Weekly Summary – 67 Miles, with most of that on Monday, running the Boston Marathon. Just very light running this week to recover from the race. We’ll see what the next month holds in store…
| Day | AM Workout | PM Workout | XT | Total Miles |
| Monday | Boston Marathon – 2’21’33, 29th place | OFF | OFF | 27 |
| Tuesday | OFF | 2M walk/jog | OFF | 2 |
| Wednesday | OFF | 2M jog, grass | OFF | 2 |
| Thursday | OFF | 4M jog | OFF | 4 |
| Friday | 5M reg | 5M EZ | OFF | 10.01 |
| Saturday | 7M EZ | OFF | OFF | 7 |
| Sunday | 7M EZ | 8M mod | OFF | 15.01 |
Lunes, 21 Abril, 2014 – Up at 5am for the Boston Marathon. Cup of black coffee and some bagel with banana around 5:30am before leaving for the Common. Took the bus with Matt out to Hopkinton and then just laid down and tried to relax for a while. Some very light jogging before the race, both on the walk over to the start and then once at the start. Some drills about 15 minutes before the gun. No strides (no room). In about the 3rd row from the start. Crossed the line about 7 seconds after the gun. Notes from the race are below (arranged by km).
1 3’04.4
Off the line with Harvey and Ashe. Way too fast. Feels too hard. Look at my garmin and it reads 2’5x. Probably ran the first 400m downhill in about 70. Yikes. Slow down.
2 3’19.8 6’24.2
Surprised to see it’s this slow, but okay. No crowding, pack forming with Ashe, Sanca, Harvey, me and maybe 10 others. Mike Wardian and a couple others in between us and leaders.
3 3’15.1 9’39.3
Still quiet streets and running a bit quick. Take Gatorade for the first time and get a bunch in my nose. Oops
4 3’14.4 12’53.7
Enter Ashland. Starting to feel warmed up. Still in the pack.
5 3’08.9 16’02.6 (16’02.6)
Feeling fast again. I drop off the pack maybe 10m on purpose and shout to Harvey that we’re running 67 minute pace and he hangs back to. Ashe stays with the front of the pack.
6 3’15.2 19’17.8
Harvey and I are still behind and working our way up as the pack in front of us surges and lags randomly.
7 3’16.3 22’34.1
A quieter section of the course. One of the first longer up-hill sections in the first half of the race.
8 3’18.7 25’52.8
Up again as we approach 5M and enter Framingham. Caught up with the pack at this point
9 3’15.3 29’08.1
Pretty flat and rolling. Still feeling very comfortable and consistent. Tucked in. Try Gatorade again after 6M and do a bit better.
10 3’11.4 32’19.5 (16’16.9)
Huge crowds in Framingham Center. The first of the day. A bit intense and overwhelming. I think I let out an audible “wow.” Still a decent sized group.
11 3’13.1 35’32.6
A bit quieter after we leave Framingham Center.
12 3’15.6 38’48.2
Pretty big crowds again on the train tracks. I think this is the first time I see Jon ~7M. Still running well under pace but feeling relaxed. With the group and running pretty consistently.
13 3’16 42’04.1
Entering Natick. Still relaxed. Catch up to Ecuadorian runner Franklin. I tell him that our group is going to go through halfway in 1’08-09. I was right.
14 3’15 45’19.2
The same. Relaxed. Group is smaller now. I think Ruben is out ahead. Might just be me, Ashe, and Harvey and one or two others.
15 3’13.2 48’32.4 (16’12.9)
We get a bottle handed to Ashe which he shares with me. I think it’s watered down Gatorade but it’s much easier to drink than cups. We pass the big Lake and it’s fairly quiet. Still feeling good but a bit nervous at the early pace being so hot.
16 3’21.6 51’54
Running uphill now until Natick center. Pass 10 miles in just over 52’, so well under pace still but not feeling too tough.
17 3’16.4 55’10.4
Natick Center is really loud and crazy. I think I’ve let the other two go a bit at this point because I didn’t want to be accelerating again this early.
