Fast Running Blog

Who's headed to Boston?  Anyone set any goals yet?  Any words of advice for 1st-timers?  It's getting close and I'd love to follow those who will be running.  This will be my second and at this point I'm just hoping to break last year's time.  It's a tricky course, but caution on the downhills could go a long ways in improving my performance.

Boston can be a PR (it was for me the first time I ran it, by 5 minutes!).  The things to remember about Boston are:

1) The hills!! Downhill for the first half may tempt you to go out harder than you should.  Miles 16-21 are tougher uphill's which will sneak up on you!  I would recommend (as I just did in my last race) to go out easy and save something for the second half.

2) The wind...the wind is almost always in your face for the whole race, especially the second half (last year it was 20mph for nearly the whole second half for me, it was a killer).

3) The energy...you have not experience anything like it and it will cause you to speed up.  Use it but don't let it get you carried away.

4) Altitude:  Remember, you train at altitude and Boston is sea level.  You will have plenty of aerobic capacity and will not breath hard, just manage your energy/fuel and hydration to avoid cramps well.

5) HAVE FUN!!! Go in with 3 goals to any race:  1-everything is perfect and you can crank it, 2-What you think you are really trained to run, 3-A result that you would be happy with and still say it was a success.  What these are and how far about is up to you, but be realistic with each as a goal...then try to achieve or surpass them as you training and the day allows.

I know that Dan S , Jim F and Walter are running boston this year!

by Tom Slick

Tom Slick wrote:
OK Boston is coming fast and I have these thoughts to share with you!
While at Boston last year I did the Garmin thing and here are the elevation markers every half mile from start to finish:

Starting line: 492 ft.
1 mile 373 ( the first mile is the steepest drop in elevation on the course)
1.5 380
2 337 (The Biker Bar)
2.5 327
3 291 (Ashland)
3.5 226
4 220
4.5 238
5 198
5.5 228
6 213 (Framingham)
6.5 194
7 185
7.5 183
8 186
8.5 187
9 166 (Fiske Pond)
9.5 159
10 183 (Natick)
10.5 192
11 203
11.5 214
12 189
12.5 176 (Wellesley College & the scream tunnel)
13 177 (Wellesley)
13.5 138
14 135
14.5 168
15 176
15.5 191
16 67 (Lower Newton Falls)
16.5 98
17 117 (Newton Falls Fire Station)
17.5 121
18 155
18.5 157
19 154 (John Kelley Statue)
19.5 151 (beginning of HBH)
20 166
20.5 174
21 259 (Top of HBH)
21.5 221 (Haunted Mile)
22 207
22.5 184
23 160
23.5 143
24 147
24.5 78
25 82 (Citgo Sign)
25.5 28
26.2 18 (the Finish Line)

Well, that was fun hope the elevation helps you see the course! Now here are some of the secrets I have learned from running this course seven times. Running Boston, you need every running edge you can get! Here's what I think and remember:

The Start:
Hopkinton to Natick - (0 - 10 miles), elevation drops 309 feet
The first mile and a half drops sharply but after that it goes rolley polly little hills and gets better about 10 miles out. Start your race out slower than your predicted marathon race pace, probably 5 seconds slower. I try to hold this pace out to about mile 5.

Natick to Wellesly - (10 - 13.5 miles) elevation drops 45 feet
I noticed that this part of the course is full of mild hills, nothing to worry about. Pay attention to the slant of the road here and run in the top third of the road so you won't wander towards the gutters. Start to focus in on your race and continue to quicken your pace to above your predicted marathon race pace all the while preparing for the 7 hills to come. And Baby there coming!!!

