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Boston Marathon

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Location:

Saint George,UT,USA

Member Since:

Dec 23, 2009

Gender:

Female

Goal Type:

Other

Running Accomplishments:

Mount Charleston Marathon 2016 - 3:17:51

Snow Canyon Half 2012 - 1:33:30

Spectrum 10K 2012 - 43:41

Short-Term Running Goals:

Run a destination marathon.

Complete a half Ironman.

Long-Term Running Goals:

Know when to hold 'em

Know when to fold 'em

Know when to walk away

Know when to run....

Personal:

Surrounded by the people I love. Life is good.

Passionate about my family, the University of Utah -- GO UTES, almond M&Ms, mountain biking, comfy t-shirts, Survivor, friends, and (of course) running.

Physical therapist at The Health and Performance Center at Dixie Regional Medical Center. I LOVE what I do. Seriously, living the dream!

Click to donate

to Ukraine's Armed Forces

Miles:	This week:	0.00	Month:	0.00	Year:	0.00

Mon, Apr 16, 2012

Race: Boston Marathon (26.2 Miles) 03:29:51, Place overall: 404

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Crosstraining miles	Total Miles
0.00	26.20	0.00	0.00	0.00	26.20

More later, but the short version is:

I AM SO HAPPY!!!! :)

My second fastest marathon ever but considering the heat I feel this was the strongest I have ever raced. Hated the temps but LOVED that I felt strong and consistent throughout. Also very please with how my PT schooling came in handy several times throughout the race! WAHOO!!! I suppose all the studying might be worth it after all!!! :)

Have to run and take a test. I will finish this tonight. :) :) :)

**************

Additional details:

In a nutshell, I had a plan with two parts: 1. Run strong. 2. Stay hydrated. I am happy to say that this was one of those races where things just fell into place. So nice when that happens.

Started out a little fast, but it felt good. Quickly decided that I was going to concentrate on effort and not pace. Felt awesome through mile 10ish. Walked through almost every aid station (even when I didn't feel like I needed to: goal was to get in the right amount of fluids and I can do that better when walking). Around mile 11 I really began noticing the heat. Quickly reviewed where the largest blood vessels are found in my body and grabbed ice from the spectators whenever I could and cooled down the skin over those areas. Had to be a little creative but I am convinced that it helped quite a bit! (Don't ask for details ... they are not all pretty! :) ) Could tell that I was slowing a little bit but just kept the effort honest and made sure to stay on top of the fluids.

Newton hills begin. I do a quick assessment. I feel 100 times better than I did last time I ran this course. Sweet. All lights are green. :)

Miles 18 - 21. Feeling hot but am looking around and notice EVERYBODY is feeling the heat. Start thinking about basic physics and human physiology. "Okay," I tell myself, "If you have 10 lbs of little potatoes and 10 lbs of big potatoes which bag of potatoes will have the most peel (i.e., the most surface area)?" I remember: "THE BAG OF LITTLE POTATOES." So I begin thinking, "There are big runners and little runners out here (I am a very little runner,) so, which body has the most surface area per volume?" Answer: "ME!!!" My thinking continues, "So, if I have the most surface area for body volume then that also means that I have the greatest means of heat loss." I am ecstatic. I quickly convince myself (and am still convinced) that it means little petite runners (like myself) have a much easier time getting rid of body heat. (I have looked some stuff up since I have been home and my theory seems to hold true.) ANYWAY, the gist of this long narrative is that this thought process gave me a HUGE psychological boost. "Yes, I am suffering ..." I thought, "BUT ... not as badly as most."

(JUST FYI: If I am wrong ... DON'T tell me. I may or may not bring this up with "The Running Professor" to get his input. I really do not want to be proven wrong. Although, if you are reading this Matt, and if I am right: DO tell me that!)

A few more miles click by.

Miles 24-26.45 (it is hard for me to run the tangents when all the tall runners are blocking my upstream visual and I have no idea where the tangents are) were tough. But that is to be expected. LOVED the crowds!!! Starting to feel really happy inside. (Especially happy since this allotted me enough time to take a quick shower before heading to the airport!)

