Boston Marathon 2011: The Recap

Hi all,

Sorry to keep anyone waiting to hear how my Boston Marathon experience went. It's been a busy couple of days, and finally found the time and opportunity to sit down and write about my Boston experience. So here goes... and I will forewarn you, it's a long one.

I felt going into Boston that I was physically prepared for the adventure that lay before me. Friends who had run Boston had forewarned me that I should be prepared for downhill running, and that it was an experience that I would want to soak in as much as possible. I took this advice to heart and ensured that I did a lot of hill training, and a little bit of speed work to physically prepare. I am glad I had turned on the listening ears, as I felt during the race, that I was on track.

My preparation for Boston started before we left for Boston. I had packed all of my race day clothes in my carry-on bag, and had clothes ready for both cold and warm weather. I carried my nutrition, the five gels that I would use for the day, and everything was ready to go.

Sunday night before the race, we had gone for the pre-race dinner at City Hall, and then settled back into the hotel for the night. Greg organized details for internet so he could faithfully follow the Canucks game that was on at 10:30 that night, complete with headphones. We had a great night sleep on the Saturday night, so I was mentally prepared that my pre-race sleep was going to be crap. And yes, it was. I think it was 1am when I finally fell asleep. However, I managed to meet my goal, which was to ensure that I at least got more sleep than the number of hours that I would be running. Mission accomplished.

The blackberry alarm went off at 5am, followed by wakeup call at 5:05, so I started off raring to go. We had picked up a couple of bagels the night before, so chewed on one (tough to do since they were stale). Our hotel had organized to have coffee and bananas available at 5:30am. So I was there first thing to get my caffeine boost and banana.

My biggest concern for the morning was trying to figure out timing for eating, drinking and emptying. I didn't want to eat too much, too early as there was a 3-hour between the bus pick-up and start time. So I made sure to carry the extra bagel in case and then aimed to hit the corral for coffee and maybe a second bagel.

We left the hotel just after 6am to walk to Boston Commons. It was a brisk 10 minute walk to the park, where we were greeted by 27,000 of my closest friends. It was the sight to see at such an early hour. Everywhere I looked, there were huge line-ups of people waiting for the bus, as well as a constant stream of buses whisking people away to a faraway place, otherwise known as Hopkinton.

I just jumped at the end of a random line-up to take me away to Hopkinton. Considering the sheer volume of people, it was probably only 20 minutes of waiting before filing onto a bus. We left Boston Commons at 7am, a whole three hours before the first wave start.

I sat beside a gentleman named Juerg from South Carolina. He was running his second Boston this year. He was a little nervous, and I have to agree as to why, as he had broken a bone in his foot only 6 weeks prior. Juerg was aiming for his "Boston or Bust" race, and hoping that his foot would hold out for the 26.2 miles before him. I told him I was also nervous, as my periformis had been seriously painful for the 2 weeks prior to the race. Nothing spells out confidence like spending all relaxing time with a tennis ball on the glute.

The bus ride out to Hopkinton is about an hour long. It's a pretty nondescript drive, except for the fact that there were cop cars zipping by with their lights on, escorting the busses to their destination. Makes one feel a bit special with that kind of treatment. We arrived just at 8am, and you could instantly feel the nervous energy in the air. Perhaps the people running to the forest to pee added to that energy, but there was a huge buzz. As well, one of the first things to greet me once stepping off the bus, was the huge blast of wind. The forecast had called for a tailwind, roughly 30 miles an hour. Thank god that was going to be on our backs for the race, and not into it. A good blessing I'll call it.

I entered into the corral, and decided immediately to get a second cup of coffee for another caffeine jolt. I grabbed the coffee, a second bagel and tried to figure out how I was going to stay warm for 3 hours while the wind whipped by. As soon as I tried the coffee, I tossed it, as it was awful. I was then given a Gatorade pre-workout drink with approximately 300 calories, that was targeted to drink two hours before, aka, RIGHT NOW.

My left periformis was angrily grumbling, so I thought the best course of action would be see if I could take advantage of the prerace massage. I was very nervous doing this, as I was nervous to seriously wake the dragon right before the race. I jumped in line and waited outside before they let me in.

