Sorry for the long delay in logging my experiences at the Boston Marathon. I had no computer access until after I got back from Boston. On Tuesday after the race I did some sightseeing in Cape Code and Plymouth, MA then drove to JFK, took the JetBlue redeye to SLC, and by Wednesday night had packed again and driven my family to Anaheim, CA for a spring break vacation. We got back late last night, and then I had a full day of church responsibilities today. It was also Karen's birthday yesterday so we celebrated that today as well. After a week away, I think work will probably be a little hectic when I get back in tomorrow. I need a vacation to recover from my vacations, but I have no regrets.
I enjoyed driving the PT Cruiser (also a nickname some of my running buddies call me) from JFK to Boston, but the wipers were on full speed most if not all of the way. Even so, I could barely make out road signs before I passed them. The Garmin Where2 GPS system I got with the rental car was a lifesaver. I parked outside Boston and took a bus to the expo. With help from the lady at the information booth at the station (who lived in Wyoming for a while and was a Cowboys fan), the bus driver who helped me know when to get off on the modified bus route, and the lady on the bus who walked me to the convention center, I was able to pick up my bib number without any trouble. I didn't spend much time at the expo. There were too many people, and I wanted to try to make it to church at 2:00pm at a local ward. I found the chapel easily and was on time, but the information on the web site I had checked was apparently out of date. The ward met a little earlier, and it was a Haitian ward. Rather than sit in on the last half of a meeting where I couldn't understand anything anyway, I headed on down to Cape Cod.
I stayed at Kent Gassman's in-laws home on Cape Cod. They are selling the house and are currently living in Florida. I stayed there with Kent his son Kurt. James and Marci Lamoreaux were also staying there. Kurt and Rich were running the marathon this year. Kent and Marci had run Boston previously and did not run this year. The others had received an unexpected dinner invitation from Kent's brother-in-law a little over an hour away, so they were not there when I arrived. They didn't answer their cell phones so I eventually called Kent's wife Melinda in Utah and she gave me the code to the garage. They eventually returned and we had a little pasta, chatted, and watched the weather reports before heading to bed. I had my own room and was very comfortable, but I could hear wind and the rain from the Nor'easter that was battering the east coast.
The next morning we drove the PT Cruiser to the start in Hopkinton. It was raining, but the worst of the storm had passed. Kurt and Rich were running in the first wave, so we split up shortly after we arrived and I went in search of Kerry and Tom. I tried calling Kerry's cell phone a couple of times with no luck, and they weren't at the backstop where we were planning to meet. I was relieved to get a call from Kerry saying they were in the portapotty lines. I was even more relieved when we finally met up in person. After all, my whole purpose in going to Boston this year was to share the "first time" experience with them.
In my last blog entry before I left for Boston I said I would be "very relieved when I get to the starting line ready to run." That was true. I also said, "Getting from there to the finish line will be the easy part." This turned out to be merely wishful thinking. My statement, "This opportunity is a great blessing for which I'm very grateful, and I'm excited about the adventure", was accurate. The Boston Marathon was a great experience...even if it took me five hours to finish. I just got more marathon for my money than most of the other runners.
By the time I met up with Kerry and Tom they had already begun sending wave two runners from the athlete's village to the corrals. I changed into dry socks, but unfortunately it didn't help much as my shoes were already pretty wet. I should have changed shoes (as Kerry did) or at least wrapped my shoes in plastic bags (as Tom did). (Lesson #1: On a rainy day, take measures to keep your feet and shoes dry before the race.)
We headed to the corrals. We were supposed to be in the first corral in wave two, but because of leaving the village a little late and the thick crowds I think we only made it to about the 3rd corral before the second wave started. (Lesson #2: Leave early for the corrals. If in one of the first corrals, turn a block before the main street and go east a block or two before heading north to the corrals.)
Shortly after we started I realized I had dressed too warmly. All the warnings about hypothermia and 20 degree wind chill had caused me to wear a fleece vest I should not have worn. I would have discarded it, but I really liked the vest. Fortunately, a number of miles into the marathon it got colder and I was able to wear the vest comfortably the rest of the way. I left my light jacket tied around my waist. (Lesson #3: If very cold temperatures are predicted, wear disposable clothing (from DI maybe) as the extra layers.)
One issue that arose from not knowing how many layers to wear, was not knowing on which layer to pin the official bib. I ended up running most of the race without my bib number visible. I saw a number of people that had a belt for attaching the bib number around their waste. (Lesson #4: Buy a bib belt for easily wearing race bibs.)
Tom's wife had written his name on the front and back and both sleeves of his shirt. Because of this Tom got lots of encouragement from the spectators. They seemed to be looking for runners wearing names so they could cheer them on. I could see Tom drawing energy from all this attention and I was jealous. On his back it said "Tom from Utah", and it started conversations with other runners, many of them also from Utah (Lesson #5: Wear your name and state clearly visible.)
