Boston Marathon 2019: Post race edition

I have enjoyed my post marathon recovery time very much.

I think it is easy to enjoy a few days off, when you are 100% satisfied with the way your race turned out. To be honest, as the days have gone by, I have felt more and more pleased with my race execution. This is a nice change from how I felt after Hyannis, but as mentioned, that was a good wake up call (if not a good race.)

I was pretty sore until Thursday, and then *poof* I was fine. Thanks to my multiple massages and chiropractic adjustments leading up to race day, I am actually feeling better than I have in quite a while.

Eric and Ellie and I enjoyed out typical post-race Tuesday in Boston. It was a sunny but chilly day, and VERY windy! If the heat on Monday had killed me, I would have been pretty offended (but it didn't. So I wasn't!) We enjoyed a nice walk after sleeping in (I woke up at 6, was too tired to deal, and fell back asleep until 8:00 which is RARE.)
Then we tried to have a little breakfast, but ended up enjoying a nice walk more than food.

Spring everywhere

I thought my stomach had bounced back from the hot-race-grossness, but I actually felt a little off all day. This was a bummer, because I was both STARVING and slightly SICK. Rude. My plan was to march through Boston eating pastry, ice cream, ramen, burgers, donuts and gelato, but I basically bailed after one lame ham and cheese croissant!

I did have some Thai... 

I ran exactly zero miles until Sunday, when I went out for an easy Easter 4, and it felt fine. I certainly don't have any "workouts" planned at the moment, but I think I'll shuffle around a couple times next week. Or not. I'm really not into having a plan until about 6 months post race. (more accurately: I make sure NOT to push anything for at least 14 days.)

So. What is next??

I had the Sugarloaf Marathon in my calendar as a backup, incase I did not BQ in Boston. Despite the fact that I would like to run Sugarloaf someday, this will not be the year. I did what I planned to do in Boston, and another marathon so soon just doesn't sound fun or particularly wise. While lying in bed post Marathon last Monday I said to Eric "ummmmm, I don't think I'll bother with Sugarloaf." And he was like "well. that seems like a GOOD decision!" (rare???)

I seem to have forgotten my dislike for Fall marathons (or more accurately, summer training) and secured myself a bib for the Marine Corps Marathon. I'm actually really looking forward to it (or so say I, in April!) But I'll also need to make sure to run more than 12 miles this summer. My plan is to take it pretty easy through May, and then contemplate my training *plan*.

Oops

Generally speaking, I tend to do some pretty random Spring things (run up all the hills! Do a 60 mile week! Run a random 50k!) but as of today, there is nothing of the sort on the agenda.
*We will see how long that lasts*

Boston Marathon 2019: Lucky #7

Boston Marathon 2019. Lucky number 7 for me. (7 Boston's, I have done a few other marathons here and there.)

This is one of the only times I have gone into this race without my BQ for the following year already in the bag.
Years ago, I randomly decided that I really wanted to qualify for, and run, 10 consecutive Bostons. Kind of an arbitrary goal, but isn't that the way goals are sometimes? Anyway, Boston 2020 (#8) was most definitely NOT locked down yet, and I was certainly feeling some self imposed pressure.

Eric and I were walking down Boylston on Sunday evening, while looking at the forecast for the next day. The prediction was holding steady from the day before- temps rising from 60-70 during my race hours, humidity, possible thunderstorms, maybe some rain, or some sun, or some wind who knows!!! I had received no fewer than 3.2 million texts wishing me luck in "the sauna". I was like "Eric! I have to go for it, I can't mess around. You think I can do this, right?" And he like, snorted and said "duh, of course you can." So the plan remained intact, run BQ pace for as long as possible. Do or Die.

We were awakened early on Monday by a fire alarm. While it did not affect our floor, Ellie woke up quickly and needed to go out, and then she and Eric were stuck in the lobby for close to 40 minutes. I was glad that I stayed put in the room, as I was able to putter along and get ready according to plan. Just as Eric returned, a huge thunderstorm blew through Boston.
This is a first for Marathon day (for me, anyway.) It was pretty exciting, although I was glad to hold off on hiking to the bus until it had let up.