I LOVE BOSTON!!!

Loved the time spent with everybody there. As usual Ry spoiled me rotten. Wished I could have stayed longer and spent more time with everybody. Maybe another year!!!! Thank you everyone for being so generous with your comments, advice and encouragement. I am so lucky!!!!

QUICK NOTE:

The Golden Empire with Smooth and crew AND the Blessing of the Athletes at the Old South Church are definitely MUSTS!!!! FUN TIMES!!!! :) :) :)

Splits:

7:33, 7:30, 7:39, 7:38, 7:59, 7:59, 7:38, 8:01, 7:51, 7:51, 8:01, 7:39, 7:55, 7:59, 7:55, 7:46, 8:19, 8:09, 8:02, 8:10, 8:23 (not sure what happened here), 7:42, 7:51, 8:18 (getting pretty dang worn out), 8:14, 8:30 (hang in there, baby), 8:30, 7:29 (one final push for .45 to hit sub 3:30). HUGE SMILE. :)

Brooks Pure Flow - Teal Miles: 26.20

Comments

From DaleG on Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 09:34:59 from 71.199.57.238

2 miles? Didn't you run Boston yesterday?

From Teena Marie on Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 09:40:24 from 174.27.199.63

I messed up!!! I fixed it though! The 2 miles was for Sunday. Ooops. :)

From DaleG on Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 09:42:36 from 71.199.57.238

oh. :)

From Fritz on Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 09:54:59 from 65.116.116.6

Wow. Great job! Who said you can't run in the heat? Good luck on your test.

From Bonnie on Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 10:01:03 from 64.119.33.134

Outstanding!!! So happy for you Teena!!

From Rhett on Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 10:11:49 from 170.215.58.122

Teena, congrats on a great race. I was so excited when I read that you went sub 3:30, especially with the heat. You must be it tip top shape! Good luck with finals. I can't wait to read all the details.

From allie on Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 10:57:16 from 161.38.218.168

congrats, teena! i'm so glad you had a good experience and ran what you wanted -- there wasn't a lot of that going on yesterday. definitely a strong race for you. great job.

From timp on Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 12:11:27 from 144.189.100.29

great job Teena!!

From I Just Run on Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 13:07:04 from 67.79.11.242

Way to go...!!!! You are one of the "elite" finisher who "ran" the race :-) You should be very proud of your accomplishment !!!

From Jake K on Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 13:54:00 from 50.138.183.237

Awesome Teena. I'm happy that you had a good experience and that you felt good and ran strong! Congrats!

From Andrea on Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 13:58:47 from 50.138.183.237

So proud of you Teena! You are awesome!

From Kim on Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 14:02:00 from 67.199.179.59

Congrats Teena! How cool to feel that awesome on such a hot day!

From Carina on Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 18:11:29 from 174.239.67.193

Amazing race teena!! I love your theory, and though I have nothing but logic to back it up I think you're totally right!! So happy that your Boston experience was great yesterday!

From Teena Marie on Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 18:16:28 from 174.27.199.63

Dale~

Laughing. :) Thanks for the texts! :)

Fritz~

Thanks!!! One final down!!! Wahoo!! Two more weeks of finals to go. :)

Bonnie, Rhett, Allie and Tim~

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! You guys always make me feel like a million bucks!!! :)

I Just Run~

Thanks!!! I was happy that everything seems to fall in place (except for the heat of course). I am very happy with how it went!! :)

Jake and Andrea~

You have NO idea how much your advice helped me! I literally thought of things you had said on my blog several times. I think it is amazingly cool that you take the time and and that you care about so many other runners (who do not fall under the elite umbrella). It means a lot!!! THANK YOU!!!! :)

Kim~

I still hate the heat BUT I am very happy with my body for handling it so well. Thanks!!!! :) :) :)

From Teena Marie on Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 18:17:16 from 174.27.199.63

Carina~

THANKS!!! Whether my theory is right or wrong ... it worked for me yesterday!!! :) :) :) How are you?