For anyone who plans on running Boston, let me tell you of the best-kept secret. The best way to stay warm before the race, is to go into the only building open to racers, which is the massage area, in the middle school gym. Even if you only pretend to get a massage, this was the biggest saving grace for my race, as it allowed me to stay warm and stretch that buggar periformis. So do yourself a favour, and hit that gym!

As my wave started @ 10:20, I left the gym to hit the porta-potties at 9:20, then do the bag drop-off at 9:35, so that I would be on schedule to leave the corral at 9:45. The walk from the corral to the start line is 0.7 miles, so I made sure to leave on time and get into my section 8 with plenty of time.

Boston had organized the race this year to have a 3-wave start, with 9 different sections. I was assigned to wave 2, section 8. Finally, 10:20 arrived and the gun went off. Hey everyone, the fun has begun!

I hit the start line 3 minutes later, and immediately felt the downhill that starts Boston. For the record, the first 8km is downhill, which can be really hard on the quads.

My strategy was to go easy for the first 10km, then slowly build, and then try to keep pace for the last 10km. I felt this huge rush of people go by me for the first couple of miles, but kept my head to stay on my plan. I am really glad I did this, as it allowed me to just get my head used to the sheer volume of runners around me, and see how many people spectate this event. During this first stretch, I saw a couple of friends- Don who was previously in my running clinics, as well as Andrea, who is in the current marathon clinic at Broadway. They passed me, never to be seen again.

The course in itself is pretty nondescript for the first third. It's not like many races where it's gorgeous views and flash. Instead, I saw lots of bare trees, and spectators. There were the bikers who were blasting AC/DC, drinking beer and bbq-ing at 10:30 in the morning. Signs everywhere and people sitting in their lawnchairs clapping.

Greg had planned on seeing me at the 10km marker as well as mile 23. I wasn't expecting to see him as I thought the sheer volume of people would make it difficult to spot him. So I was extremely surprised to see him at the 10km marker. The scenery onwards was getting more interesting with the old buildings, more towns and the volume of spectators growing. As we got closer and closer to Boston, the atmosphere became more and more electric.

I was starting to get hot at this point, as the temperature for the day was quickly rising. The forecast had called for a high of 17C, so I wore my short sleeved IMC shirt, and my coolwings, so that I could pour water on myself to keep cool. I was really trying to be conservative with my pacing, and make sure to not get overheated during the race, and be consistent in my caloric intake.

I continued on my journey to Boston and had to really try to keep focus on pace while watching the sights around me. One of my favourite moments, was running by some fitness facility. They had organized about 20 small trampolines, and each trampoline had a little kid bouncing on it, holding up signs. There were little kids handing out licorice, orange slices, little glasses of water, or wet paper towels. There were kids lined up along the sidewalk, all hoping for a high five from the marathoners. It was so awesome to see how people went all out for this race.

Around mile 13 is when I hit Wellesley College. In fact, I was greeted with a large adidas sign aptly stating, "Wellesley with Screams." Wellesley College is an all-girls school located beside the course who get right into the spirit of the marathon. I was greeted with the "Kiss me!" signs that they are famous for. I believe for nearly half a mile, all I saw were signs saying: "Kiss me, I'm available! or Kiss me, I'm from Connecticut! or Kiss me, I'm bicurious!" or whatever else. It was hysterical some of the things that I saw. I didn't feel inclined to kiss anyone, however, I leapt at the chance when a girl held the sign: "High Fives for Canadians!" So I did, and then gave her a hug, I was so excited to see. There were a lot of signs for Canadians along the course, so it was great when they saw me in all of my IronMan Canada gear, as they went nuts with cheers.

I felt great physically, despite the concerns I had before the race with the periformis. Luckily, it decided to behave. The only concern was that I didn't feel like I had the necessary zip in the legs to push me hard that day. I was also hot, so I had to slow down at aid stations and grab water to pour over my arms or dump down the back of my shirt. I also started to notice an irritation in the back of my throat. I realized later in the race that I figured out it was the PowerGels Double Lattes that were the cause. So I kept drinking a glass of water to help alleviate the irritation.