18 3’16.6 58’27
Some quieter roads after the Center with the start of a big downhill.
19 3’09.9 1’01’36.9
Big downhill as we enter Wellesley. I have given Ashe and Harvey maybe 10 seconds at this point but don’t mind running on my own. Still decently relaxed and way under pace.
20 3’14.9 1’04’51.8 (16’19.4)
Wellesley College is just as crazy as people say. Nice little uphill leading up and then so much noise and girls waving signs. It’s nuts. I’m actually having fun at this point winking at people and sticking my tongue out. It’s well received.
21 3’10.4 1’08’02.2
Downhill after the college into the halfway point. I see Ashe and Harvey up ahead and they must cross around 68’30 (which was the very fastest Harvey said he wanted). I pass in 68’50 on clock (which was 68’46 net time). Pass through a big town center which is pretty crazy as well. Lots of energy. Nervous/excited at this point.
22 3’15.8 1’11’18
Downhill out of Wellesley center and it’s a bit quieter. Almost feels nice for a change.
23 3’14.7 1’14’32.7
Pretty flat and rolling at this point. Running solo behind Harvey and Ashe though they aren’t gaining on me.
24 3’17.4 1’17’50.1
About the same.
25 3’16.9 1’21’06.1 (16’15.2)
Passing 25km is a bit intense as this is now “unknown territory.” I am running faster and farther than I ever have before. Part of me is now just waiting for the wheels to fall off. Still well under pace at this point, though.
26 3’12.5 1’24’19.5
Very steep downhill into Newton Lower falls. Very loud crowds in this area again. I pass Gebre Gebremariam and am a bit sad. If a foreigner were to win, he’s probably my favorite. Kind of a crazy experience. Quads don’t feel too bad on this big downhill which I take to be a good sign. Entering Newton means the hills are coming and I start preparing mentally.
27 3’27.9 1’27’47.4
From the bottom of Newton Lower Falls, I begin the long trek up the hill over 128. I can see that Harvey is way ahead now and Ashe is coming back towards me. This is the first longer uphill and my first slower split of the race, but I’m not really looking at my watch and not pushing super hard.
28 3’20.3 1’31’07.7
The second half of the 128 hill and then some flat, rolling stuff. I don’t feel too bad. I keep telling myself that this is the end of the race and once we get over these hills, I can just float into the finish.
29 3’33.3 1’34’41
Turn onto Comm Ave at the fire station and I’m on more familiar ground. I run up the first hill and start to feel pretty tired. I can see a taller figure up ahead and I think it’s Jason Hartman. I must have been with someone because I remember asking “holy shit, is that Jason Hartman?” Slowest split of the day so far, but I don’t even think I noticed.
30 3’23.6 1’38’04.6 (16’57.6)
Hit 30km in a long flatter section between the hills. I’d done the math that 1’39 was goal pace and I was 1’38’43 on the big clock, which is what I saw, not my watch split. I figured I must have slowed down a fair amount the last 5km since I was well under pace but this was pretty exciting. I figured sub 2’20 was still in the cards at this point.
31 3’20.2 1’41’24.8
Another flat if not downhill km in the lead up to heartbreak hill. I think I misjudged the hills and thought I had already passed heartbreak. Oops.
32 3’37.8 1’45’02.6
The penultimate hill. I believe this is where I passed Hartman. I can see Ashe is coming back to him and I will pass him soon. I’m not looking at my watch but just running by effort. It feels hard. I pass 20 miles in about 1’46 on the big race clock.
33 3’27.2 1’48’29.8
I see the heartbreak hill running store and realize this is the start of heartbreak. I am still running by feel and trying to maintain effort, not pace
34 3’44.1 1’52’13.9
Heartbreak hill is long and hard. I’ve passed Ashe at this point and I’m not sure if he stayed with me (I don’t look back). I crest the hill and use the brief, steep downhill to catch my breath.