This is the thunderstorm

I had originally planned to dress in 19 layers of winter clothing, to avoid frostbite in the village. That ended up being completely unnecessary, as it was both warm and humid. I chucked on a couple bonus layers, my trusty muck boots, and (umbrella in hand) I headed off into the storm!!!

Ellie and I ARE READY TO BRAVE THE STORM

I hopped onto lucky bus #15 (as one does) and enjoyed the LONGEST RIDE EVER (in the HOTTEST BUS EVER!!) I was lucky to make friends with a super nice woman from NYC, and we passed the time chatting and sticking our heads out the window to stay cool (not really.) It was just a really long trip this year. I was on the bus at 8:06, and off of the bus at 9:26. Not a problem at all, but pretty rare.
(I have never been on the bus for more than an hour.)

I MADE IT TO HOPKINTON! And it was warm and not raining.

Athlete's village was an absolute delight compared to last year. I mentioned to my bus friend that I expected the rain to finish up before we arrived, and it did! The clouds were still quite ominous, and it was cool-ish. I stood in bathroom lines, and ate some food, and my feet stayed nice and dry in my huge boots.

Pics of potty lines are critical

It was not long at all until my wave was called for corral loading. I was not in the mood to procrastinate this year, because I wanted a few minutes to pee, and get my kit in order. So I actually left the village on time, possibly for the only time in my life.

Off we go!

On the walk into town, the clouds began to break up, and the temp began to rise in a very noticeable way. I was sad to part with my too big boots, but it was time!

Bye big boots

I had become nervous in the morning, and had applied a layer of sunscreen but was uneasy that in the following hours (and sweating in the bus, and pulling layers off) that it easily could have rubbed off. So who do I find? A wonderful fellow Mainer, who was also running for Crow, who knows me on the Insta (as Ellie's mom!) who had a tube of sunscreen and was happy to share (spoiler: this was a LIFE SAVER.) (and hi Leslie!! Thank you and congrats on a great race!)

Due to my mindful planning, I made it into Corral 1 with two whole minutes to spare. Impressive!!

Down to bare min clothing at the start.... Not always a great sign.

 I felt good from the start. Really good. The snap that I hope to feel in my legs after a nice taper was right there, and I felt ready to roll. Oh, and it was humid AF. Like a dripping mess. I kept thinking "wow, we need a puff of wind" and right on cue, a little puff of wind would come along. This gave me the amusing notion that I was somehow in charge of my climate zone, like in a little bubble of magic. This was quite cheering.

I stopped to pee at mile 7 because I can not not pee. It took me an actual 5 seconds. NBD. This was the only time I stopped for bodily functions. (YAY!)

Here's the thing. At mile 10 I knew it was my day. WHO KNOWS WHY THIS WAS, THERE WAS STILL SO MUCH RACE LEFT! But in my mind, I knew it was going to happen. I did not care that the sun had come out in absolute blazes (WHAT?) I totally ignored how warm I was. (and it WAS warm- close to 70.) I was running calmly, and still was running with a healthy buffer for the second half of the race.

Yes. I came in with a solid plan to positive split. I have run this course enough to know how to manage the miles to meet my needs. Even on a day when I feel good, I plan to add several minutes to the back half of the course. (because it is a bitch. and because, let's be real, I'm just not that strong! Fuck it. I get it done.)

I came into the half with a nice bit of time to play with. 1:42:37. This, absurdly had me not just on a BQ pace, but a borderline PR pace. I was like, "hahah woman, nope. today is NOT that day!" (and this was not self sabotage, but an honest reminder to myself about my current fitness, the weather, and realistic expectations. I came to run a 3:37 not a 3:25.)