The miles kept rolling along, and the smile persisted on my face. It was so much fun to see all the happenings. At mile 20 through 21 is when you take on the challenge of Heartbreak Hill. I am glad that Greg and I visited it on Saturday to get a feel of the hill, and concluded that it was really no different than running up part of the UBC hill or Highland Boulevard in North Van. Besides, it was only about 700m of hill before the descent towards Boston. I was so stoked going up Heartbreak, that when I got about 3/4 up, I let out a huge holler, and then said to the closest spectators. "I came here to take on Heartbreak, and I KILLED it!!!" It was a huge push to get up that hill and take on the last 10km of the race. I felt awesome!

The crowds kept getting bigger and bigger as I got closer to the end. By the time I hit Fenway, the crowds were seriously 12 people deep. I was shocked to see Greg again as promised at mile 23. He was screaming and cheering and it was great to see him, as I had just started having a side stitch. Seeing him put me immediately back in game mode and pushed on to the end.

The final couple of miles were almost a blur. I remember looking at my garmin at 40km, and thinking to myself, "Holy cow, realistically, I have only 10 more minutes of this!" I didn't know whether to push it to finish earlier, or slow down to take it all in. I decided to push as I realized that a girl who had started right before me was just ahead of me by 10 feet. I decided to make her my goal to beat so that I knew I pushed it. The plan worked, as I kept up and went for it for the final stretches of the race.

I crossed the line at 3:50:31. This was my fourth-fastest race, but I think it will be one of my most memorable ones. I shuffled through to grab my heatsheet and finally collect my long-awaited medal. I actually cried when I received the medal.

What I took from this experience was that this WAS the destination, and all races up to this were the journey. It's been full-circle for me to get to this point. When I first decided to try and qualify back in October 2008, my whole world was tilted when my Dad died on August 13th, 2008. I really struggled through the grief, and running helped me deal with the pain. And then I missed qualifying by 46 seconds.

The second thing that made this so special for me, was the fact that I trained for and qualified for Boston with my injured hip. I am on a waitlist for surgery, but was still able to overcome the issues with pain and stress to keep up the running and persist. So this was gratifying.

I decided to dedicate my race to my Dad and asked him to help me through the race. He looked after me to make sure that I could push through the pain and enjoy the experience. So thanks Dad.

And of course, I totally dedicate this race to my dear husband, Greg. You have been my rock, my confidant and my number one fan. I wouldn't be where I am today if I didn't have you by my side.

For the next while, I am going to focus on biking and swimming, as my next goal is the Oliver Half IronMan in June and then maybe the Scotiabank half marathon. However, in the meantime, I am going to enjoy recovery and feel proud of what I have done. And it feels alright.

The Calm Before the Storm: Boston - 2011

So I have decided to make the whole Boston experience a two-part process. After all, we were there for 6 days, and want to make the actual Boston Marathon experience a whole other posting. So bear with me.

This was the first time visiting Boston. Greg and I were pretty excited to go there, partly because we have seen very little of the East Coast together, it was an actual weekend, and of course, the big deal towards the end of it. I had gone so far to do research in advance and have a list of things to do and see while we were there. You know, make the best of it.

Now that I think of it, I should revisit that list to see what I had wanted to do, and what we actually did. Let me dig that up....

• Pick up race gear - DONE!





• Buy Finisher’s Gear after the race! -DONE!





• Go to see the Boston Red Sox! - DONE!





• Visit Harvard University- DONE!





• Patriot’s Day celebrations - Nope!





• Faneuil Hall Quincy Marketplace. (Originally built in 1826 as a meat and green grocery hall, it now contains over 100 shops, cafés and restaurants). - DONE!





• Go for a great dinner in North End, full of Italian restaurants - DONE & DONE! (two dinners, plus picked up some delicious cannoli at an Italian bakery-twice)





• RunBoston running tour (http://www.runboston.org/) -Nope!





• Outlet mall- Kittery in New Hampshire (1hr north of Boston, and 1 mile of outlets)- DONE & Nope... we just went down the street to the shopping district and brought financial stability back to the area with the amount of shopping done.





• Wrentham Premium outlet mall - Nope!