Wellesley Square to Lower Newton Falls (13.5 - 16 miles) elevation drops 71 feet
The course continues to be the same little hills till you hit the base of Lower Newton Falls at about 14.5 miles, then at about 15.5 miles the elevation drops 124 feet in the next half mile which brings you to the "Killer Chain" at Newton Falls which are the steepest and longest on the course. This 3/4 of a mile will wreck your legs if you run it too fast. Stay on the top third of the road to avoid slower runners and to get the best level footing. Get prepared for the screaming women at Wellesley College, nothing I can say can get you prepared for the mile long Scream Tunnel, You'll never forget it!

Lower Newton Falls to Cleveland Circle (16 - 22 miles) elevation rises 67 feet to 259 feet at the top of Heartbreak Hill.
So get ready to use all your hill training here. The hills terrace up and end with the famous "Heartbreak Hill" at @ mile 21. Then you go over the top to a very sharp decline past Boston College that will torture your legs beyond belief known as the “Haunted Mile” because of its downhill descent which insiders insist has a devastating effect on the runners’ muscles after consistently going uphill. Many participants from Boston Marathon's past say they met their figurative demise jaunting down this ghostly stretch. Heartbreak Hill isn't tough it's just where and how it's located on the course, late and steep! Glide up the hills a few seconds slower than race pace and pick it up and run faster on the downhill slopes.

Cleveland Circle to Kenmore Square (elevation drops 180 feet)
At mile 22 look for the cemetery, "The Cemetery of Lost Hope," because if you haven't trained correctly for speed and hills you will be exhausted! In this downhill part of the course you can let everything you have left in the tank go and run for the finish line. Open up and run at a pace faster than your predicted race pace while recovering. Focus and maintain the end is in your sights.

The end:
Kenmore Square to the finish line (25 - 26.2 miles) elevation drops 64 feet
Look for the Citgo sign, It graces left field at Fenway Park and has seen thousands of athletes to the finish line at the Boston Marathon. It's about a mile to the finish line from the sign. This is some great road to be running on, it gently declines to the finish with just a hint of incline on Hereford Street. All I can think from this point on is it's "Show Time" baby. Concentrate on your form and any speed you can muster and get your "Smile" on for the photo at the finish line.

I Love running Boston and I hope some of this helps you do your best in Boston!


Here are some other bits of wisdom, but there just old standard things you do before any marathon.

Negative splits. A negative split can work very well for you at Boston.

Wear nothing new to the race, like your shoes, I like to have a new pair of shoes but I like to have them gently broken in with about 50 miles on them by race day!

Start running your long run trainer at about 10:00AM to get yourself used to running later in the day. The Boston first wave starts at 10:00am for us rank and file runners. (10: am first wave and 10:30 am second wave now)

Take heed to your pottie training, valuable minutes tick by while one rests in the green Temple of Doom. get the job done before the race starts. Remember "The Corn Story"!

If you are used to a paticular carb loading meal, you should make preprations to take it with you to Boston. I carry my pasta loading meals with me from home, that way I know exactly when and what I'm eating, no surprises!

Same thing with carb jells, purchase the ones you've trained and run with before, don't take chances using anything new!

Be prepared for just about any type of weather at Boston, I've seen it at 20 degrees and 86 and just about everything in between. I don't think I like it too hot or too cold! Be prepared for rain or shine.

Remember your hydration training. It's so important at any race! Start sipping on a 16 oz. sports drink about two hours before the race starts, this will be enough hydration to get you started and then hydrate every two miles after you get going and you will be well hydrated the entire race.

And at Boston, sleep as long as you can in your hotel room and try to arrive for one of the later buses because you have to wait around at the athletes village for up to 4 hours before the race. Try to avoid all the extra hype that Boston can produce, remain calm and focus in on your race.

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Edit postDelete postReport this postInformationReply with quoteRe: BOSTON 2009!
by Tom Slick on Thu Apr 16, 2009 10:28 am

Hey everybody, here's course review by the famous Boston Billy Rogers:

Miles 0-2.5:
From an initial elevation of 472 feet, Route 135 drops like a roller coaster as it rambles into Ashland, site of the original starting line, used from 1897 to 1923. The gnarliest section of the descent comes in the first six-tenths of a mile, but Boston's strict seeding system, the size of its field, and the narrow road should help prevent you from careening downhill too fast. This is a good thing, so don't fight it. Stay in the middle third of the road and let the jackrabbits sprint along the edges. You'll get your chance to pass them later.