At mile 17 I shouted a text to my Dad. "MILE 17 104 PM. RUNNING WELL, THIS WILL NOT BE A LONG STOP." Poor Lee drives 8 gazillion miles, and then he and my Aunt and Uncle set up camp by Chestnut St to see me for 12 seconds. I felt bad! But with the sun beating down on me, I thought an epic crash could possibly happen and I needed the banked time safely in hand. I had sent in a pre-order for chapstick (I was desperate for it)

Thank heavens for Lee's chapstik!

So I basically cruised though my mile 18.2 pit stop in a complete flurry.

Hi Lee. Bye Lee.

Everyone was like "GO GO GO!!!" And it was very exciting. So off I went! (literally, 16 seconds later)

GO GO!!!

At mile 19 my body decided, rudely, that it had had enough gel, enough water, enough sun, and enough running and it was going to be sick. I'm like, "body, you are NOT." I began to calculate exactly how much time it would take me to barf and get going again. I did not like how the numbers looked, so I shut it down. ALSO. ALSO, you don't want to be the person who blows chunks on heartbreak hill. That is just wrong. I decided that that when I felt super sick, I would keep running but keep my mouth shut and tread gently. And when I felt better, I would speed up! This was a good plan, and it kept me going (although, in a rather heater skelter way) until mile 23 when I suddenly felt better. YAY! Feeling better is the best.

So, barfy feelings left behind, I decided to finish the damn race.

Shockingly (especially since I really had not been able to eat since mile 16 or so) my legs were feeling good. I was poaching a bit in my own sweat, but I had hiked up my singlet and had been dumping cups of water on my torso for quite some time. (I was very *moist* GROSS.) But I was happy.
I was happy to have had a great race on a day when the weather easily could have messed me up. Or, messed with my head.
I was happy that I was going to BQ again, and with a "safe" amount.
I was happy to have enjoyed almost every mile!
I was very happy that I had not succumbed to a fit of violent vomiting.
And MOSTLY I was happy that I was close to the finish, and would be able to get an extra extra large ginger ale, with extra ice. I had been thinking about that since mile 20, and I was SO SO thirsty that I never thought I would not be thirsty again. I could not stop imagining the deliciousness of a ginger ale. (I get a weird ginger ale craving after certain long runs. Clearly, this was one fo those runs!)

As I cruised down Boylston, I was able to pick it up for one last "sprint" (haha.) I heard my name being called, and saw Eric, Evan and Ellie waving to me! I was so happy to see them!

YAYYYYYYYYYY!!!!

I finished and went all weird hands-on-knees gasping for air ugly crying. This is the kind of behavior that beckons the medics, but I assured them that I was fine.

AND I HAD DONE IT. 3:30:38, my BEST Boston time Ever!!!!!!

I was 100% delighted

I was tired. THIRSTY, SO THIRSTY. Salty. Definitely not jogging to the family meeting area like last year. I was pooped, I had left everything out there. I ran a much better race than I thought I could. I refused to let the heat, or the hills, or anything get in my head. When it got tough, I refused to stop. And I was pretty exhausted because of that. But happy. VERY happy.

And believe it or not, I saw Mainer/sunscreen goddess Leslie again! I babbled incoherently to her about lord knows what. Marathons make me even more verbose than normal. And dumb.

And go figure, by the time I made it to meet Eric (and Elle, and Evan) clouds had rolled in (and 30 minutes later, it was raining! CRAZY.)

My babykins. Too big to hold post marathon!

The 3 of us humans, and one of us dogs, walked the one magical block to the hotel. Evan immediately collected a giant, icy gingerale for me (which I drank in one big gulp.) And I babbled to Eric for a solid 40 minutes about my whole day! I took a painful, blistery, chafey (but NOT sunburney!) shower and then proceeded to lie in bed for 90 minutes, drinking endless ginger ales and eating the Kings Hawaiian sweet rolls that we get in the finishers snack bags. I love those stupid things.

Then, so as not to spend the rest of the day in bed, we took a magical family walk (and the wind had picked up, and was all aggressive!)