We first arrived in Boston around 7:30 on Thursday night. It had been a very long day of travelling, as we left our house in North Vancouver at 4:20am to be at the airport for 5am. Our first flight to Denver left at 7am. We spent a couple of hours at the Denver airport, where we funnily enough, ran into Greg's best friend's husband along the escalator. Our second flight took us around 4.5 hours to Boston's Logan International Airport. If you visit Boston, take the subway, and be sure to pick up a Charlie Pass, and it's $15 for 7 days. A steal of a travel deal if you ask me.

We booked into the Ames Hotel (http://www.ameshotel.com/) in the financial district just after I successfully registered for Boston. This historic building was redone into this swank hotel about 18 months ago, and we were so impressed by it all. We were upgraded to a Superior deluxe room, on the 12th floor, and it made the inner hotel snob in me, very happy indeed. Greg had made arrangements with the concierge to have a stunning bouquet of pink roses, pink lillies, and tulips greet us in our room, as a way to celebrate the weekend. Nice touch Greg!

We were ravenous by this time, so bobbled our way to Faneuil Hall Quincy Marketplace, and ate at McCormick & Schmick's for dinner. It was okay, but we decided to take advantage of the seafood options, since lobster is so much cheaper in Boston than Vancouver. Which explains this photo....

We made it back to our hotel around 10 and crashed hard for a good night sleep.

Friday midday, after sleeping for 12 hours each, we decided to get out and explore the tour. However, before we went out, Greg wanted to check in with the concierge to thank Charles for assisting with the flowers and ask about internet for the Canucks games. Much to our surprise, we were advised that a friend had called and made arrangements for a couples massage! Whoa! We have friends?!?! Turns out, it was Greg's boss, Sandra who had done this. Greg had told her some time ago of where we were staying, and she paid attention. (This wasn't the first time Sandra had done this- she had done the same thing to us by buying our dinner for us the night we got engaged when Greg told her what restaurant we were going to). Needless to say, we suddenly became very aware of all our aches and pains, and grateful that we had an hour long massage each to look forward to for Saturday.

First up on the agenda for Friday, was to hit the Boston race expo and pick up my race kit. Seriously, if an adult runner needed an example of Christmas, it was the race, and package pick up was like going to visit Santa on Christmas Eve. I was so excited to be there, and even had the eyes well up a few times, I was so appreciative to be there. The expo is pretty big and the Adidas official merchandise section was already a zoo at 3pm on the first day. I decided to pick up the race jacket (of course), a green short sleeve tech shirt, capris, 2 baseball caps (white and green), and a BAA logo beer glass. It was more than I had intended, but Greg convinced me that I might as well get the wardrobe. What the heck.

We ventured through the expo and had planned to leave. One quick last bathroom break, and then suddenly, we realized that we had only been in part of the expo and there was a whole huge wing more to explore. From a work standpoint, there wasn't a whole lot there that I would call unique or innovative (can you tell that I look for trends and innovative ideas at tradeshows as part my living). From a consumer standpoint, there were all the big brand names with big flashy booths and lots of gear. However, there was a lot of redundancy, and saw over and over again, compression socks, various marathon organizers, nutrition and kitschy stuff. I bought four sports bras, all at 50% off and a cute sun visor to support breast cancer.

After the expo, we went back to the hotel to drop off our stuff, get changed, and then headed to FENWAY PARK to catch a Red Sox game. Greg, my super shopper, had scooped a pair of tickets that ended up being primetime at $50 each. We sat in the front row, right field, literally beside the Toronto Blue Jays' bull pen. We just looked at each other with shock on our faces at what we had scored for these seats, it was incredible. We fully enjoyed the experience, complete with Italian sausage hot dogs, kettle corn and a hot chocolate. The only thing we regretted of the whole experience, was not being prepared enough to handle the cold winds that came whipping through.

Following the game, we went to the first sports bar we saw and sat down to watch the Canucks playoffs game. Much to Greg's angst, as much as he was there to support me for my race, he also didn't want to miss out on the hockey games. So we ate pizza, watched hockey and thawed out. Then back to crash at the Ames hotel.

