In celebration of the 2015 Boston Marathon, I figured I'd wind back into time and remember my Boston experience. Nothing like living in the past!
If you're not hip with the Boston knowledge (aside from the horrific bombing incident in 2013), I'll try to give a quick recap. It is the oldest annual marathon in the world, and began in 1897. It's always held on Patriot's day, which is the third Monday in April. The town practically shuts down, and attracts over 500,000 spectators and around 30,000 participants. Not just anyone can get in, there are tough qualifying times that you must achieve in qualifying races in order to get in.
Luckily I managed to squeak in a qualifying race the year before they decided to make the qualifying times slightly more difficult. I qualified in the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco, which to this day I have no idea how I actually did it. It was my 2nd marathon overall, and I sliced almost 20 minutes off the first marathon time. It was also raining, and a hilly course for a road marathon. Oh, and it rained. I remember being so cold at the end while waiting for a friend, that I was minutes away from begging strangers for their extra jackets.
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| My bootcamp trainer/fellow BQ seeker/Korean leprechaun that I can never catch |
To maintain the BQ pace, I joined a pacer group full of some fast looking ladies. Like every pacing group I'm in, I decide they're going too slow and pass them. Then they pass me. And then I wave them goodbye while I watch them fade in the distance. I lost them at the last mile or two, but still had hope that I'm qualify. By the last mile my legs were so out of energy, the finish line was in sight and I knew the qualifying time was within SECONDS but I just could not get myself to run. I think I gave it every ounce of energy I had. Finish time was 3:38:39, reallly pushing the limit since the qualifying time was 3:39:59
Kind of sad that Nike nixed the marathon distance from the race now...
Once open registration for Boston was announced, I woke up early and anxiously refreshed the registration page over and over until I got in. I think in my desperate attempt, I googled up a forum that found a way to get into the page successfully. That year I think the race sold out in record time.
Months went by, and I kept running hard and found myself sprinkled with injuries. It wasn't pretty, but at least I achieved my goal, right?
I should mention that I also had some kind of flu for this event. I had a fever, but decided that I would rather crawl across the finish line instead of missing out on something this monumental. It was so worth it.
I went with a friend (Ko) that I was introduced to, and we stayed in a nearby hotel together. I flew out on Saturday I think, and even the airport welcomed runners with open arms. I relished the short time that I had the hotel to myself, and even ordered in room service...a kids meal, and it was one of my favorite moments EVER. Just look at all those tiny condiments! So glad I kicked my Diet Coke habit...
Ko came in much later that night, and we woke up the next day to head to the expo. It was awesome, and even at the airport, runners were welcomed with open arms. I've never felt a city devote such overwhelming support and love to a race before! The entire city of Boston truly made it a memorable and wonderful experience.
We snagged our coveted race jackets. FLASHBACK: I remember when I was sitting in a restaurant for my 2nd half marathon carbo-load, our newbie distance running group spotted a man wearing a Boston jacket and excitedly whispered about it. I remember specifically saying that if I ever got one I would never take it off. Turns out, I can count the times I've worn that jacket on one hand. Part of it is because I am significantly slower now, and don't like to give anyone the idea that I'm a legendary speedster. Lol. I'll wear it once a year on Marathon Monday. :)
The night before the race, my friend, Ko and I decided that we needed to carbo load, and appropriately went to Buca di Beppo's. I was still under the impression that carbo loading was absolutely necessary prior to a marathon. If you're unfamiliar with Buca's, this is a FAMILY STYLE Italian Restaurant, with portions big enough to feed a family of six. We ordered two bowls of pasta, a salad, and an entire pizza. Ko looked pretty defeated at the end, but he put away a surprising amount of food. (Never underestimate a skinny Japanese man)
We woke up before sunrise, and headed off to our shuttles. The shuttle system was so smooth, and they took us to the Athlete's village. It was a freezing start, I remember walking around just to keep warm. They had plenty of food and hot coffee if I remember correctly. Ko was prepared for a hurricane it seems like, and I'm trying to remember why...
The actual race was incredible. Spectators lined the ENTIRE 26.2 miles. It was never boring, and you could really feed off of the crowd's energy. Boston is full of history, and the city is beautiful. The most memorable part was the mile of girls screaming at Wellesley College. It's impossible not to smile and take in the excitement. I didn't kiss any of them, in case you were wondering.
Then there was Heartbreak Hill. This notorious hill is at the 20 mile point, which tends to make or break runners. After running some trail races, you quickly realize that this hill really isn't a big deal, but if you're going for a fast time, it will definitely slow you down.
Finishing the race was really rewarding. I was just happy to make it through, because I still wasn't feeling well. My official finishing time was 4:02:09, which looking back...was not a bad time at all! At the time it felt very disappointing, it didn't help that all the runners there were in amazing shape. I was definitely in the back of the pack for my age group.
Annddd here's the beautiful medal that's hiding underneath my other zillions of race medals. It's fitting that the race logo is made with unicorn.
Of course I ate lobster there too. SO GOOD.
For all those running Boston 2015, good luck! Enjoy the experience, and get yourself some lobstah!
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