My hot husband

Because we are bossy parents, we made Ellie pose on/with things.

Ducks!!

Big trees!!

So that's a wrap! What a great Boston experience. I'm extremely happy to have secured my spot for next year, (and it's a weight off my mind, to be honest.)

I'm very happy with this race, and felt that I did my best in many ways. It's races like this that remind me why I work hard to get here in the first place! See you in 2020, Boston.

We are here!!!

I'm always excited for the official pre-race arrival in Boston. Eric and I decided to stay in the City again this year (being able to hide from the rain last year in the airbnb was such a huge plus for Eric, that we decided to go for it again!) Also, there is nothing quite like being in Boston for Marathon weekend. It's a pretty big deal!

Also, we brought Ellie for her VERY FIRST BOSTON which is possibly the most exciting thing I can think of.

My pupkins very first Boston!!!

She thinks the city is insane. She loved hunting for the ducks in the common.

Where are they?!?

And she is is pretty fond of the fancy hotel. We were pretty excited that The Revere allows dogs!

Posh Dog

So, backing up a few days.
Lee and I made the trip to the expo on Friday. It was possibly the most efficient trip we have ever made.

Yes it is!

The secret? Instead of picking up my number first, I went to the expo first. There were literally SIX people in there. (OMG MAGIC)

The Adidas booth. We all know what this usually looks like!

I picked up my items and dashed. It was fantastic!

We did, of course, pick up a mini 26.2 brew. #tradition

Tiny beer!

And I got a pic with the friendly unicorn.

I love this guy

We then went to number pick up and it was just insane. INSANE.
(what was insane was how easy it was)

Even though there was no crowd, we still got to weave round and round

Basically, the Boston Marathon is a well oiled machine and the fact that we were out of there in less than two hours really proves that!

So what's next?
Oh. The actual marathon.
After the forecast changing no fewer than 1.2 million times, we seem to have settled on some of the weirdest shit you could hope for.

And what is that?
Temps rising from 54 to 70
Thunderstorms
Some rain
Maybe some sun (I actually bought sunscreen today)
Wind. Plenty of wind. In some direction, but who knows which one.
A Sharknado

Fuck it you guys. I'm heading out of Hopkinton at BQ pace tomorrow morning and the weather can suck it. I don't care. I'm not playing it safe. If it means I fall apart at mile 20, oh well. It's do-or-die time, bitches. Not finishing is NOT an option. I'm planning to own this shit. See you on the flip side.

Welcome to our psycho city, where is was 33 yesterday and 70 tomorrow

How to run the Boston Marathon in the rain, in 5 easy steps.

I consider myself to be an expert on dealing with, and surviving, bullshit weather. I have completed Boston in 2015 (where it was rainy and yucky), and the rather infamous 2018 (where it was just hysterically bad! 37 degrees! Many inches of rain! SLEET! 30 MPH wind!)  AND I work outdoors IN MAINE, so heed my words.

ONE (How to dress for success)
Don't fuck around and try to be "cute" in athletes village. BE WARM.
Before you even get ON the bus, you will have a line to stand in, and possibly a walk to the Common. Dress for the weather. Be cool like me.

This is my athlete's village attire in 2018

Oh, and if it is literally raining BUCKETS, bring an umbrella that is not 120 years old. Umbrellas are allowed. And I lost mine on the walk to the bus last year. It was hysterically funny, but also moderately unfortunate (because I was prepared, I had an emergency poncho in my pocket which was a life saver. This is what made it a moderate misfortune, and not a crisis!)

Unfortunate

TWO (how to survive athlete's village)
Every year, I get off the bus in Hopkinton, and hear someone exclaiming about how there is not an indoor space for the athletes.
NOPE. No indoor space. (unless you sprung for the boujee "unicorn package" this year, and upgraded to a posh bus and indoor staging.) I am cheap. I did not do that. (and 5 days out I am thinking maybe I should quit being such a cheap bitch. Kidding, there's no adventure if there is no suffering!)