35 3’18 1’55’31.9 (17’27.3)
It’s fairly quiet again which is almost kind of nice after the crazy noise on the Newton Hills. Running mostly downhill. There’s a “moment of truth” where I crest the hill and really hope my quads aren’t jelly (they aren’t entirely). I’m able to maintain decently.
36 3’29.3 1’59’01.2
Passing Chestnut Hill and down into Brookline. I am feeling tired but not destroyed yet. I start thinking that if I feel this way at 37km, I need to accelerate at that point (5km to go)
37 3’20.8 2’02’22
A little hill up to 23M and I’m onto Beacon St. I can see downtown Boston at this point and the crowds are massive and loud.
38 3’29 2’05’51
I get a huge boost from the TUXC crew somewhere around here on Beacon. I’m trying to accelerate but my legs don’t respond. There’s so much noise and energy.
39 3’27.1 2’09’18.1
I pass Coolidge Corner where I see Mariana and fam and then Jerzy and co. I’m still trying to accelerate but not getting anywhere. I just hope I can hang on. The Hancock tower is getting bigger and bigger. I can feel the finish.
40 3’41.3 2’12’59.4 (17’27.5)
I pass 40km with a tiny uphill over the Mass Pike. I can see the citgo sign up ahead which I know is about a mile to go. So much noise, lots of people shouting my name but I can’t pick anyone out anymore. I’m not looking at my watch, but I see my 40km split as about 2’13’50. Sub 2h20 is out, so I’m just running as hard as I can. Legs hurt a lot.
41 3’39.6 2’16’39
Passing Kenmore, the Citco sign, a mile to go. I probably did some math but don’t remember much.
42 3’36.6 2’20’15.6
There’s that last little dip down under the overpass and then back up right before Hereford Street. I turn onto Hereford Street and then left onto Bolyston. It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced. Tears are flowing as I run down Boylston. It’s longer than it looks. I point to the sky and thank G-d and people cheer. I can see the finish line.
42.4 1’17.4 2’21’33
It looks so impossibly far away but somehow I make it. I see I’ve run 2’21 something, but I’m on the ground immediately.
FINISH
I’m on the ground. Or maybe I’m just in the arms of some of the finish line volunteers. They help me up. I can’t stand. They ask me if I’m okay, if I can walk. I can’t talk; I’m sobbing now. The huge-ness of it all is too much. It’s over. There’s so many people, so much time and energy and pain. I can’t believe it. The National Anthem is playing – why? I hear someone say something about “we’ve been waiting so long for this” over the loudspeaker, but I can’t figure out why they waited until now to play the anthem. I figure it has something to do with the bombing commemoration. Volunteers help me into a wheelchair and a guy pushes me away from the line. We pass right by Ryan Hall who is being interviewed on TV. I say “Ryan…” and then ask the man pushing me if he knows who won and he says he doesn’t know. We’re going through the medical tent now and it’s packed with people and they’re all clapping. I’m going down the center aisle like I’m about to get married. It’s not real. I look up at a TV monitor and see a face that looks a lot like Meb with a laurel wreath. Can’t be. I ask someone else who won – “The guy from San Diego, I think.” It can’t be. “MEB!” It jolts me out of my own tears. “Wow!” We get to the other side of the medical tent. There’s an ambulance waiting. They talk about me like I’m not there. “Does he need medical attention? What’s wrong?” I try to stand up and I can. My right calve is locked up but I can move. “Are you sure you’re all right?” I try to talk but I may have just wandered off. I’m trying to make my way towards the meet point that I’d established with my parents but it’s strangely quiet and isolate where I’d ended up. “How did I get here?” I remember thinking it was weird that there was no one around me at that moment if I were to collapse all of a sudden. I make my way to a big tent where I see some people heading. On the way, someone hands me a finisher’s medal. I find Eric who’s disappointed. He finished just behind me. I grab a Gatorade from the tent and see a lot of very skinny people standing around. Some BAA runner seems to