Landmark:
TJ's Food and Spirits, mile 2. Even the leather-clad Harley set gets caught up in marathon mania. This rowdy biker bar, located on the left side of the road, is the first major spectator hangout you'll pass.

Miles 2.5-5:
The course continues to lose altitude through this stretch. Resist the temptation to "Bank" minutes for the second half of the race-you'll lose twice as many when you wind up walking on Beacon Street before the finish. At the same time, avoid braking so hard you expend precious energy reining in your strides.

Miles 5-7.5:
Around the 10-K mark in Framingham, the course traverses the first of seven sets of railroad tracks. While you needn't worry about having to stop to let a locomotive pass, several members of the lead pack in 1907 were less fortunate. According to Boston Marathon veteran and history buff Tom Derderian, they got separated from the eventual winner by a slow-moving freighter.

By now, Route 135 has flattened out, allowing runners to find a consistent rhythm. "Now you're getting into a groove," says race director Dave McGillivray, a 33-time Boston finisher. If you've ignored our advice and gone out too fast, when you hit Framingham, you need to settle in. "The mile splits you'd planned, those are what you should be running now," says McGillivray.

Landmark:
Henry Wilson Shoe Shop, mile 8.5. Although staged on Patriot's Day, the state holiday that commemorates Paul Revere's ride, the Boston Marathon never touches the route Revere and his deputies traveled while sounding the alarm. At the intersection of Route 135 and Mill Street in Natick, however, it does pass the proudly preserved workspace of Henry Wilson, a local cobbler who went on to become Ulysses S. Grant's vice president.

Miles 7.5-12.5:
The course undulates as it skirts Lake Cochituate and proceeds into downtown Natick. "Some of the grade changes are imperceptible, but they do help you," says Boston Athletic Association (BAA) coach Michael Pieroni. "You can use different muscles, which lets those that have been taxed for a while get a break." Forget about even splits on the rolling terrain and focus instead on even effort. "Your pace will slow down on the upgrades," says Lisa Rainsberger, the last American to win, in 1985. "But if you keep the same cadence and the same heart rate, you'll be okay."

Landmark:
Wellesley College, mile 12.5. Because of the way the course bends, the celebrated shrieks of the school's 2,400 students will reach your ears well before you pass by them. If you don't get chills once you hit this gauntlet of sound, say even the most hard-boiled Boston vets, you must not have a pulse.

Miles 15-16.5:
On its way into Newton Lower Falls, Route 135 plummets 150 feet in a half mile, the steepest drop since the opening plunge out of Hopkinton. "It's a terrible hill," says Bill Squires, famed former coach of the Greater Boston Track Club, noting that what makes it so troublesome is the punishing haul up the bridge over Route 128 that immediately follows. "To me, the climb up over 128 has always been the toughest part of the whole race," adds McGillivray. "You don't look for it, because nobody talks about it. And then you say, 'Wait a minute, I'm going up.' And then you keep going up and up." The bridge's exposure to the elements adds to its difficulty. "If there's a weather problem of any sort, this area seems to call it out," says Cambridge Running Club coach Fred Treseler. "If it's sunny, it's always very hot. If it's a windy day, it's twice as bad here." Consider yourself warned. Put your head down, stay focused, and maybe repeat a mantra-something like "This too shall pass."

Miles 16.5-17.5:
"If you're under pace, this is the point to really slow it down and regroup, and make sure you're truly getting ready for the last hills," Pieroni says. Anyone who feels their legs fading here should "go to their arms," suggests Rainsberger. Driving your elbows back a bit harder than normal helps bring up your knees. "And that's going to spread out the workload."