Athlete's village looks like this. It is not nice when the weather goes to hell in a hand basket.

It's just really, really soggy

There is a tent (with bagels and gatorade and nice volunteers) but it usually very crowded, and very wet. Make the best of it, and use this as an opportunity to wear, and then donate, all (and I mean ALL) of your older winter gear. Put it all on. Take it all off. It goes to a good cause.

Me in 2015, in the crowded (but not flooded!) tent

Last year I saw many, many, freezing people pre race. They had come to the village in nothing more than shorts and singlets, and proceeded to become hypothermic. (like, legit. no exaggerations)

My layering suggestion to survive your hours in the village:

-Race kit/body glide ON
-At least one warm layer over both of those- fleece pants and top, or sweatpants/shirt at the VERY least. Legit raincoat or winter jacket over that. Hat and gloves, and hand warmers are a great extra. Wear old shoes, and pack your race shoes in a plastic bag. Snowpants.
If you REALLY need to go small/lightweight- at least bring a big towel or blanket to wrap up in. and then cover yourself in a mylar blanket and pray.

THREE (how not to die on the long walk to the start)
I tend to keep all of my layers on for the walk to the corrals (which is .75 miles) so remember- when you go to load into the corrals you are still a long way from actually starting. There are plenty of places to drop clothing along the way. Keep em on. Don't be a hero.

At the start in 2015- sporting plenty extra layers

FOUR (the actual race....)
The course is mostly very exposed. Whether it is rain and wind, or intense sun, you simply will not find much relief.
And yes, the first mile or so is downhill- so if you are already freezing you just will not warm up!

Last year, at mile 1, I puled over to the side of the road and removed some long pants (super stretchy- so they pulled over my shoes) and ditched a sweatshirt. And to be honest- those were the only layers I  took off on course all day. But I started warm, (well. warmish) for a bit. (and then ultimately got pretty cold- but it was inevitable)

The miles through Natick can  be rather unpleasant. You might be tempted to dump all the extra warm layers at the 10k mark, but I suggest you hold out a bit longer. There is something about mile 9-11 that makes it feel super cold, super windy, and super stupid.

If you have friends on course (and you are not an elite who will be eliminated for on course support) duck under their majestic umbrellas, while you resupply your hand warmer and snack stash. LIFESAVERS.

Just trying to get my gloves on

I am hopeful that this years weather will not be as intense as last year (how could it be?? #jinx) But once again, my honest recommendation is to prioritize safety and heat retention over looking your cutest in your new race kit. I wore so much shit. Was it cute? NOPE. Did I stay out of the med tent? YEP. (was I warm? FUCK NOOOOOOPE)

Warm not trendy

If you really are in trouble en route to Boston, there are reliable med tents to duck into. I tend to use them more on the oppressively hot years, but you will get help and expert care there. Hopefully, with a bit of planning you can avoid ending up there in the first place!

Whether you are early on the course, or at the very end and decide to remove your poncho for the perfect finishing photo- be mindful of where you chuck your gear.
One might think this would go without saying, but this photo is proof that it should be said.

Not really nice

FIVE (the aftermath)
Once you are at the finish, there is a long walk to the family meeting area. (or bag check) Volunteers will wrap you up nicely, and make sure you are ok. They are nice. Sometimes I say incoherent things to them, and they don't mind.
Last year, I was honestly concerned about becoming hypothermic at the finish (it was in the mid 30's, and pissing rain) so I bypassed post race food and amenities and boogied to my people!

I made it!!

If you know the weather is going to be severe, have a post race plan and stick to it.
Are you going to duck into a nearby hotel for a warmup?
Are getting an uber back to your hotel?
Are you going to walk, do you know the route?
Are you planning to just lie down and wait for death????? (don't)

Nothing makes a person more baffled than having to make post race decisions which ultimately determine your safety. Have a plan beforehand, and stick to it!
(last year, I had a family meeting and walking plan. My friend Sarah ubered back. Both worked.)
Either way, get inside and get dry and warm ASAP!

