What a great experience I had running the Boston Marathon today! Okay, first the numbers~
The field consisted of 30,251 total participants. Going into the race I was ranked 7,607 and finished exactly 5,200th.
The women's field had 13,751 runners, and I placed 526th overall- or the top 4% (which makes the number more fun for me:)
Steve and I flew in on Saturday and settled into our Hotel in Somerville. We drove the course and ate to our hearts desires. The expo was a riot. Picture the energy of Oprah's audience, having a free-for-all in her closet. The Adidas' clothes were being torn through as though they were free. Everyone needed a piece of official Boston marathon attire, including myself. I was in and out as fast as possible so I could stay off my legs and relax.
The night before, I spent some time going back and fourth on my options for clothes. I spent the month prior testing my clothes in my workouts. From the socks to the sports bra, I had this cute and coordinated uniform that did not chafe nor ride up. However once the weather appeared to be a factor, I spent the day before purchasing multiple layers and going back and fourth on my options. The last thing I wanted to do was be too cold, too warm or too uncomfortable. This may not have been too hard to plan if it weren't for the very clear instructions given to us all. 1. No bags were allowed on the busses to the starting line. 2. Any layers of clothes worn were to be somewhat fitted to the body and 3. Any clothes discarded before and during the race were to be donated. Normally I would pack several options, but I had no choice but to just put on all my layers and plan to donate along the way.
The weather going into this race was rather torturous, so much so, it became comical to run. The forecast called for 40° weather, 100% rain, and winds ranging from 20-30 mph, increasing along the way. Well, Boston was certainly going to be memorable!
I woke up at 5:30 AM, took a quick shower and got ready. I ate a banana, yogurt, grain bar, and sipped on Gatorade. Steve accompanied me to the Boston Commons, where for the fist time, I was overcome with the magnitude of this event. Thousands of runners lined up for the busses with the help of many orange-jacketed volunteers. I felt so grateful to be there and felt a deep gratitude for my husband in that moment. Memories filled my mind of the countless leg rubs, encouraging words, and patience he freely gave me during my tedious months of training. I had never felt more certain that he was a main contributor in my efforts to step up to the starting line that day.
As I walked on to the bus, I immediately felt as though I had walked in the boy's bathroom. Nearly every seat was filled with a male. At first I was certain I had stepped onto the wrong bus, but the pink-haired driver assured me otherwise. As we entered the freeway, the driver picked up the speed. She started weaving in and out of traffic and riding in-between the lines! A few men from the back of the bus rushed up to the front and asked her if she was okay, she assured us all that she was more than capable of driving us there to safety. The next 20 or so minutes were filled with multiple scares. We witnessed her closer her eyes and doze off?!? She veered on off into the emergency exit lane, almost hit several cars, threatened to share lanes with another bus, and hit speeds that were never meant to be achieved on a school bus odometer. During this time, men are yelling at her to pull over while several are standing in the front, telling her how to drive. One guy across the way had his head on his lap, another guy was wildly cursing, someone else was speaking tongues and I'm starting to wonder if a terrorist is driving our bus! At one point she decided to turn on the radio to calm our "marathon nerves" and blasts some rock/rap music through the speakers. I suppose no one had their phones on them, or no one had thought to contact police, but we endured the most terrifying ride to Hopkington. Eventually, we reached the athletes village. Everyone quickly fled out from the bus, began kissing the earth, and in unison began crying and frailing our bodies like babies; just so happy to be alive. Just kidding, but we were all clearly glad to have arrived safety. Several of the men approached the police standing outside the entrance and reported the driver for a recommended sobriety test.
By this time, if I had any nerves leading up to the race, they had dissipated! I entered the village and again witnessed thousands of runners in a giant fenced arena, heavily guarded with actual soldiers. We were certainly being watched over. Vendors from various sport companies handed out bars, fruit, primers and emergency blankets. For the next 2+ hours, we sat curled up under cold tents, as it started to pour outside. I was so grateful Steve had packed me a poncho, hand warmers and a emergency sleeping bag. I was bundled up like a cocoon, although cramped, I was warm and protected until the start.
RACE STRATEGY TANGENT- skip the next three paragraphs to get on with the race!
Normally I would spend this time once again going over my planned splits, racing strategy and even visualizing and repeating mantras:) Yes, these things calm me down and make me feel prepared for the competition ahead, but today was different.
I had trained and planned to run 3:03 or 6:55-7:00 splits. My training had given me the confidence that this was quite obtainable. However the week leading up to the race I wondered if this was going to be possible. One particular workout the week before had left my legs abnormally sore and I wondered if they would generate fast enough before the race. Each day they were less sore, but were very much fatigued and just felt dead. I knew this was not caused by the taper, but a natural process I had been through many times before, as I have recovered from past races and workouts. This time it was far to close to the race. Two days out I decided to stop running completely. I knew this would risk feeling stale on race day, but I thought it was a better scenario so that my legs could just heal. Realistically speaking, It was clear the day before my legs were just not in the place they needed to be to hit my goal time. Additionally, the weather was bound to slow me down, but it was actually my physical limitations that ultimately led to me shifting my plans for the race.
