After an eventful week of sight-seeing, it was finally time to get to work. I've been watching the weather with consternation for a week; there was no relief when I checked it yesterday. Resolved to the hot conditions, I decided to dial things back at the start and set my A goal to finish safely. My dad dropped me and my Mom off at Hopkinton, and we caught the bus up to the start. At 9:30 they were announcing temps of 80. We didn't go to the athlete village, since we didn't have any extra clothes to drop. Andy dropped back 4 corrals and met me in #7. 5 minutes after the elites left, we passed the start line. Whatever it takes, participating in a Boston Marathon is worth the sacrifice. Running is generally a pretty lonely pursuit, lacking in glamour, but at Boston, you are a ROCKSTAR!!! This year I didn't even wear an iPod, after learning last year you can't hear your own music over the yelling of the spectators. Scattered over the entire course, there's less than a mile of solitary running without legions of screaming spectators, kids gingerly holding out their hands for high-fives, passing out oranges, water, otter pops, ice, wet towels, sponges, etc. 5k: 22:50 Andy and I ran together, easy, holding back. I was very confused by the 1km marker; I didn't notice the km part and wondered how the course markers could be off by that much. These miles were pretty effortless. 10k: 23:01 More of the same. At mile 5 I had a curry flavored orange. It was pretty gross. Andy and I stayed together. It's pretty hot. I look at Andy's soaked shirt, and realize I look the same. I am dumping 2 cups of water on my head every mile, and taking on extra water wherever possible at impromptu water stops. (thanks, little kids) 15k: 22:59 At this point, I'm past the 6 mile warmup point, and feeling pretty good. The sea level running is very nice. At mile 7 I lost Andy at a water stop. I thought he went ahead, so I tried to pick things up a little bit to catch him. I never saw him again. 20k: 23:15 Things are holding up nicely, but I'm not even halfway done. I dug into my new utility belt (just like Batman, but with less compartments) and ate some Smarties. Yum. I've been pounding oranges, and taking otter pops as well. I am not feeling waterlogged, and have no struggles with gu-gut, because I'm not eating any gu. Half: 1:37:02 This is just a number. 25k: 24:10 A bit of slowing, but I'm passing people fairly regularly. The heat is taking it's toll, with more and more people walking. I'm locked in with a guy from Canada, hearing lots of shouts "Go, Canada!" The scream wall at Wellesley was awesome. I didn't kiss a single girl. In this leg, I spotted Andrea. She gave me a great boost when I really needed something. Thanks! 30k: 24:40 A bit more slowing. The hills are looming, and did I mention it's pretty hot? It's getting late enough to start counting down miles. Under 10...9.... 35k: 26:31 Ugh. I slowed to down a 5 hour energy, and walked some. The crowd is fantastic, and it's demoralizing how many people are passing me when I'm walking, so I run some more. I'm not going to stop any more. 40k: 24:25 I guess the caffeine kicked in, or I was able to make something of the downhills. I'm stunned to see 6's on my garmin when I look down once in a while. My quads are crampy, and my hands are tingling. I'm skipping drinks, but still dumping water over my head. The fire hydrants, hoses, and water from spectators are cold while the water stops are lukewarm. The crowd noise and encouragement are a huge boost. It hurts more to walk than run, so I run. It's pretty hot. 42.16k: 10:25 On to the finish. I cross the line at 3:22:13. I'm dizzy, my hands are numb. I like to lay down after a race, but they tell me to keep walking. People are staggering all over the place. I get caught up in that, and go to the med-tent. The best thing about it is being out of the sun, and getting some gatorade without disgusting protein. My quads are really jacked up, but I feel fine considering. My kids spot me, and we wait for a couple hours for my Mom to finish. She made it under 5 hours, taking 10th in her age group. It was a tough, tough day. I slowed, but that's okay. I found a groove again after losing a groove, which is encouraging. I moved up 4400 places from my seed, which is better than last year. Tonight I'm not too beat up. No blisters, a tiny bit of sunburn, tired legs, but nothing a few days off won't solve. Maybe I can make a run at 3 hrs @ UVM.
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