And another helpful note- at every turn, whether you go to meet up, or to bag pick up, there are volunteers to tell you where to go. This saved my life my first year, when I had NO clue where to go!

Or just add layers until you vanish 

I tend to find the race experience in Boston very enjoyable, even when the weather goes to garbage. A few extra minutes of planning, and plenty of extra layers can be the difference between a miserable time, and a great time.

I think the trick to having a good time is to know how trained you are, and what sort of weather you have been training in. When it is 90, my Floridian friends have a much better day than I do, and I need to adjust my expectations accordingly. When it is cold, I tend to feel stronger and healthier.

So just get out there (in your winter coat and poncho) and have a great time. Rain, or snow, or sun and heat, it is still BOSTON, and is an amazing experience!

Boston Marathon Training 2019: Game OVER (but not like, in a bad way.)

Yep, it's that time. Every year, just like Christmas. This is when I say "game over."

GAME OVER

Because there is only ONE week to go! So basically, no matter what has happened in the past few weeks, Or in ALL the weeks since November, there's nothing that can be done now! So sit back, chill tf out, do yo' damn laundry, and enjoy.

Thankfully, I was more of less back to normal last week. (physically, anyway. haha) After my Saturday massage I began to feel better. I was extremely thankful for this, as my back issue was drastically impacting my work day (and yes, running as well. but I was somewhat more concerned with how I was half assing my actual job.)

I had a short 4 mile run on Monday which felt ok- and not much more than that. My back was about 85% better (than it had been- even on a good day this winter it was still a little sketch) but my legs felt pretty dead, and my calves felt as thought they were working about 75% harder than normal. Weird.

Right, and it was also not really Spring for most of the week. In the end, we had a couple nice days. But not Tuesday morning.

Cold

On Wednesday I had a Chiro appointment which was pretty major. There were quite a few adjustments needed throughout my whole body, but there certainly seemed to be some rather significant problems in my pelvis. Gross. Once I headed out, I felt better than I had in weeks and was able to have a very normal feeling 5 miler. Good news. I have another Chiropractic visit next week to make sure that the improvements stuck, and then I'm on my own until after race day.

I hoofed it over bitch hill on Thursday, to find a smaller snowbank.

I can see over the snowbank!

Saturday brought about the final long run (I think I did a few easy miles on Friday- but who can remember?) 11 miles, on a pleasant day (about 53 degrees) at around an 8:20 pace.
Ummmm, but ALSO, there was a little garbage snow in the morning.

Gross

Luckily, it warmed up well, and was a really nice day! And the workout: Basically a carbon copy of the final long-ish run from last year. Hopefully, a good omen. I also saw a fox hunting a turkey, so that was cool. And random.

Looks almost like Spring!

No workout on Sunday, but a 90 minute massage/trigger point session that sucked (but not as badly as last week.)

My feelings

Since it was national beer day, we then took Ellie to the pub and she fell asleep. Lame!

Perfect

So, during the great back crisis of 2019, I missed approximately 212 workouts.
Or, 3, to be more accurate.
I missed my biggest bitch hill workout.
I missed my final chance at downhill reps (which were already lacking...)
And, I missed my final long-long run which was expected to be about 16-17 miles.

UGH. I must assume though, that 3 workouts won't have made or broken me. There was nothing I could have done about it anyway, so I'm not going to ruminate.

The weather is looking alright for race day. No complaints from me!

Terrible photo

So this week will be all about fluffing around as per the taper usual. I'll run a couple little 800's or something mid week, and then put the legs up and on ice.

And that, my friends, is that.
March was a super month of running- I finally felt that things were really solidifying. I am going to take that confidence to the start line and run the shit out of this race.

Stats:
Mileage: 30.5
Crisis bodywork appointments: 2
Actual sobbing meltdowns: ZEERO
Times I ran 0.04 miles and stopped: ALSO ZERO, SO A HUGE WIN
Times I was so pissed: ZEROOOOOOOOOO