New plan! Today, I was going to take it in and stay consistent.This was something I desperately needed after coming off my last marathon. I wanted today to be memorable- because there were too many factors I couldn't control at this point and I feared it would end poorly from me otherwise. I couldn't mentally afford another one of those races right now. Today was a celebration for me, and perhaps I could gain something that would eventually aid another day, when attacking my goal would be feasible. Under the circumstances, I needed to scrape what good I could and realize it's all an entwined effort towards great things to come. "Be stubborn about your goals, flexible on your methods."
At 9:00 AM they started filling the corrals for the first wave.Volunteers lined the streets with bags for our shedded layers, but I couldn't get myself to do it an hour before the start! Although being drenched was inevitable, I wanted to offset it as long as possible! After annoucing the elite men field, I quickly peeled the layers down as far as I could stand, but kept an extra layer on for the race to shed later. The gun went off promptly at 10:00 AM and it took appox. 7 minutes for me to walk/jog to the start.
As expected, my legs did not want to work. They were extremely tight and felt heavy. Given the weather, I expected some of that anyway for the start. My first mile pace was outside of my control. The tight spaces were many and gaps were few. We were like thousands of guppies in a pool of water, splashing around and trying to find our way. I didn't fight it, but gladly went along with the other school of fish. By mile 3, I was able to start weaving in and out of runners. This continued throughout the race, passing, passing, passing.
The spectators were unlike anything I'd ever seen. All along the entire 26.2 miles, spectators filled the roads on both sides of the course. They cheered through the rain and wind as they offered food, popsicles, high fives; and for some, hugs and kisses. After the 5k, I never checked my watch again. I got into comfortable groove and I took it all in! I read the signs, I high fived sections of spectators and I re-configured my outfit and bib several times until I had reached a satisfactory arrangement. I had even written my name on my arms, so once they were exposed, suddenly it felt as though they were all there cheering just for me, "Go Tara!" That was fun:)
All of the miles ran together. I do remember passing the town of Wellesley where thier all-women's college lined the streets screaming and cheering for the runners. I could hear the male runners talk about it and get excited as we drew near. We could hear the roaring cheers even in the town before. The males sped up, some stopping for kisses, while I unconsciously slowed down and watched it all. I have no idea why, but I had a good time seeing the reactions of all the men. Gosh, it was funny. Realizing my pace had come to a dawdle, I resumed my pace as I set my sights on the Newton hills ahead.
Around mile 17 the first of four peaks occur until you reach the infamous Heart Break Hill at mile 21. The wind was also at it's strongest here and at times, it felt I was running in place. There was no charging here, but I did work to keep a consistent effort. Although initally a critic, Heart Break Hill was quite draining under the conditions and having already ran 20 miles in it, I felt it's toll. However, it was quickly over and forgotten about.
The last 5 miles were mostly downhill and I was feeling great here. I cruised down the hills passing people by the dozens, maybe hundreds. I felt like I was in a car, passing objects and feeling like a million bucks. I thought I had picked up the pace, but after seeing the splits, I realize I didn't, but perhaps others had unvoluntaritly succomed to the hypothermic conditions, as it was terribly numbing entering the city of Boston. I'm not sure what everyone was going through out there, but for me, this was one of the greatest moments I have felt in running. I felt like a superhero with so much energy and clarity of mind. I never got dizzy, which is a miracle alone. This was one of the greatest moments for me during my time in Boston.
As I approached the last mile, I took one last moment to take it all in and reflect on the immense gratitude I felt for my family and friends. There is something about a marathon that makes you overly emotional and grateful. I felt it. I didn't want it to end (which by the way I have NEVER understood when people would say that. Who does not want a marathon to end!?) After the last turn, I saw the finish and gave one final push in an effort to look good for my family. I never did look good (and I have the pictures to prove it) but crossed the line feeling so happy and alive! I collected my medal and gladly accepted a warming poncho. Then I heard my parents call my name!!! Since my parents are serving a mission in the area, I haven't been able to see them for the past year until that moment. It was the greatest. They hugged and coddled me all along the 1.5 mile walk back to the bag drop. The rain was pouring and people were dropping like flies from hypothermia. The cold was absolutely paralyzing at this point, but I had my parents on each side of me, warm clothes were in sight, and we were walking in the direction of Steve, so things were good.
Overall, I'd be lying if I said it wasn't hard. I was definitely tired and the weather was a definite contributor to that. I'm not sure I'll ever reach a point in my life where covering the marathon distance (at any pace) is not challenging. I'm just grateful I was able to do it with the energy I had and the mental clarity to take it all in. That just never happens for me in the marathon, and so for that, I am stoked!
Boston lived up to all the hype. I was able to take it in and walk away feeling happy with my race. I wondered if I would feel bad afterwards for not attacking my goal-because there are few things in running that match the feeling of having set a personal record, but today mine was different. I needed this today. It gave me a boost and appreciation for things I had taken for granted. I walked away with my second slowest time ever, but achieved more today than I planned on walking away with. Tremendous gratitude. What an experience!
"Run with a heart of gratitude and you'll travel farther than you ever thought you could." -unknown
Splits: 7:22, 7:05, 6:59, 6:51, 7:09, 7:04 (GU), 7:00, 7:04, 7:07, 7:15, 7:21 (GU), 7:05, 7:20, 720, 7:25 (GU), 7:06, 7:42, 7:40, 7:23, 7:43, 8:11 (GU), 7:22, 7:24, 7:25, 7:21, 7:24, 2:33 (.38)
   
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