each town has it’s own traditions. We heard Sweet Caroline a bunch of times and joined in the singalongs. We thanked volunteers and paid attention to hydration and fueling. When we hit 15K, we set the goal of running at least to the first half together. The rain was on and off and sometimes hit us in droves. That just made the crowds yell louder – bless them!
We hit the half marathon at 1:53.50 which felt good to both of us. At mile 14, we enjoyed the Wellesley girls who were out in force despite the rain. We grinned and took in all of the cheers. There was less kissing than I remember, but that could be a remnant of COVID. I saw my favorite sign of the day that said “you’re not almost there.” True!
Kelly had a friend at mile 16.5 and Jeff was waiting for me at mile 17.5 near the Newton Fire Station. We got separated right before mile 16. I kept on into the Newton Hills, saw Jeff and he grabbed a photo.
Soon after, I needed to take a pit stop. I was pretty wet and pulling up my shorts (tights) correctly to avoid chafing was no joke. I’m not sure how long the stop took but I know that The Husband and Coach Kiersten were worried. I was pretty wet and clammy!
I’m not going to lie, I was not prepared for the Newton Hills. The last time I did Boston was right after I moved to Chicago from NYC. I have really become a flat lander and I didn’t take the time to go to the suburbs for hill training. It was pretty humbling. I made it to Heartbreak Hill and once I passed the final rises, I was able to get some of my mojo back.
For some reason, I always feel happy when I get to mile 22. I remind myself that “anyone can run 4 miles.” Silly but this works for me! Also, there are some nice downhills and really most of the hills are behind you. I tried to soak in the cheers and I’m pretty sure that I smiled for the last 4.2 miles.
Lynn and the Matty P. cheer crew shouted out to me after mile 24. I did my usual hand waving and yelling which she captured on video. I kept an eye out for Neal and he caught me at mile 25 or so. The crowds lining the last mile of the course were fantastic.
Before I knew it, I was taking the “right on Hereford and left on Boylston.” I knew that I was cutting it close to break four hours. It didn’t matter one way or the other, but I ran as quickly as I could with a huge smile on my face to the finish. I think this finish is even more dramatic and iconic than NYC or Chicago.
A lovely volunteer took my photo and I texted The Husband to meet me. And that was a wrap!
I’m so grateful for The Husband, my friends and family members who’ve supported me on this journey. It blows my mind that my first Boston Marathon was 25 years ago and that I was able to get to the line healthy and able to run well. I ran with joy and gratitude, high-fived many people and smiled most of the way. I couldn’t ask for much more.
Thank YOU for your support and for all of the good luck wishes and congrats!
By the Numbers:
- Official Time: 3:58.53 (9:07/mile)
- Marathon Number: 58
- Boston Marathon Number: 6
- Run Streak Day: 1152