Right from the start the spectators and volunteers were awesome! The people of Boston have had 111 years to practice, and they really know how to put on a great marathon, even with the threat of a Nor'easter. The support was awesome even near the end of wave two. The support from the young women of Wellesley was enthusiastic as promised. I was surprised by the number of "Kiss Me" signs. Kent's 18 year old son Kurt ran the marathon in 3:18 (awesome), but if I were him I think I would settled for 3:20 and spent a couple of extra minutes in Wellesley.
Tom, Kerry, and I ran together at just under a 9:00/mi pace for the first 8 miles. The next two miles were at 9:18/mi and 9:28/mi. These may have been hilly miles, I don't remember. The Boston Marathon course has a lot of hills. (Lesson #6: Don't underestimate the difficulty of the Boston Marathon.) Our average pace for mile 11 was only 12:47/mi, but this included a potty break that all of our bladders were demanding. Mile 12 was back at a 9:12/mi pace, with mile 13 at 9:55/mi (more hills I think). I had a time of 2:03:55 for the first half. This was right about the pace we planned.
I think this about where things began to unravel. My legs were feeling pretty tired, more than I expected at that point, but my main concern was the blister I could feel forming on the ball of my left foot. During the 20 miler a little over two weeks before Boston I got a bad blister in that same spot, with a lesser blister in the same spot on my right foot. A week later, on the 11 mile Saturday run, the blister on the left foot returned. That's when I decided to go back to my older shoes for Boston. I've worn Mizuno Wave Riders for years, but the new Wave Rider 10's I bought for Boston, were apparently giving me serious blisters on long runs. At the expo in Boston I talked with the Mizuno representatives and they confirmed that they modified the 10's and made the toe box a little wider. Dang them! Why can't they leave well enough alone. I've worn 7's, 8's, and 9's and loved them and now I have to look for a new shoe. Anyway, I was wearing my 9's for Boston (still plenty of miles left in them) but the blisters from the previous two weeks had apparently not completely healed, and combined with running in wet shoes, I ended up with a pretty serious blister on my left foot, with a lesser but still uncomfortable blister on my right foot. I knew the 2nd half of the marathon was going to be a lot less pleasant than the first half.
During mile 15 Kerry started feeling a little nauseated and his legs began cramping a little. We stopped and walked some during miles 15 and 16, averaging 12:42/mi and 11:26/mi. Kerry tried to send Tom and I on our way. I agreed that Tom was feeling strong and should go on ahead. I knew my blisters were only getting to get worse and I couldn't keep up with Tom. I chose to stay with Kerry. We would and see this thing through together.
Kerry and I alternated walking and running the last 10.2 miles. I could tell Kerry was in a lot of pain, which kept getting worse. He would pick a landmark in the distance and we would run to it then walk again. With a few miles still to go, Kerry said it was hard to even keep walking. Nevertheless, he kept picking landmarks, and we kept running and walking and moving forward. The volunteers and spectators continued to provide great support. Our paces for the remainder of the marathon were 13:31 (17-19), 14:21 (20-21), 14:08 (22), 17:47 (23), 13:49 (24), 13:29 (25), 10:41 (26.2). We ran in the last 1/2 mile or so and crossed the finish line together with a great deal of relief. Kerry finished in 5:00:35, and I finished in 5:00:36.
I consider it an honor and a blessing to have personally witnessed Kerry's triumph at Boston. It's a great accomplishment to run a BQ time, or to set a new PR. However, I've never personally witnessed greater courage and mental strength and endurance than Kerry's five hour Boston Marathon. I know how hard he trained, and what great shape he was in before his knee started hurting him a few weeks before Boston. I know how frustrating and discouraging that was as he had to back off his training and nurse his knee. Nevertheless, he courageously headed to Boston to give his best effort. The adverse weather conditions (slowest winning time at Boston in 30 years) only made things worse. Kerry's body came very close to reaching its physical limits, but his mind and spirit fought courageously and prevailed. I'm sure Kerry feels some disappointment, but I hope he feels no sense of failure. I personally witnessed the battle, and I admire Kerry's awesome victory. I'm proud of him, and grateful to be his friend, running buddy, and brother. Well done, Kerry. This was an experience I will never forget.
My overall feeling from my Boston Marathon experience is that there are a lot of awesome people in the world. The volunteers. The specators. The Korean runners shivering in the porta potty line turning around to say "Good Luck" in broken English. The 62 year old lady from Toronto who finished eating her gel while walking and talking with us and then said, "Come on. Let's go." The helpful and friendly employees and passengers on the plane, bus, and subway. The rental car people. The airport and restaurant employees. And of course, Tom and Kerry, and Kent, Kurt, Rich and Marci. I had an incredibly positive experience (even if my rental car got rear ended as Kent was driving it to the finish).
I'm glad I went to Boston. I'm already qualified for next year. Karen's niece and her husband are moving there for a year, already have their house selected, and have invited us to stay. God willing, I'm going back. I'm hoping for a little better weather, and maybe a little faster time. I'll need some buddies to again share the experience with, so you'd better get qualified. (You know who are.)
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