Saturday morning, and we greeted our two RMT's at 10am for the now much anticipated couples massage. Admittedly, I was quite nervous, as I had been experiencing serious issues with my left periformis. Nothing says confidence when your left glute is chronically throbbing. That was my biggest concern along with a tight left IT band. Seriously, after Boston, I need to unwind! Greg took advantage of having his back worked on. It was a blissfully tortuous hour, but we both felt better for it. Following massage, we ventured to the shopping district down the street from the hotel to scout out our potential shopping areas for Monday. After that, we went back to the race expo to see if there was anything we had missed previously, and then continued on our way. Our intention was that we didn't want to go too crazy, as we didn't want to be on our feet all day. That idea went out the window when we decided to take the train out to Boston College, so we could check out the infamous Heartbreak Hill. Walked long way from the subway to the top of Heartbreak Hill, then realized at the bottom of the hill that we needed to go back up to find the subway. Just making sure we hit our 10,000 steps for the day, no big deal. Finally made it back onto the subway and then headed out for dinner.

I should mention that trying to go out for a good old fashioned pasta load on the Saturday night in Boston before the Boston Marathon is a bit of a stretch. We were recommended by a stranger on the subway to go to the North End, Boston's Italian district, to Antico Forno (http://www.anticofornoboston.com/). Despite the hour-long wait, it was well worth it. The food was incredible, and it was entertaining to sit beside the waiters station and hear them talk. We stuffed ourselves silly, then headed to Bova's Bakery for cannoli and other various desserts to eat back at the hotel. I felt so full and guilty at the end of the night for the gluttony, but it was worth it.


Sunday morning, after another big sleep in, I went for a short run (to try and work off the dinner) and then we went out to sightsee again. This time, we went along the waterfront so I could see the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. However, it didn't happen without controversy and will remain memorable for the fact that a bird crapped on my head. Yeah, that was a lot of fun, but I couldn't stop laughing. What else could I do besides find the closest bathroom to try and clean up.




Despite this wardrobe setback, we made the trip to Cambridge and explore Harvard University. I had never seen what the campus looked like, so I was curious to see what one of the most prestigious schools looked like. It was nice, there were some sections closed to students only, but yes, it was a school. Finished off at Harvard and then back for the pre-race dinner.

The BAA hosts a pre-race dinner at the City Hall, which as it so happens, was literally behind our hotel. It was really well organized, despite the super long line-ups of attendees. The food was good, but my only complaint was that I had to go out and around the building just to find desserts. That part was ridiculous. Otherwise, it was nice to meet a few other runners and share in the excitement of the race.

Following the dinner, back to the hotel to prepare for the race. I had prepared my race gear for the most part before we left Vancouver, but had to get the last minute details together. Greg had the Canucks hockey game to watch on the laptop, and then finally settled in.

Now that I have led up (for a really long post I might add) to the BIG event, which I will do separately, for the sake of keeping my sanity.

A Letter from Hopkinton...

So I came home from work feeling a little tuckered out after a long commute home. I had intended to go for a 10km recovery run, but decided it was better to be prudent and rest following the race and flu, and take it easy. So I will admit, when getting settled in, there was a nice discovery when sorting through the mail. It was a letter from Hopkinton.

I will admit that I had checked out the Boston Marathon website, that I could expect to receive my bib number packet around April 4th. It was nice to receive the Welcome booklet with all of the necessary details for my journey to Boston.

The past few weeks have really been a full-circle time for me. After all, it was the First Half two years ago, when I so badly injured my left hip, that I truly doubted if I ever ran again. I had to take 12 full weeks off from any activity because the pain so was so intense. Thankfully, I found the right people who helped me with treatment (yay Jenn @ Moveo with ART!) to get me back on track. Then, just last February, I finally achieved the goal that I had obsessed to achieve for years, finally qualifying for Boston. I couldn't believe how much I could cry at completing my 17th marathon, but qualifying certainly brought on the tears. Finally, revisiting Birch Bay this past weekend with the 30km really made it feel full circle, with running along the same course that helped get to this place, final preparations for Boston. It feels quite surreal. So that's my bit about Boston...

On other details, I am starting to get things organized for life after Boston. Namely, changing up the training to prepare for the Oliver Half IronMan in June. Have I done anything yet for training in the other two disciplines??? Uh, that would be a no. So hopefully I can start getting on the bike and get some swims in sometimes in the next couple of weeks. I can dream, right?