From Carina on Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 18:29:23 from 174.239.67.193

I am doing good. Uncomfortable with seven weeks left in this pregnancy, but I can't complain :) you're so smart I'm sure you'll do amazing on your test, or did awesome of you already took it ;)

From Rachelle on Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 19:28:47 from 66.7.127.115

Teena you are absolutely adorable! I 100% am going to agree with your analogy, little runners rock! ;)

Great race and great job at staying positive and hitting sub-3:30!!

From Lily on Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 19:48:18 from 67.199.178.210

Yay for you Teena! You did it! :)

From Chad Robinson on Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 20:07:16 from 75.162.226.110

Congratulations on a fantastic race Teena! Here is some info on why size matters when it gets hot (from the science of sport guys).

The first thing (and this is a dramatically summarized version) is that the winner has to be small in size. All things being equal (which we concede they never are!), the smaller athlete will win a race in the heat. Many studies have shown this, and the equations that we use to model performances in the heat suggest the same. Basically, it boils down to a balance between height production and heat loss. Heat production is dependent on body size and running speed, while heat loss is a function of body surface area, and the environment. Obviously, the environment is the same for everyone, but body size is not. The smaller the athlete, the less heat they produce, but their heat loss is not reduced by as much and the end result is that the smaller athlete will store less heat running at a certain speed than the bigger athlete. Ultimately, this means that a smaller athlete can afford to run slightly faster before their body temperature rises. Big advantage! This is of course a oversimplification, but it does illustrate the point that when the mercury starts climbing, the advantage lies with a smaller runner.

From Brent on Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 21:19:11 from 66.7.127.67

T NA NA, 1,000 commando points, what a tough race in the heat and humid conditions - sweeeeeeeeeet. T NA NA - the heck with the smaller runner stuff, you were tuff stuff. Fat, tall short or small, everyone has to run the same course, take what the day gives. Some days may favor different body types, but don't down play your great effort.

Stay Kool, B of BS Rools out

From Steve on Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 21:46:42 from 66.87.66.27

Great run, wow! Impressive! Flat out, your head won that race.

From Dan on Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 22:34:33 from 24.209.83.20

Great race,very impressed how you pushed through!

From Teena Marie on Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 22:38:32 from 174.27.199.63

Carina~

Aaahhhh ... that last trimester!!! :) Are you so ready to wear your regular wardrobe again?? :) (I am positive that you look GREAT!)

Rachelle~

THANKS!!! You are the MOST ROCKING little runner!!!! You did absolutely AMAZING!!! SERIOUSLY ... I am in awe!!! :)

Lily~

Thanks!! (I did have half of a snickers the night before!!! :))

Chad~

So ... I am not completely crazy after all!!! Thanks for the info. Loved it! :)

Brent~

Thank you so much!!! I will take those commando points!!! :) :) :)

Steve~

Don't downplay the fact that there were peeps on the line as well! DON'T FORGET THEM!!! :)

From Teena Marie on Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 23:26:06 from 174.27.199.63

Dan~

Thanks!!! Not sure I want to race in that kind of heat again though. :) On the bright side I have a really cool sunburn outlining my name now (which was written alongside my arm with a sharpie). :) :) :)

From Andy on Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 23:34:31 from 174.52.172.236

If we only look at a sample size of 2 (small runner Teena and giant runner Andy) we can say that your theory is 100% true. More than anything, your training was phenomenal and you put yourself in a position to have a great race. I honestly believe that in ideal conditions you could have run under 3:20.

From JulieC on Wed, Apr 18, 2012 at 07:38:40 from 67.41.189.230

YAY!!! Happy times TEENA!!! you made me feel like I needed to be smaller ; D. YOU ROCKIN' CHICKA!! wish I saw you!!

From Eric Day on Wed, Apr 18, 2012 at 08:55:29 from 189.198.204.26

Wow Teena. I am very envious of your marathon: your did a great time & had a lot of fun. What a great combo ! Congratulations ! You are amazing.

From Kam on Wed, Apr 18, 2012 at 15:16:26 from 68.66.163.179

Great job, Teena. I love the surface area to volume discussion. What's next, the spartan? Or will you squeeze in a UVM or ragnar before that?

