Boston Strategy for first timers

Hello all. Though I have not run Boston yet, for those of you that are running for the first time, I thought I would post these suggestions taken from my running group's forum from one of our group's more experienced members. I hope that you will find it useful.

To All:

I quickly made some mental notes of my Boston experiences. I haven't gotten it down to a science but it is getting close. Hopefully this helps some of you in your preparation. Some of this is obvious but it can be a good reminder. Enjoy and keep your expectations in check. Boston can be run fast but a majority get trapped into the tradition and excitement. Boston is a true test of the marathoner.

Good Luck Everyone - Train Smart
Mike
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Do's
Enjoy being part of the tradition. It's 110+ years in running and you earned your way. Never down play this as it may be your only Boston or many more to come. You'll either love Boston or you will say it's a one time event and that's it.....

Thank the spectators and volunteers. No other marathon comes even close to this level of support or organization. They are all over the course. The city of Boston embraces this race and is truly a benchmark for any other marathon. The volunteers and spectators are very knowledgeable about this event which makes it even more appealing.

Study and remember the critical parts of the course and the history of those making the mistakes. I have made the exact same mistakes as the athletes of the past. You can learn quite a bit if you study the Boston Marathon history.

Take the course field trip offered by Marathon tours (early Sunday or Saturday) - ~30.00 USD. It may be intimidating but it is always better to be cautious when running Boston as opposed to being aggressive.
ex: Major energy burn points: Wellesley College at mile 12 (Ask a very fast Gazelle master what happened in 2002...), Newton Hills at mile 17 - 21, The Cemetery Mile 22 - This destroyed me the last two times, Cleveland Circle @ mile 23, CITGO at mile 25. The crowds are huge (Thousands upon thousands) but you absolutely must stay focused on your pace and don't get sucked into the energy vacuum as it is so easy to do. The 1st time Boston runners are the ones that always start to accelerate at these spectator points. The experienced Boston runners will let these marathoners go then watch them wither away.

Eat early Sunday evening if you are doing the Boston pasta dinner then probably do it again later in the evening to ensure a proper fuel up. Make your dinner reservations early if you bypass the pasta dinner. Do not try making reservations when you arrive in Boston. This can fill up 1 or 2 weeks in advance. You will have 20,000 marathoners (most of them out of towners) scrambling to find a good Italian restaurant.

Bring an extra change of clothes and shoes for post race or in the event it is raining before the marathon.

Pre-Race Preparation: Guys - Bring an empty pee bottle or Ladies - bring a spare trash bag in the event the porto potties are too crowded. If it is cold, you better bring some throw away clothes as the north easterly winds can be very cold.

Bring sun tan lotion for a sunny day. A Boston sunburn can happen very quickly!

When you are in your starting corral, look at the bib numbers of those around you. Every bib number is printed according to the qualifying time. Make sure you are not around those with number >200 lower than your bib number.

Be aware of rapidly changing weather patterns in Boston. If it is a cold day, it will only get colder after you crest Heartbreak Hill at mile 21. The temperature can easily drop another 10 degrees. You will feel the bay breeze coming in and pay the price. This is even more painful if you went out too fast during the 1st half then had your pace drop off.

Start practicing your long runs at 9am CST to simulate the 10am start. Get use to the sun being out for the entire marathon. You may get lucky and have an overcast day but its better to acclimate your body to running the marathon for the late morning / early afternoon. I would suggest doing at least 2 long runs at 9am CST. One needs to practice the timing of the nutrition for this race.

Start doing mile repeat intervals on a hilly route such as Exposition. Learn to run downhill then uphill at varying paces is a key ingredient to running well at Boston. This is the characteristic of Boston and it should become a familiarity to you. The Boston hills are not abrupt but long and rolling. One must strengthen the quads months in advance for this course.

The Do Nots:
Minimize energy expenditure on Sunday by not walking around. Easier said than done when you are in Boston. Boston is the who's who of running. Its very easy to get trapped by all the pre-race Boston activities. Do this stuff after the marathon or spend an extra day on Tuesday.

Be very cognoscente of running with someone who has a bib # 300 or 500 numbers lower than your own bib number in the early miles of the race (miles 1 - 4 are downhill). You are likely running too fast, expecting a major PR or will find out painfully when this group begins to make its move later in the race (Newton Hills). Be careful as most Boston marathoners treat this race as their Olympics! In other words, a majority are bringing their "A" game to this event. I would advise checking the finish times and placement of past Boston participants to give yourself an idea of how many runners will be around you. One should realize that the quality of the field is roughly 5-6X greater for each runners capability. You have the top 10% of each age group lumped together and then running against one another at the same marathon. It's a blast but you better check your ego at the starting line. For just about everyone, you will not be use to having so many runners of equal ability running side by side for virtually the entire duration of the race. Patience is a virtue and essential element.

Note: My first Boston 2000 was a PR (2:58:XX). The first half was 1:26 and the second half was 1:32. To this date I still remember not being able to stay with any one before the Newton Hills (mile 17) and then getting passed by hundreds of runners for the remainder of the race. It was psychologically devastating to have this happen in a race of this magnitude. I was in over my head when this happened. PR's are always great but I was in slow motion the last hour of the marathon. A big ouch...........

Do not panic during the race about getting refreshments as volunteers are lined on both the left side and right side of the course. This is very well supported race and the volunteers (i.e. Volunteer experts !!!) know what they are doing. Typically it is the right side first then 50 - 100m later the left side. Too many runners will start weaving from the right side to the left side adding unnecessary distance to the run. Pick your side and stay on that part of the course. I have made this mistake twice. You should decide which part of the course to run before the race (left side or right side). The left side has less runners as only the experienced Boston runners will take this path. But you will need to learn how to take the drink with your left hand. I typically run left to avoid the initial panic for the 1st (2) water stops. One option is to carry your own drink bypassing the first couple of stops and stay in the center of the course. This is an important decision to make.

When you see the CITGO sign from mile 22, quit looking at it as it is at least another 3 miles until you reach it. The course is still rolling and has some tricky hills. The CITGO sign (mile 25) is 1.2 miles from the finish but it is still so far away. Stay focused on the runners ahead of you. This can be disheartening as you see it but never reach it.

Make sure you take as much food and drinks as you can after the finish. The clothing buses can be very far away (0.5 - 0.75 miles). Fortunately the buses are in reverse corral order. The higher the corral, the closer the clothing bus. So the faster runners will actually have to walk a longer distance to retrieve their clothing. They are easy to find but for some reason, it seems like a long journey as the legs get so beat up each time I run Boston.

Optional
If you decide to take transportation up to Hopkinton other than the BAA provided transportation, be aware that the drop off points are different. This can pose some problems for the clothing drop as the buses are located in specific positions. Do your homework on this one. Some people need to be away from all the action and others like the excitement. This is different for each runner. You need to take either BAA buses or arrange with a commercial operator optional transportation. DO NOT attempt to have a friend drop you off or take a taxi. You could end up walking 2 - 3 miles to the starting line. Roads are shutdown many miles before the start.