know who I am and says he’s been “following your press.” A woman asks if I want a massage. I do. I put my name on a list. I sit down. This feels good. Not sure I’ll ever stand up again. Harvey and Ashe are both around and talking to me. I don’t remember what we talked about. I decide that I don’t want to wait any longer and so I take my Gatorade and leave the tent. I want to find my parents. I remember we were supposed to meet somewhere on Bolyston St., near the end where the runners get spit out. There’s a church. I’m walking and really cold. I ask for one of the mylar blankets and someone gives me one. I’m still cold and dazed. A woman in military garb has one of the thicker thermal blankets. She asks me if I’m okay or something and I probably mumble something incoherent. She gives me her blanket, helps me wrap it around myself and Velcro it shut around my neck. I must look pretty awful because a volunteer stops me and asks if I need help. I tell him I’m looking for my parents, that we were supposed to meet at a church. He tells me there’s a church back there, pointing towards the finish line from whence I’d come. I realize I don’t really know where I am or where I’m going and this must be fairly obvious. He asks if I have someone I could call and I give him my father’s phone number, with some difficulty. He calls my dad who answers and is up another couple blocks. I was going in the right direction. I walk through the crowds of volunteers who are all very nice and try to hand me pears and bananas and bags of bread. I just want my Gatorade right now. Finally I see them on the left side of the road. I walk over and now we both see each other. I fall into my dad’s arms, even with the metal fencing in between us and lose it again. I’m sobbing uncontrollably. The enormous weight of what had happened, the weight of the whole city. My parents are confused “you did so great,” they seem to be trying to convince me. “I know,” I say. “It’s just emotion,” says my mom. And she rubs my back. It’s so much, too much. I stay there for a long time, trying to regain my composure. Mariana’s there. Rob’s there. I sit down on the curb for a long time. Everything is exhausted. Nothing is left. We finally make our way to the public gardens where I lie in the grass and sunshine. It’s another beautiful Patriots’ day. I’m glad I got to enjoy it.
Martes, 22 Abril, 2014 – AM: Slept poorly. Super achy. Got up for food. Took a walk in the morning around campus which helped. Downhill and stairs are still very painful.
PM: Walk/jogged to meet Mariana after work. ~2M. Walked back with her. Felt okay. Ice bath after.
Miercoles, 23 Abril, 2014 – AM: A rough night again. Didn’t sleep well/much with pain in legs. Almost fell down the stairs again in the morning. Oof. Some walking again.
PM: Very easy jogging around alumni fields. Downhill running still bothersome but better than yesterday. Flat jogging felt pretty good. Icebath after. Total run 2M++.
Jueves, 24 Abril, 2014 – AM: Finally slept well. Lots of walking again this morning. Stairs are more manageable.
PM: Jogged on Lakes/c-loop. First run feeling a bit better. Steep downhills are still bothersome but feeling much better today. Total run 4M+.
Viernes, 25 Abril, 2014 – 9am: Slept well again. Feeling much better today. Ran on Sam’s loop this morning which felt good, much quicker than the last couple days. Total run 5M+.
5pm: Ran with Mariana. Felt fine doubling. Legs actually felt very good and was holding back to run slow. Total run 5M+ in 40’.
Sabado, 26 Abril, 2014 – 9am: Ran with Eric Narcisi on the Charles. Nasty day ~45F, windy, rainy. Felt good though. Running easy ~ 6’40-7’00 by the end. Fun run. Total run 12km+, 7M+++ in 54’.
PM: Off, visiting Chris.
Domingo, 27 Abril, 2014 – 10am: Up early to drive back from Hartford. Met Jon along with Joni and her friend Dan for a run at Battle Rd. Ran to Miriam’s corner and back. Felt very good. Total run 12km+, 7M+++ in 58’.
5pm: Ran solo, first 6km with Mariana very easy ~30’ and then solo 6km on the gobble loop. Felt very good and running quick 3’40-50. Total run 12km++, 8M- in 55’.
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