The Boston Marathon was a great experience and a brutal race. I followed the plan for the first half, but the heat got to me and it all fell apart.
I was nervous about the heat, but things started out great. I was in the last corral of Wave 1 and hung with the pack for the first few miles down the hills. Making sure I didn't go out too fast. I was really enjoying myself at a comfortable 7:30 pace, soaking it in, high-fiving the little kids along the route.
Water stations were placed every mile on the course and I made sure that I drank at least one cup of water or Gatorade at each station. Most of the time I drank a Gatorade and half of the water and then poured the rest of the water over my head. Seemed like a good plan.
I knew I was in trouble by the halfway point. That's the earliest I've ever started having problems (except for that Potato Marathon when I ran sick). I could tell that the heat was affecting me, but I felt like I was doing all that I could to deal with it shy of dropping out or walking.
Some time after mile 20 I did end up walking some. I ran all the way up heartbreak hill just because I'm stubborn and wanted to be able to tell myself that I did it. When I got past Newton the last few miles got really rough. I was feeling short of breath and my vision was kind of foggy. As I passed Fenway Park I was feeling pressure on my chest. I wanted to push through and just deal with it, but I was getting kind of scared. My thought was "suppose I drop dead and leave my kids without a dad just because I want to finish the Boston Marathon under 4 hours. How selfish is that?" So I walked a bit more. When I got to Boyleston Street I was really feeling crappy, but I only had a quarter mile left and I wasn't going to walk the final stretch of the Boston Marathon.
When I crossed the finish line, I held my hands up and smiled for the camera and then started staggering. One of the medical staff grabbed my arm and helped me along for a ways. Then I told him that I thought I was ok and walked further and got some water, my shiny blanket and medal. I'm walking further along and really feel like I need to sit down. So I drop down on the curb and shortly someone tells me that I need to keep walking, so I do ... about 25 yards to a trash can where I lean over expecting to puke. A medical guy comes by and asks me how I am. I tell him I think I need to throw up and that I'm having trouble breathing. So he calls over a wheelchair and they push me over to the medical tent. I keep my head down, partly because it feels a little better and partly because I'm feeling like a pathetic loser.
In the tent they lay me down and put a shiny blanket over me, check my vitals and call for an IV. The IV never arrived, but after 30 minutes or so I decide that I'm feeling better. They offer me Gatorade and I tell them that I've had so much warm Gatorade that I probably will throw up if I try to drink any more. So I drink some more water and try to walk around. I feel ok. The doctor checks me out and while he's asking me questions I say I think I need to sit down again. So I sit a little longer and then go through the walking around and talking to the doctor drill again. I tell him that now I feel like I usually do after a marathon, so he clears me and I leave, pick up my bag and call Paige, who has been waiting with my dad at the family waiting area this whole time.
Even though the race turned out to be a mess for me, there was a whole lot of good about it.
_ It was a great weekend. Expo on Friday, sightseeing and a trip to Hopkinton on Saturday, and a nice drive to Sharron, Vermont on Sunday to stay off of my feet.
_ The crowds were awesome. Spectators almost the whole way. The crowds downtown and the students at Welsley and BC were great, but I think I preferred the small towns with lots of little kids cheering along the way. Or, maybe I just liked that part better because I didn't feel like death yet.
_ Seeing my wife and my dad cheering me on at mile 25. They said I looked good. I think they were just being nice.
_ All of the volunteers were really nice, especially in the medical tent.
_ I qualified for and ran the Boston Marathon and have a cool little medal to prove it.
I'm feeling better now. I even had a double hamburger with bacon and cheese with fries for dinner. It has been a while since I've indulged like that. It was awesome.
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