The entire lead-up to Boston had me worried. I was in pain while running that wouldn't go away. Something new for me and something I've
since learned to put up with. My training quality and quantity were both down. Neither to the level I would have liked them to be. I lacked confidence in what I was going to be able to do there. I didn't expect a great run, let alone to re-qualify.
Well, I didn't re-qualify, missing out by four minutes. My time: 3:19:50. I'm thrilled because I didn't expect to be able to run that! But the trip to Boston was more than just a run. We had a mini-vacation in April, pulling Jr. P out of school, something we've managed to avoid doing so far.
Our trip began on Friday night with us leaving after Jr was out of school. Although the forecast was for rain, we found blue sky and sun on our way toward Pennsylvania. We reached Erie, PA by dinner time and were trying to select a place to eat based upon the road signs. One in particular caught our eyes: Boston's Gourmet Pizza! Is that a "sign" or what? They were tasty pizzas too, Mrs. P's more so than mine. Back on the road it was getting dark. Our intention was to get through Buffalo and possibly to Rochester. We were all tired when we finally reached Rochester and pulled into a Hampton Inn, which fortunately wasn't full.
Day two began early, with us having some of the complimentary breakfast. Saturday also began with rain, and there would be no more blue skies for a couple days. The drive across New York on I-90 is pretty boring. Sorry, it just is. We did drive past a park where there was a race taking place, just a local 5K. Since there was no one driving around us, I honked the horn as we passed the runners. Traffic wasn't bad at all until we crossed into Massachusetts. That's when it slowly began to get more
congested. We left the Interstate and exited at
Hopkinton to check out the little town at the start.
Hopkinton was busy! The final touches were being put on everything. We parked and walked around, seeing sights that I would miss seeing on race day. Our original plan was just to stop and find the sign (above), then to get back on the Interstate to get to our hotel in Boston. But Mrs. P had the idea to drive into Boston on the marathon route. We had the time, so why not? The drive in was grey, rainy, and crowded in spots. I was concentrating intensely on making sure I was staying on the correct roads, obeying the local posted laws, and studying the topography of the course, while Mrs P was taking photos and Jr was playing his DS.
Downtown Boston, or at least the area immediately around the convention center, was a nightmare to drive in. Utter gridlock. Cars weren't moving. Period. After much stop and go and burning down of my patience we found the recommended parking garage and began looking for a spot. Funny side-story: Most parking garages loop around and as they loop around they go up a level. Here I am driving around this garage, under the impression we were going to higher levels, amazed at how crowded it was. There must have been a TON of people there already. As it turns out, the level was flat all the way around and I needed to take a ramp to go up a story. Mrs. P thought I was trying to catch someone leaving their space and thought it was hilarious that I didn't realize we weren't going up!
The Expo on Saturday was as packed as the streets were outside the Hynes Convention Center. Once we picked up our numbers, we tried to make our way through the expo. Wasn't going to happen that afternoon. Shoulder to shoulder people with others trying to push their way through the jam. We got out of there as quickly as we could.
Due to the lateness of the day, my patience ground down to nil, and our desire to just relax already, we made the decision to not try to meet up with the others in town for dinner, which I'm sure was really good, and just find the hotel and stay local for the night. We managed to reach the Courtyard by Marriott - Cambridge fairly easily, and after waiting my turn in line to check in, we were in our room on one of the higher floors, overlooking the Charles River. For dinner we walked around the corner and ate at Whole Foods, where we also bought some food for the room.
Sunday morning was the BAA 5K and Mrs. P was running. The weather was still cold with hit and miss rain showers. Completely gray. Rather than mess with public transportation, we took a cab over. He was the best of the three cab drivers we would have while in town. Friendly and talkative. He mentioned he was taking Monday off because he didn't want to deal with the street closures and traffic headaches. We arrived with plenty of time to spare. Maybe too much time due to the chill in the air. We walked around and spotted a Dunkin Donuts where Jr P "needed" a glazed donut. After that we were back out on the street to wait.
Mrs. P was excited to run but was worried about the weather and what she should wear. After hanging out for a bit, it was time for her to go line up and for Jr and I to find a spot to watch the race. We found an empty corner where the runners would pass just after the start, then come back through just before hitting mile two. But go figure, as we were waiting, all these other people came and stood right in front of us. I said out loud how rude that was, but have know idea if anyone actually heard me.
The eventual 5K winner on his way toward mile two with a significant lead over the chase group. His winning time was 14:something. Mrs. P finished in 28:something and thought she may have just run a new PR. But when the official results came out, she just missed a PR by a couple seconds. After the run we headed back into the expo and I'm glad we did. It was so nice to be able to walk around the exhibit space without the massive crowds. It was more like a trade show than a race expo. There was even a map available so you could find specific vendors.
We decided to walk back to the hotel to see how long it would take. The nearly 3 mile walk took about 50 minutes, but was scenic, even though the clouds were still blanketing everything.
