Let me start by saying this was a Great Boston even though I had a very bad marathon and it goes without saying a horrible finishing time to prove it. Enjoing this great race is so much more than the marathon itself. It's starts from the road to qualifying and all the dreams you dream as you put in hundreds of miles training, to all the people you meet in the airports as you make your way to this historical race. It's the excitment in the air at the Expo and all the runners cramming in their last carbs at the pasta dinner. The waiting in lines to hurry up and get on the buses for the long ride to Atheletes Village only to wait again. Then it's time to make your way to the corrals and the last trips to the POP's. Then the wave starts moving and you're off and running and you realize that after all this time it's time to do what you came here to do "Run".
I can't say enough about all the volunteers and the hundred of thousands of people cheering all along the way. When you're stuggling and having to walk you get to meet a lot more of these people and at times this is all that kept me going.
This years Boston experience started off with meeting up with Tom Slick at the Raddison then off to the Expo. That night I enjoyed a wonderful Chinese meal with Susanna and Larry, Teena and Ryan, Lark and Jeff, Marcie and her son Jeff , Mindy, Lloyd, Andy and his wife Becky and some others I didn't get to meet. After a good nights sleep we were up and ready to run (jog) the Boston 5K. I didn't know if this was going to be a good idea but after doing it I think it's a good way to get the legs going again and it's a blast to do. Then keeping with our Boston tradition it was back to the room for a very relaxing 2 hour nap and then off to the Pre-marathon Pasta party with some friends. After a good nights sleep it was time to meet everybody for the walk to the buses and the long ride to Athletes Village.
Now, to the good, the bad and the ugly about the marathon. I'll keep this very short, even though it was probably the longest 4+ hour of my life. After going over and revising (because of the weather conditions) all our race plans that we had trained so hard for the last 4 months to accomplish it was time to head to the starting corrals. Lloyd, Teena and myself dropped off our bags at the buses and made the walk down the hill to the buses. Lloyd left us to make his way to his corral as me and Teena made one last quick pit stop at the POP, as we got back to the side walk we heard the announcer say it was 2 minutes till the start of our wave and we were still a ways from our corral. As time was running out we got in the closes corral we could which was the one behind were we were going and with one quick move and a catch me if you can look Teena darts in as the guy tells her she can't and the second wave was off. I had planned to stick with my orginal MP for the first few miles and then as thing got hotter I'd back off and try and hold a 30 to 45 second slower pace the rest of the way "BAD IDEA". The first 8 miles went pretty good but I never did feel like I got relaxed and into a groove so I kept backing off and off till the wheels finally fell off about mile 14. About that time with my mind in a fog I hear the cheers "GO TOM SLICK" and out of the corner of my eye I see a red flash and sure enough it's old glory himself. With a determined look and a hint of a smile on his face I watch the ole' Red, White and Blue pass me. For the next 12 miles I'm doing the walk/ run thing trying to keep the legs from craming.I did finish, not with a time I'm proud of and looking back I didn't learn anything I didn't already know in my mind but now I learned it from experience and I can promise you I won't soon forget.
The good news is I live to run another day!!!!! | 