Entering the 17th mile, you'll encounter two potentially vital relief stations. In front of the Woodland Country Club, you'll find volunteers distributing Power Gel on both sides of the course. To the right sits an MBTA (or "T," as the locals call it) trolley stop. (Note: All day on marathon day, flashing your official bib number lands you a free T ride. But don't get on it here!)

Landmark:
Newton Fire Station, mile 17.5. For the first time in the entire race, the course takes a sharp turn, bearing right at this handsome red-brick building onto Commonwealth Avenue and the first of the infamous Newton hills.
Miles 17.5-21:
Here we go: Take a deep breath, set your eyes on the road ahead, and motor on, tackling the slopes one at a time as you start up the series of rises that ends with the famous Heartbreak Hill. "The first one is pretty long, but it has the gentlest grade," says Pieroni. Shorten your strides slightly until you reach the top, then switch into recovery mode as you drop 50 feet over the next mile. The second hill rears up just past the Johnny Kelley statue-on the left side of the street, opposite Newton City Hall-and leads to a short, level patch of road that fools some fatigue-addled runners into thinking the worst is over, when Heartbreak proper still looms. Draw encouragement from the boisterous crowds lining the course. Dick Beardsley, who finished second behind Alberto Salazar in their famous 1982 duel, says, "I thought the crowds helped me here more than anywhere else."

Miles 22-25:
Before entering Cleveland Circle at mile 22, the race turns abruptly right onto Chestnut Hill Avenue, then left 300 yards later onto Beacon Street. By mile 23, you'll be descending steadily; in the twenty-fourth, the downward pitch becomes even more pronounced.

If you're still feeling good, "the course is finally sweet to you at the end," Rodgers says. "It gives you all this good downhill, and you can just glide." If you're struggling, Rainsberger advises taking things a few shuffling steps at a time. "Break it down into smaller sums. You can see the darn CITGO sign forever, so don't look for that. Look for the next water station or mile marker." As you approach Kenmore Square, beware the Mass. Pike overpass near Fenway Park. It's just a bump, really, but it won't seem like that now.

Landmark: Cemetery Mile, mile 23. "People get to the top of Heartbreak and they say, 'Damn, I made it!'"Meyer says. "Then they go charging down the hill to Boston College, and then their legs are finished." After crossing Lake Street, anyone who commits that error will be left to suffer in relative solitude. Trolley tracks paralleling Commonwealth Avenue on the left keep away supporters. What's more, to the right stands Evergreen Cemetery. "I call it the Cemetery of Lost Hope," Squires says. Treseler adds, "It's really a no-man's-land. All of a sudden, everything goes quiet. It's very easy to become distracted or deflated."

Miles 25-26.2:
During his showdown with Salazar, Beardsley tripped over a pothole as the two flew through Kenmore Square. The stumble barely threw him off stride-he actually credits the mishap with loosening a perilously tight hamstring-and in retrospect, it's no surprise he kept going. Once you get this far, nothing will stop you from finishing.

A straight shot down Common- wealth Avenue leads you to a right onto Hereford Street and a final short incline before hooking a left onto Boylston. Keep the legs churning and the arms swinging. And most of all, soak in the Olympian roar-and the view of the finish-once you make that turn. "You've reached the point of no return," McGillivray says. No matter what the race clock reads, "you can claim victory now."

Landmark:
Kenmore Square MBTA Stop, near mile 25 and the CITGO sign. Some say infamous bandit Rosie Ruiz walked out of this station and jumped in the race for her ill-gained "First place" finish in 1980. Having earned your medal, you'll want to celebrate. Avoid the Copley Square T (it's closed), and go to Arlington Street, the Hynes Convention Center, or Back Bay Station. And try to stay awake for a postrace party.PRIOR PREPRATION PREVENTS PISS POOR PERFORMANCE

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Tom Slick
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