For lunch we decided to hail another cab and travel to the
Faneuil Hall area to eat at the Hard Rock Cafe. We always seek them out when we're visiting somewhere new. Except we couldn't eat there. Not unless we were willing to wait half an hour, even with our All Access membership. So we went a building over and ate at Cheers! While not an "exact" replica of the bar on TV, it was pretty cool and filled with Cheers photos. And they had Sam Adams Boston Ale on tap. I had two.
We were able to meet up with Debbie, Dan, Debbie, and Dave while there. We had seen them earlier in the morning before the 5K while they were out for a short run, and they were looking for something to eat after having braved the expo that afternoon.
We all did a little walking around the Boston Harbor area just behind the Quincy Market. It may have been there that I decided that Boston would be a cool city just to vacation in, to visit without worrying about having to run.
That afternoon the clouds were slowly beginning to break up, but there was still the
occasional shower passing through. The forecast for Monday was holding at mostly sunny with very decent temperatures! For dinner on Sunday we decided to walk a little further toward the Harvard campus and find a little take-out Italian place called
Basta Pasta. WOW, was that worth the walk! We left with a large pepperoni pizza which we didn't expect to be able to finish, but somehow managed to eat everything but a slice and a half. It was so tasty and light!
Definitely would
recommend to anyone staying in the Cambridge area. Bed time came a little later than I would like the night before a big race, but I wasn't too worried about it. I was thrilled to find Rocky on TV and stayed up to watch it all before falling asleep. What a great movie to watch the night before a seemingly overwhelming challenge.
Marathon morning found me up and eager at 3:30. Breakfast consisted of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a banana, and a slice of pizza. Since we weren't starting until 10:00 I was bringing a Cliff Bar and a nut bar for later, plus a bottle of Gatorade Endurance to sip on up until the start. I felt good,
surprisingly relaxed and calm, considering how big an event this was and how much
anxiety I had experienced in the lead up. I met Dan and Dave in the lobby, as they were staying in the same hotel, where we caught a cab to take us to Boston Common.
The scene at the Common was unreal. The photo above really doesn't do it justice. Buses were lined up all the way down the street and lines had formed to board each one. All the buses would fill and leave together. Then another entire set of buses would arrive for loading. Just imagine how many buses were needed to transport 28,000 people to the starting line!
We must have gone through part of the "Big Dig" because we went underground at the beginning, surfacing in time to go through some toll booths. Those booths, it so happens, were vi sable from our hotel room, where Mrs. P got a kick out of seeing hundreds of school buses lined up! Our ride took about an hour but didn't feel that long. Still, I wasn't getting too nervous or over-excited. Upon arriving at Hopkinton High School, we visited the porta-johns (Mine was awesome! It had a sink with running water and everything!) and someone suggested we find where the pre-race massages were taking place. All I need to say about that is, thank you Stephanie (my masseuse) for a fabulous massage! She worked my legs over pretty good and had me so relaxed I could have fallen asleep on the table.
Once the three of us were all done, we ventured out into the chill to find a place to sit and wait. We found a sunny spot just outside one of the large white tents that had been erected on the school grounds. What we didn't foresee though, was the line for another set of porta-johns stretching right past us. Well, the lines got long and having people standing right over the top of you gets uncomfortable after a while. A little scoot over made all the difference and I was happy. Eventually the P.A. announcers began calling numbers to head to the start. Dave, Dan, and I were all close together in starting positions and were called at the same time. Of course, with the masses of people heading to the buses to drop off our bags, we were split apart. I wouldn't see Dan again until mile 23.
The photo above is the last I took on race morning. That is the view of the .7 mile walk from Hopkinton High School to the starting line. One long column of people. The sunny morning at least had people's smiles out, helping to ease the nerves. My main concern was finding a porta-john for one final visit before the start. I had about 35 minutes till start time when I got into a line. I had 5 minutes when I finished my business. I wasn't exactly happy about that, but what was I going to do? I missed the military fly-over, but I could hear them coming from inside my plastic potty. I found corral 5 and was one of the last few to be able to squeeze into it before it was closed. Then, it was go time!
I'm not going to go into great detail and description of the course and the experience that is running the Boston Marathon. Part of what I expected was true: We ran in a pack, sometimes tighter sometimes looser, for 26.2 miles, from Hopkinton to Boston. But I was happy when the great mass of runners I was embedded within didn't take off at a faster pace than was prudent. One of my worries was that I would be pulled along by everyone else, running too fast at the start and blowing up my legs later in the race. I'm thankful that didn't happen. We ran comfortably, some people passing, some being passed. But for the most part, I recognized the same people all the way along. The hills weren't that bad, even Heartbreak Hill. Sure, it was tough, but I'd run bigger and badder hills in Hinckley during training. I just kept my head down and focused on my breathing. The women of Wellesely were amazing. Imagine running down a half mile long line of screaming co-eds! And that wasn't the only spot where the spectators amazed me. Except for a few spots, the ENTIRE course, all 26.2 miles, was lined with people! It was amazing! I've never experienced anything like that anywhere else I've run. I think it's that fact, the coming together of so many athletes and so many more non-runners, makes me want to return to Boston again. I don't need the noise and the cheering, I'm more than happy to go run in the woods by myself, but it was such a unique experience, I look forward to doing it again some day.
