Race Day
Was up at 3, 4, 4:30, officially got up at 5: Strapped on the feedbag: bagel and PB, banana, Balance bar, coffee, water. Wardrobe deliberations. I was going to wimp out and wear my long sleeves again but couldn’t peel my name off of my sleeveless number. Decided in the clutch to commit cardinal sin and wear something I’ve never worn before–Zensah arm sleeves I snagged at the expo. Figured I could always peel them off if they chafed. So I dressed, lubed up, warmed up, worked a minor miracle getting everything into my carryon bag and was on my way. So grateful my nerves had subsided. Game on.
Coolest timing chip EVER!
6:15 Checked out (couldn’t get a late checkout, bah!) and met Jill (birthday girl!)and Elaine and headed to the buses at Boston Common. Combo of frigid wind and nerves made for nice teeth chatter.
We found Katie A. in line, eventually boarded the bus for Hopkinton and commenced eating breakfast #2 of the morning. I’m trying not to drink but the urge to pee is building and the ride is loooong!
We got to Athlete’s Village and immediately got in-line for the potties. Fighter jets are already doing their flyover signaling the start of the first wave when we get to the head of the line.
We walk to our corrals, I have to pee again and just as I’m entering the potty the race starts–without me! EEEEK!
Post haste I make my way to my corral, thankfully they haven’t even moved yet. Phew! Chip timing but still! Garmin signal where are you?
Coming into this weekend, besides the anvil that’s taken up permanent residence on my chest, my left foot had been bothering me, my left knee was weird. After walking around Boston so much my shin and my hip were whining too. All on the left….hmmm…
Would any of these factors become an issue on race day?
Pace goal: no faster than 9:30. Slower, yes, faster no.
Finish goal: just finish. That’s it.
Cross the line in an upright fashion, self-propelled, ahead of the course sweepers, bonus points for a smile on my face. Then boogie thru the finish area because I’ve got a plane to catch. Ugh!
As most of you know, I’ve been plagued with injury and illness this training cycle and still don’t have my lung capacity back. I made the notorious novice mistake and blew out way too fast last year. Would this be the year I finally held a reasonable pace?
I settle into the corral, find my Garmin signal, take a deep breath in and out, think of all that brought me here, me the mom, the wife, the daughter, sister, aunt, pool runner, former fat girl, the underachiever with untapped potential. Be careful what you wish for.
We edge toward the starting line and are finally off, hard downhill, so exciting. Again it is surreal to me that I’m here. At the Boston freaking Marathon. Never. In. My. Wildest. AGAIN. Somebody pinch me. Lightning does strike twice.
I am laser focused on visualizing my finish. A good solid, jubilant one. I’ve run it thru my head countless times. My training left much to be desired. I’ve done exactly ZERO hill training, up or down. Am I crazy for even coming to Boston? I MUST overcome it with mental strength. It WILL all be OK. I WILL get there, maybe not easily, but in one piece today.
This time around I will soak up the experience. I will see the railroad tracks, the Citgo sign, I’ll notice the street names, the Newton Fire Station. All the stuff I cruised right by last year. I’ve earned my place here and I’m not passing up this opportunity.
5k: 9:35. I feel labored and leaden. It will get better. It will.
We pass the biker bar. The leather-clad Harley ladies and gents are out cheering wildly–so awesome.
It’s a gorgeous sunny day and I’m already getting hot. Arms sleeve roll down. I didn’t need the skirt and capris. Oh well not rolling those down. 2 ladies ask me about my skirt. Another compliments my whole outfit. Even if I don’t run well, I guess I look good! Ha!
10k: 9:32. Feeling much better, stronger. Now I have to work to keep my pace slow. Not a peep from the achilles, hip, knee, shin, nothing. Crap I wish I remembered to put sunblock on the back of my neck.
15k: 9:33. I’m tiring. Already. Beginning to wonder how I’m gonna be able to do 16+ more? I focus on making it to the Wellesley scream tunnel and tell myself I can walk after that if I want to.
20k: 9:33: The Wellesley girls are out in force, so raucous and adorable. I get such a lift from their spirit. I hit the half, no need to walk.
Half: 9:34. 2:05:17. Reasonably well ahead of the sweepers. Still hanging in there. Pleased with my time. But I well know the worst is yet to come.
25k: 9:38. My fuel belt runs dry and since I’m solo this year there will be no fuel handoff. I switch to water stations.