From Kelli on Wed, Apr 18, 2012 at 19:04:30 from 71.219.98.16

HUGE SMILE HERE!!! So happy for you. ;o)

From watchmerun on Thu, Apr 19, 2012 at 03:06:01 from 166.70.212.36

You are right, Teena. The smaller the organism, the larger its surface area/volume ratio. Larger SA/VOL ratio means more effective heat dissipation, since all of our heat is dissipated through our surface. Of course, as stated earlier, this does require that all else in our comparison is the same. But, if it is, smaller runners will win the battle when running in heat.

Congratulations on a great run!

From MarcE on Thu, Apr 19, 2012 at 14:11:51 from 66.119.84.21

Teena - I was tracking 10 of my friends at Boston this year, and you, by far, ran the best race of all of them. You rocked it! I guess you and Ronnie started out together, but you left him pretty early on. Everyone seemed to slow around the halfway point -- but you slowed the least. You are amazing! Congrats to you, Small Potato!

From Teena Marie on Thu, Apr 19, 2012 at 15:51:39 from 174.27.199.63

Thanks everyone!!! :)

To answer your question, Kam: Ogden, Spartan, and XTERRA Snow Basin. :)

(AND ... Marc, I LOVE being called "small potato." MUCH MUCH MUCH better than my girlhood nickname of Chicken Legs -- Which, of course, I HATED! :))

From rAtTLeTrAp on Thu, Apr 19, 2012 at 16:17:53 from 24.18.125.122

So you're saying since the heat kicked my butt worse than you, that I must be a big fatty huh? :) Congrats on a great race! Sounds like you had enough fun for the both of us.

From Teena Marie on Thu, Apr 19, 2012 at 16:19:38 from 174.27.199.63

Rattletrap~

Nope!!! I am just saying you are TALL!!! :) :) :)

From rAtTLeTrAp on Thu, Apr 19, 2012 at 16:21:11 from 24.18.125.122

I am pretty tall for a short guy :)

From fly on the Wall on Thu, Apr 19, 2012 at 17:06:21 from 204.113.19.47

It's been said that people lose half their heat through their head. Just think how fast you would have been with a buzz cut, or better yet, shaved clean! However the real advantage during hot races goes to very small, light runners with gigantic empty heads! Teena, you do not meet the second half of this equation, thus I would chalk your incredible performance up to guts. But then again- http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/dec/17/medicalresearch-humanbehaviour

;)

From Hillbilly Runner on Fri, Apr 20, 2012 at 08:02:15 from 207.162.187.46

Great race Teena!!! One of the high lights of my run was watching you have so much fun those first few miles giving all the kids High Fives. You ran race to be proud of "Congratulations"

From Steam8 on Fri, Apr 20, 2012 at 10:05:26 from 166.70.55.77

Unbelievable report and time! I am amazed you felt so good throughout...it must be your positive attitude! Wow, I was in misery most of the race, but tried to be happy about it! What a time and in that heat! I am sooooo amazed!

I am so mad that we didn't meet up. I was going to meet with Smooth before the race, but my drop bag messed things up. Maybe I will meet you at a race soon. Congrats on such an amazing feat!

From Smooth on Sun, Apr 22, 2012 at 00:31:37 from 174.27.212.157

Thought I've commented on your race report! I'm loosing my mind!!!

SSF ~ You are truly amazing! I ditto Andy's words that your training was phenomenal, you are in tip top shape and you ran a very intelligent race! :) :) :)

Tiny people rule! :) :) :) :)

LOVE YOU!!! and SO SO SO SO PROUD of you Bullet Babe! :)

From Tom Slick on Mon, May 07, 2012 at 15:11:09 from 168.179.157.58

Sorry it took me so long to get back over to your blog about Boston. What a great plan you executed at Boston this year! You got the job done under very difficult conditions is a super fashion!

Good on you!!!!!

So whats up next? Are you doing Ogden in 13 days (May 19, 2012)?

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