Jr. P out on the course with his cowbell. I suggested they try to find a spot somewhere in the Boston University area where the crowds might be thinner, giving them a better chance to see me and for me to see them. So what happened? They made their way onto the corner of Hereford and
Boylston, the final turn before the finish. They never saw me go by and I didn't have a prayer of picking them out of the crowd. They did, however, get to watch as the fastest marathoners in the world ran by.
Women's marathon winner Teyba Erkesso of Ethiopia. She ran a 2:26:11.
Men's marathon winner Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot from Kenya. He finished in 2:05:52 setting a new course record!
Ryan Hall, first American, finishing 4th in 2:08:41.
Meb Keflezighi, second American, finishing 5th in 2:09:26.
My time? Not quite so fast. But like I wrote in the first paragraph, 3:19:50 is a time I can be very happy with given everything I was dealing with this year. There was no resting upon crossing the finish line, however. We were hearded down the street, past all the different finish-line stations. First we got our mylar blankets to keep us warm. Next were the finisher's medals. (They're nice too!) Then an assortment of food, snacks, fluids and the like. Finally we found the school busses filled with our drop-bags. I caught my bag from a bus window, squeezed my way through the throng, found a quiet place to put some clothes on, and called Mrs. P to find where they were. From that point it was walking time. Walk to meet them. Continue walking back to the hotel. Just short of 3 miles worth of walking after running 26 miles. Once back at the hotel, the shower felt great, then I zoned out in bed for the rest of the afternoon. Dinner that night was at P.F. Chang's China Bistro and was very tasty. Jr. P, as picky an eater as he is, even enjoyed it!
Tuesday morning dawned warm and sunny. Very nice weather for us to make a short drive north to Maine so Mrs. P could visit some of her business vendors. First time for us in both New Hampshire and Maine. I'd like to go back to the Northeast for a vacation some day.
The beach in Ogunquit, Maine. Schools were out that week for spring break so there were families and kids out on the beach enjoying the nice weather. The water was a little too cold for anyone to venture in!
Our stay in Maine didn't last long and we were heading back west. Our plan was to make it all the way to Syracuse, NY, but we didn't know if we would make it before it got too late. In the end we did make it, staying at the Embassy Suites which Jr. P really enjoyed. He enjoyed the large rooms but the courtyard inside with the plants, paths, and streams even more.
We decided to make a stop at Niagara Falls on the drive home on Wedensday. We had been there once before many years ago and would be so close this time we just had to stop. The Falls were still impressive. The crowds were thin as it wasn't the season to visit yet. The American side was still disappointing, filled with tourist traps straight out of the 1970's. We walked through a musty smelling shop in search of some postcards only to find some great vintage ashtrays. Ashtrays! There were the glass ones and the stamped metal ones. Classic! I would have bought one if they weren't so expnsive. You don't see those as much any more.
We arrived home Wednesday afternoon, weather still beautiful. There was a local 5K that night in Medina. A FREE 5K. So, me being me, changed real quick and headed up to The Square. I felt better than I thought I would and ran harder than I probably should have, finishing in 22 minutes and some change. I felt something tug in my inner quad area and developed some pain which would last a week or so. Running that hard probably wasn't one of the smarter things I've done. Fortunately it was all healed up in time for the Flying Pig a week and a half later.
I hope to qualify for Boston again and to go run it again someday too. It's an expensive little trip and not one we can make every year like some of those people do. For Dan H, it was his tenth Boston and (so he says) his last. I doubt I will ever run there 10 times, but I could be happy with a few more times. Maybe one of those times Mrs. P or Jr. will be running too?
I parked at the spillway and started out running clockwise around Hinckley Lake, proceeding directly up the Ledges.
I really enjoy the Ledges in the late afternoon when the light is coming from the west, shining directly on that side and lighting up everything.
One of the many crevices on the Ledges.
This is ALL uphill!
Upon reaching the top of the Ledges and running through some trees, the trail opens up onto wide fields of grass.
Parker Rd., where the section of trail ends, is home to a certain power line tower where the buzzards LOVE to roost. I came upon four. Three flew away leaving this guy.
Back onto trail, the bridle trail, after descending and then climbing Parker Rd.
Running west, directly into the sun.
The bugs were out, but you can't tell in the photos.
It's only a matter of time till this guy comes crashing down.
Part of the fun of running trails is that you never really know what's around the next bend.
Or the next rise.
Back down into the part of the park where everyone else is.
One last view of Hinckley Lake after sunset as I was approaching the parking lot and the end of my run. 11 miles total in under 2 hours. Pretty good! I was running solo but passed the Thursday night group at one point. I saw one deer as it bounded into the woods away from me, many squirrels, TONS of bugs, my first hooter in the wild (that would be an owl!), and a galloping goddess in a tight pink tank top riding her steed toward me. Ah, the many joys of trail running!
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