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February 13, 2005
Debunking more Boston myths
It's true, I did run Boston once before, but it's all kind of a blur because I had a weird injury in the week leading up to it and wasn't sure I'd be able to run. But I do know my left knee has never been the same since then--I just figured it was a weird overcompensation thing from the other injury that was bothering me.
But the more I run on the course these days, the harder I think it is on the body. Especially for pounders like me. I thought things become easier when you're more familiar with them, but in this case it seems to be working the opposite way.
Today, I decided to go to the run where I would be bringing up the rear just because I thought it would be neat to run from Hopkinton--at least it's different than what I've been doing. The running club that organized it took us all from the 15 mile mark of the Marathon to the starting line. In no way, shape or form did I recognize it, but I wasn't that surprised because the corrals are a lot further away from the starting line than we were today, so it's almost an afterthought when you do get to the line.
There was one group of women there who I thought I would be okay keeping up with, but after going through 2 miles in 15:00, I decided to slow down a bit. Sometimes that pace is okay for me, but today I just felt it too much in my legs, which are still sore from lifting Thurs. I ended up running with some old men though, so that eased my worries about getting lost 10 miles outside Boston. Plus the club had 3 Gatorade stops between Hopkinton and Wellesley, which was really cool.
So when I settled back into a more comfortable pace, I started remembering one of the reasons I didn't like Boston in 2002. The whole "The first half is downhill" thing is really a myth. Sure, there are some steep-ish downhills, but there are plenty of rolling uphills to balance them out. THAT's what makes the first half of the course hard. One of the men I was running with has run Boston 15 times consecutively, and he pretty much summed it up by saying, "Remember that half-mile stretch in Framingham? That's the flat part of the Marathon." It's true! (Downtown Boston is flat too, but who cares by that point?) So I definitely think it is a course that takes a toll because it is so rolling, but it is never described that way.
I ran a little more than 17 total today, which is probably a bit less than I should have but I hope to do more like 3:00 next weekend (sounds good now, but...the thought of it is scary.) I desperately wanted to take a nap this afternoon, but I kept procrastinating with my work and it never happened. Too bad...
Posted by becky at February 13, 2005 9:29 PM
Comments
Hi there...I love reading your blog because I get to hear about everything going on in your life & its almost like you never left. Reading this last entry makes me really glad that the one thing I can say about my long runs thus far is that they've been on pretty hilly courses. Since I haven't been worried about pace much -- just time "in the saddle" -- I guess I feel free-er to run any route I want. This last week I ran 2:20 and I can say that I felt pretty good. Its been a pretty warm winter so far and I haven't had to miss any long runs because of snow, but I did miss 2 weeks in a row when we went skiiing in Park City at the end of January. We had to delay our return because Max got sick and then we ALL got sick -- its been a long time since I've felt so bad, but thankfully its over. Other than my long runs, most of my runs now are with the baby jogger (and a dog, of course!) Its heavy to push (esp. uphill!) but I love it because it lets me run a lot more days than I would be able to otherwise. Em
Posted by: Emily at February 14, 2005 10:22 AM