Untitled by donnafurse at Garmin Connect - Details
yesterday was a good day and a humbling day. I was racing my second open marathon and in my mind really hoping to qualify for Boston. The training had gone well, I wasn't injured and I had no excuses. Baystate is known for being relatively flat, its not flat/flat, it has some nice gradual climbs but nothing over maybe 3%-4% grade and certainly not long, a few bridges and that's it. Last years marathon yielded me a 3:55:55 which was 55 seconds over a BQ time, so hopefully an easier course profile would buy me some minutes. My realistic goal was to finish around 3:40-3:42.
I met up with my friend Keri ( IMLP queen) we went to get my number and hang until start time. The weather was cool but not crazy. I did wear some throw away gloves for the first half marathon but after that I was so glad to be in a tank and shorts.
the course had water/gatorade at every I think 1 1/2 or 2 miles and gels every 7 so I decided not to carry my water bottles with me ( good decision).
I didn't wear my IPOD this time because for some reason my fully charged IPOD ran out of batteries right before the start. Oh well, listening to my own thoughts and other peoples for the next 3+ hours, oh joy.
The first 14-15 miles went really well, at this point I believe I was still around a 8:23-8:24 overall avg pace, I knew this would get me in at this point in my goal time. The wind started to pick up a bit and my right groin and right quad started barking a bit. I kept plugging along but I started to notice my running pace was slowing just a little. At times when it got flat my pace would quicken but with any incline I slowed a tinch. My nutrition was spot on, I took in water and gatorade at every stop and my gels every 5 1/2 miles. I did have some salt on my face at the finish so I'm not too sure if that caused any of my pains during the run but my calfs and feet were fine.
When I hit mile 20 I was still under an 8:30 pace average but I knew I had to dig deep, my heart rate was spot on but my legs hurt, I know this is when the marathon really begins, what can you do to bring it home can you increase your pace, can you get your HR up? I saw so many people stopping, stretching, slowing down, two people where taken away in an ambulance for injuries, it was so weird to see so much carnage in just a running race, typically you see this in ironman, so weird. Not having my IPOD had me really tuning into my surroundings and the other racers, I ran side by side with two people who I swear where the loudest runners ever, their feet just slapped the ground ( bang, bang, bang) so heavy on their feet it sounded painful. My legs at this point were sooo tired I couldn't get ahead of him to stop listening to him, thank goodness he started to slow and I didn't need to hear him anymore. Then I kept hearing this loud music around me, I didn't know if spectators had music going or someone was on a bike playing music, then I saw this kid running with a radio/boombox on the back of race belt blaring pop music, I'm sure that thing was heavy and I bet he has some serious chaffing from it. I'm not sure I liked it though it was very distracting and it was super loud. Just weird to see on the course. I wonder if that would be legal in ironman?
Anyway, the last mile came and I knew I just wanted to finish, my watch had clicked at 25 well before the mile marker it was such a tease, then I ran by the mile marker and then it was another god knows how long before the next sign said 1 mile to go. I just put my head down and started running, trying to get my HR up and just wanting to get home, I picked up the pace just a tad and ran it in. 3:45:49. BQ time qualifier. YEAHHHHH.
I was very happy with the time, I definitely gave it everything I had, I have to figure out how to manage those last 6 miles as that it what happened in Plymouth last year. I didn't get my 3:40-3:42 but I still bested my time by over 10 minutes so I'm happy.
As for the 2014 Boston Marathon it is closed out for qualified runners so unfortunately I won't be able to run it this year unless I wanted to do a charity spot which I don't. That means I will apply for 2015 once registration opens. Baystate is one of the last marathons that can qualify you both 2014 and 2015, so yeah me. I am also signed up for the new Challenge Atlantic City full distance ironman event in June 2014. I am really looking forward to this as I can drive and it is significantly less expensive then ironman. The course is capped at 1500 athletes and the roads are completely closed. I am also on the fence on registering for 2014 IMFL because I would still like to do it. Well thats it for now.
