51F start, 61F finish. 6:58 AP. Probably about what I deserved, maybe better than I deserved, given the last 3 months. I can't complain at all, really. Basically the same kind of race as last year (6-min positive split), only slower; that's what being heavier and woefully undertrained does. Happy with the result.
Pre-race - I got an invite from a friend at work to a house in Hopkinton before the race, right on Main St. The couple that lives there used to live in San Antonio. They opened their home to 15-20 runners, and provided all kinds of yummy carbs and gatorade. Soooo much better than the crowds at Athlete's Village, the port-o-potties and the chilly morning! What a treat that was...
Finally I leave the house and get to my corral, and I see Kylee, the person I ran most of the Houston Half with back in January! Small world. She was there with a guy named Tom (also from Houston and seemed wise and knowledgeable) and they were planning to run 6:45-6:50...perfect! The running gods seemed to be smiling on me.
I turned off auto lap, so these are course marker splits.
Miles 1-5 - 6:46, 6:44, 6:39, 6:45, 6:45. Ok, so a touch faster than I wanted but I was happy. These are pretty downhill, anyway.
Miles 6-10 - 6:38, 6:40, 6:41, 6:40, 6:44. Tom was taking us through these miles a little faster than I wanted, and I considered letting them go several times. But I was having fun and that's what it's all about! Even so, Kylee and I started to drift back a little by mile 10.
Miles 11-16 - 6:46, 6:41, 6:51, 6:41, 6:53, 6:32. The last of the flat/downhill miles. We let Tom go and stuck together through this section. Came through the half in 1:28:04, and thought to myself what a perfect split that would be...LAST YEAR. I think I knew what was coming; you have to actually train for a marathon to run your best. But, I was still having fun and still feeling good. I saw my aunt, cousin and dad (who flew up from Houston) at the same spot as last year - the Whole Foods in Wellesley. Dished out the requisite high-fives, and took off again.
Miles 17-21 - 6:56, 6:59, 6:53, 7:15, 7:35. The hills. I think I made it over the first two feeling ok, which is an improvement over last year, but Heartbreak got me again. I also dropped Kylee on Heartbreak. I slowed down a few times so she'd catch up (thinking she was probably in better shape than me, and was just being smarter) but she disappeared back there and I plodded ahead. Turns out she actually started walking.
Miles 22-26.2 - 7:04, 7:37, 7:33, 7:53, 7:44, 1:33 for .23 (6:46 pace). Right after the 22nd mile, my legs were hit by the Wave of Uselessness. You know what I'm talking about. I knew it was going to be another death march at that point. I kept telling myself even an 8-minute mile is better than walking, and it got me through it. I made sure to keep my head up, look around, and enjoy it this time. Unreal crowds. Managed to conserve some energy in the last couple miles in order to finish strong.
I saw Tom and Kylee shortly after crossing the finish line. He ran a 3:01:xx and she ran a 3:00:02! Apparently she walked for a half mile and then started dropping 6:30s. Tough to miss sub-3 by so little, but wow.
My family had driven to Boston from Wellesley to greet me at the meet-up area - worked out great! They had a little adventure too - apparently got stuck on the wrong side of the course back in Wellesley and had to cross through the runners, like a game of Frogger.
I probably had no business trying to run a full marathon. It's nice to know I can pretty much roll out of bed on any given day and run a 3:02, but I need to get into shape this summer. More racing, more PM treadmill runs at work when there's a break in the schedule, more TM workouts when it's too hot outside. Hit 60 miles a week and stay there until the fall, then run a little more.
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