30k: 9:49. The dreaded Newton Hills. The first is a looooong incline. Very hard at this point in the race. I wimp out and walk up most of it. It has clouded up, maybe my neck will be spared. The wind kicks up as well. I roll the arm sleeves back in place–kind of digging them!
The switch from Accelerade to Gatorade does not thrill my tummy. I find a potty. Finish time be damned. Feet are KILLING me. Can only imagine the carnage that awaits inside my shoes.
35k: 10:04. Finally Heartbreak Hill and it’s all downhill from here. My eyes are fixed far ahead scoping for the yellow jacketed volunteers at the water stations–that’s how desperate I am to walk. The downhill is such a relief but the quads are screaming. I seriously wonder if my left one is going to seize up. Do I have a sub 4:30 in me today?
Finally the Citgo sign is HUGE in front of me. I cannot wait to make that final turn onto Boylston (homestretch). When I finally round the corner, the finish line looms a million miles away. Can’t believe nobody has packed up and left yet. I feel like that scene in Rocky when he’s clocked virtually unconscious and everything is blurred. Crowds are delirious. So am I. Honestly they’ve carried me completely this entire back half. I’ve heard my name a thousand times.
The Boston fans are THE BEST. They make this race. Thank you all for your cheers, cowbells, high fives, signs, everything. Honestly I could not finish this intensely hard course (for me) without you.
I see the finish clock. Holy wonder I am going to break 4:25. Once again I pace myself for optimum finishing photo op, put on a very fake smile, well maybe not fake, I am truly dead but also truly elated.
Finish time: 4:24:53.
talk about tenacity! Robyn came all way from New Zealand to pull off a searing 3:44!
looks like a BLAST!!! congrats on the boston marathon!!!
Such an awesome recap! Sounds like you had a blast. Glad everything worked out so well!
awesome!!!!!!!
What a great run and experience for you! Congrats. I love all the photos
I'm so happy for you, you did great!!!!
Awesome recap!!! I am so glad that is was an amazing experience for you 🙂
Awesome report and congrats again! So happy for you!
great job! you are freakin incredible!! 😀
Wow! What a great finish! So happy for you to make it through after all that has been plaguing you….Congrats!!
Hi Marcia,
Wow, what a great recap!! Thanks for sharing those great pictures! It must have been so fun to meet other blogger friends running Boston:) Congrats to you!! You did awesome Marcia!
absolutely love all the pictures! and YES to the crowds being awesome. they totally carried me through those last miles as well. especially when i rounded that last corner to the finish and it looked like it was another 26.2 miles away haha.
congrats!! you rock 🙂
Awesome, awesome, awesome! I love it. CONGRATULATIONS! You succeeded in pacing yourself through the first half and hung on tight through the second half when it got HARD. You're my hero! Boston Marathon! YEAH BABY!
Most excellent report (love all the pics). Well, I guess you need a new goal to whine and obsess about!
fantastic race report marcia!!!! i'm SOOOO proud of you! you rocked it!!!
Great job on a strong finish!!! Love the report and all the photos! Congratulations!
Awesome job – you stuck with your plan! Loved your race report and all the pictures!
What an awesome race you ran!! I can't believe how well you did, considering all the obstacles in your path over the last few months. You are such an inspiration! Great race report and amazing pics…thanks 🙂
YEAHHHHH Marcia….so inspiring!!! I want to be that chick that one day get there now.. I am glad you had a great experience! Your amazing chick! Rock on!
That was a wonderful race recap! You did GREAT! I love that you stuck to your plan. That is so hard to do when the mind starts to tire or the body wants to rest. Great great job!
Woohoo! Congrats on your race…you did awesome!
Congrats! Glad to hear it went so well.
Congrats! I am so proud for you!! 🙂
Thanks, Marcia. You give me reason to believe that it's possible to come back from an injury and rock a marathon. I will be channeling my inner Marcia on May 9!
Love the pictures!
Congrats to you!! Such a great day it sounds like. I agree with you on the Citgo sign–it is still a million miles to the finish–they lie when they say it is one! Enjoy some kickback relaxation time–you earned it.
Awesome race report! Congratulations on the great finish.
Congratulations!! I'm so happy for you! Great recap and pix!
great job on running a smart race!! man the shoe tags are even more awesome when you become a super star runner
Congratulations! You rocked it! Way to go! Love the pictures! So happy for you!
Great job! I love your report! I laughed at your comment about at least you were dressed well! Glad you got to meet Emily. I hope to meet you some day!