The other detail I started working on, was volunteering at IronMan Canada. I have decided that since I am bankrupting my race budget for this year with Boston, IMC was just not in the cards. Geoff, our neighbour, is planning on signing up for next year, so we have decided that we want to volunteer this year. I realllllly enjoyed volunteering at the finish line back in 2008, so I am looking forward to volunteering again. Geoff and I will decide which area we want to volunteer, as I do have to keep in mind that I am committed to being Greg's Iron Sherpa. Gotta look after him leading up to and supporting him on race day of course!

In all, I think it's rounded out to be a pretty darn awesome day. Yeah, it would have been nice to get out and run, but I really want to make sure that I show up to Boston feeling healthy and strong, so one more day of rest is probably for the best. And if I really needed something else to help ease the mind, at least there was Biggest Loser tonight, which is always a good thing. ;-)

Birch Bay 30km Race Report... following the Moment of Truth

So.... remember how I was a little anxious about the Birch Bay 30km just two days ago? Well, the day has passed, and now it's time to reflect and learn. The day started at the ungodly hour of 4:45am. The plan was to get up at 5am, prep, and then leave the house at 5:30, so we would make it to the border by 6:30. That part was accomplished, which allowed me to check in for my race bag by 6:40am. I was really impressed how well organized this event was, with tons of friendly volunteers and roarin' to go by 7am. It worked out well, as it allowed us lots of time to go to the one area that I wasn't familiar with on the course, Semiahmoo Parkway, and see what the turnaround was like. I have to admit that I was a little nostalgic. After all, this was the same course where I first qualified for Boston last year, and it was nice to revisit, as my prep race before Boston. It really felt full circle. We drove to the turnaround, and proceeded UP the hill to follow the course back to the start line. The interesting thing about this race was that it was a completely new distance for me. It's a little more serious than the half (that additional 9km does do a kick in the pants), but not as dramatic a distance as the marathon. I probably should have tapered to some degree, but the only thing I did was not run on Thursday and Friday. My legs were still sore and tired from last Sunday's 32km Pancake Run, and I had been experiencing hip and achilles issues all week. Greg also took over my eating plan, so I have been subsiding on 1200 calories a day, which left me feeling a little hungry. The race itself started as one mass start, for all of the 5km, 15km and 30km participants. Interesting approach, and the one thing I had to remind myself was that the volume of people would decrease as we moved through the different stages. My strategy was to go out conservative, then push it a bit more during the mid stage and then try to negative split the last third if possible. I had a couple of friends who were also doing the race. My friend Grace was planning on running a similar pace to me, and so I chose to run behind her for the first 7km-ish before we moved onto the hills section. Once we moved onto the hills, I tried to be consistent in my pacing, and really pay attention to my heart race and breathing. This time of year seems to aggravate my asthma, so I was trying to make sure that I stayed comfortable. After all, it was 9km uphill gradual climb, settle out with a downhill for the turnaround and then 9km downhill. Around 13km I started to have a tough time with the breathing, so at an aid station, I took a cup of water after taking a gel, to bring the heart rate down from 165bpm to 159bpm. Those 6 beats can really make a difference between gasping and coping. I had to stop again at 20km with another glass of water, choked momentarily, and then a woman who was running right behind me, took off, and I couldn't catch her again. By the time I was coming to the last 5km, I was really starting to feel it, and I really wanted to stop, as the heart rate was averaging around 163bpm. But I pushed through and wanted to prove to myself that I am meeting my Boston training goals, and this race would prove it. The race has at the last 150 meters, a small hill that is about 8% grade. Bit of a kicker when you are trying to gut it out. The woman who had passed me earlier, had to walk it, and I pushed myself to keep running and almost catch her. She finished just ahead of me, but I was really happy with the result. So.... these are the stats: Time was 2:35:30, goal was 2:35 - Mission Accomplished! Pace 5:11/km Overall placing, 20th, 7th woman, and 3rd in the Women's 35-39 Age Category. I came home with another shiny new medal, a pretty 3rd place ribbon, and a big smile on the face. The only other thing I came home with, was wicked stomach cramping, puking and upset tummy. Something tells me I may have the flu. But I will work through it, because this means I am officially tapering for the Boston Marathon. On a side note, I was thrilled for my friends who did this race. It looks like everyone achieved what they set out to do which is always great to hear. Good on ya guys, way to rock it!