the Boston (new PB!)-- Sun. October 7

This was a crazy run to try and do. I guess I could try spinning my prior three weeks of barely running at all as "tapering" before the event, but that doesn't explain the 3-hour trip to get to the 8 a.m. start. For various reasons I couldn't take Mark up on his offer of lodging, but had to stay home the night before. So my alarm went off at 3:30 a.m., and by 4 a.m. I was on the road, showered to wake me up and having broken my usual pre-race rule by eating a banana, as the run was still hours away. Got to Alewife and parked the car by 6 a.m., then took the T in to Fenway, noticing other runners get aboard too, starting at Harvard Sq. Didn't know the way to Clemente Park, but another runner walked it with me and by 7 a.m. I had my registration pack. Then I got changed and stowed my bag (hoping it wouldn't rain too much, as there was no cover) and headed out to warm up a bit. There was a dire shortage of Portapotties, but I'd arrived early enough for that not to worry me too much. I drank a fair bit of water (to save on early water stops), and felt more or less ready when the wheelchair racers went off at 7:50.

Took my place midway between the 7:00-pace and 8:00-pace markers (figuring to go for 7:15-7:20, realistically), my GPS already set and tracking nicely. It was mild and overcast, pretty good running conditions, all told. At the off I was telling myself to go slowly, though it took till mile three for me to feel in the right place and steady up a bit. Then I started to track people and I found a guy I figured I could run with (or behind) and just went steady after that.

Somewhere after half way his friend (on a bike) called out "Sub-7s, baby!" which while I couldn't quite believe it turned out to be true. At least twice I had to shake myself out of a cluster that was slowing down, and push on ahead a bit. Apart from a weird left thigh cramp in the latter part, it went well until the last two miles, when I was definitely tired. I'd taken two fluid breaks, choosing gatorade instead of water and both times actually stopping; it helped, I think. The last mile I was being passed, and only at the very end did I really fight back. I was about to be passed again just as we entered the last 100 yard straight, so I kicked and he kicked back and we both went hell for leather, crossing in a deadheat. Quite satisfying.

Time: 1:28:47 (official)
Distance: 13.1 miles
Speed: 9.1 mph

Comments: I placed well inside the top 5% of finishers, which is well better than I'd expected. 3599 finished, though closer to 5,000 registered, apparently. I was 28th in my age group, out of several hundred; very encouraging. There were no other hometown runners, though a couple from Amherst. Top 41 runners (approx 1%) paced under 6:00. Chap who I paced myself on, one John Chapin, tall 40 year old club runner who got away in the last mile, did 1:28:28 -- good pace marker, indeed. Can't identify the chap I deadheated with at the line, as there are several with equally close times around me in the official list -- who knows which one he was? Too bad, and one of the disadvantages of chip timing.

All in all a totally satisfying run, because again it leaves me with a goal. I felt in the last mile I didn't have the strength to keep up -- I think 6-8 people passed me, not counting the guy in the final sprint who I fought to the end. But looking at my mile times, what I didn't have was strength to speed up, as they all did, over the last mile--I was travelling at a new overall pace for me at that distance. So next time (but not Monson, I don't think), try to be strong enough to do a similar run but then to pick it up at in the closing mile or two.