I printed your recap for inspiration- LOVED IT! I am pondering ordering a "In my dreams I am Marcia" t-shirt made…
Awesome race report! Awesome pictures! Awesome YOU! Congratulations!!! I am so glad it went well given all you've been through this time around. Way to go!
Great pics! Congrats! Running smart is hard to do. Great job!
LOVE IT!! Sooo fun that you got to meet so many GREAT bloggers.. That is one of the key reasons I would like to qualify…to be amongst friends.. HUGS!! Mel
congratulations! Loved your summary of the experience, I could almost feel it! Great pictures! Excellent time considering all the pains and aches! Bravo!
First, those recovery socks ROCK! but mine are in men grey, not pretty pink! ugh…jealous.
and i love, love, love all the pics!!! so fun to see all you bloggy peeps together! it was like Boston in Stereo!
and great job with it all. the race, and appreciating it all.
Love the pics! Thanks so much for sharing. I love going through the race with you. I have been having some doubts about my marathon and this HELPS! Thanks and WAY TO GO ROCK STAR!
What a great race report! I love reading about everyone's Boston experiences…makes me feel like I was there!
Congratulations! I love the pic with yasso – too cool… I must investigate recovery socks. 🙂
Congrats on a great race! That timing chip really is awesome!!
Great race recap! Thanks for the details. It's SO exciting for those of us who only dream. (Love the socks!.)
Laura
Congrats on the sub 4:25!!! Great job out there my dear, especially given the difficulty of your training cycle the course and the warm weather. Way to keep pushing on! I'm glad you are loving the recovery socks, they are my favorite after run accessory! So wonderful to have met you!!! Congrats again and take it easy! You've earned some much needed time off to rest and recover!
CONGRATULATIONS!! Great race report 🙂
WOW! Great job! What a great race report! I have really wanted to try the arm sleeves. It would be nice to have them to roll up and down like you did.
I am so happy you didn't have much pain during the race! Yay!
Dear Marcia Achilles,
Soooo sorry we didn't get the sunscreen on your neck, and then I lost you. It was so nice to meet you though! Good report and great run, considering your tough training cycle, don't you think?
E
Hahaha, I love Elaine, she's so funny :). I still can't believe we lost her in the potty lines, eeks. Anyway, I am so way behind on blogging and reading blogs and writing blogs and everything blogs…but I wanted to say a huge congrats to you, girl. You totally make my weekend extra special by spending time with you (and me hoarding in on lunch and all – ha!). You're a very special friend and I am so glad I got to share my 2nd Boston with you. I have pictures to send you, which I will do so tonight. You're amazing!! Many hugs to you, girlfriend, you did good!
WTG! That is so awesome! Faster than I have ever run that tough Boston course uninjured. You are a rock star!
Wow; great photos, great report, great job on the race! I wish I could think of something unique to say, but it's all been said. You're awesome!
Good girl! When it comes to Boston, time doesn't matter; everything else does. It sounds like you had a super weekend. Hope you've been enjoying the recovery period (and, love the pink socks).
this is belated – but congrats and thanks for the uplifting report!
i can't believe you had to fly out later that night! that is nuts! i would've been going crazy personally.
congrats on your boston again 🙂 i tried to soak up the sights but i didn't do too good a job of that (and i wasn't focused on speed either). i wonder if we were ever running near each other? i wasn't too much faster with my chip time. hmmmm. also, i had the hardest time tying that chip in my laces for some reason! random i know.
anywayyy. congrats again! loved all the pics (wish i had taken the time to get one by the finish)
that reminds me… i outta put my recovery socks on! (i wish mine were pink) hope you are rested and recovered!
Congrats!! You rock!
Congrats over and over again!!! That is such an incredible experience!! I plan on being there next year – hopefully things will go as well for me! 🙂 Awesome job – very inspirational!
Marcia – great pictures, great race report, AWESOME JOB!!! Congrats on another Boston Marathon.
Congratulations!!!
WONDERFUL pics — it looks like it was such a great time!
I know I am wicked late in writing this but I am so proud of you! You did awesome out there! I only wish we had been able to see one another at the finish 🙂
I cannot wait to run with you again, you are an inspiration and should be proud! I had so much fun hanging out with you, everyone on this blog should know you are the nicest, kindest person and so genuine!
Thank you for all your encouragement, you did fantastic! I will always remember our time on the bus together 🙂 Congrats!
Amazing! Congrats!