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April 17, 2006
Could have been better (or worse)
Another (well, only a second) Boston Marathon in the books. Today turned out to be kind of an "eh" day for me overall. In the grand scheme of things, I did fine. And although I feel like a broken record when I say I know I have a faster marathon in me, I think it remains sleeping in there. I could not have run the last 5 miles today any differently--I was shuffling after pretty much hitting the wall at 20 or 21. That being said, we were very conservative all the way to the hills and felt great. I have no idea whether picking it up then would have been the death of me...but I'm glad I didn't have to find out.
The best part of the day was that my training partner Wynne and I ran together the whole time. After months of doing track workouts and long runs together, this was very rewarding. She was way more energetic than I was in the late miles (especially around BC, where she went to grad school) and that helped a lot. Neither one of us was feeling too great during the last 1.2 miles though and I think we both helped each other. At track, Wynne is always saying "One and done" when we get to our last interval, so I reminded her of that today.
I feel like I have all these thoughts running through my head (not to mention a lot of reading to do, but that's another story...) so I am going to highlight some of the good and the bad of my day today.
Boston Marathon 2006: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (in no particular order):
- The wave start: Okay, except for a couple of things. One, the half hour they gave us to get to our corrals was not enough for the people in the first corral. Wynne and I (and another random chick) had to literally sprint through people's backyards to get there with a few minutes to spare. Not the way you want to start a marathon. And two, it was weird not to have mile splits unless they were on your own watch. It was just strange to see a time on the clock that didn't mean anything.
- My friends and I were walking around near the buses and the Athlete's Village and I walked past someone who looked familiar. I realized it was Bridget (I've seen a photo of her) and ran up to her to introduce myself. We shared a nice pre-race hug. I enjoyed that a lot--and it was so random.
- The amount of time spent sitting on the bus and waiting around before the marathon starts is really ludicrous. I hope they end up changing the start time like they've been hinting. I tried to eat enough while hanging around but it's pretty hard to know whether you've accomplished that.
- Mad props to Audrey for handing me my Gatorade bottle at the 30K mark. It helped me immensely through the rest of the race.
- Best line of the day: "Girls, you just gotta put your back into it!" (sung to me and Wynne by a spectator in Framingham or Natick)
- Apparently running skirts are really catching on. Who knew?
- I did not have to wait in line more than 5 minutes for any port-o-potti--The National Marathon should speak to the BAA about how to accomplish that on a smaller scale.
- The MIT track ladies were just past Kenmore Square and screaming their lungs out. It helped so much to hear them when I was feeling so dead for the final miles! Thanks also to Janel, Kristen, Jennie and Wynne's parents for boosting my ego along the way.
- Wynne wrote her name on both her arms. I knew I would sweat it off so I did not consider it. Anyway, the different pronunciations she got along the way were hilarious! "Winnie" was very popular so I think I may just start referring to her that way. Anyway, we were amused for at least 18 miles.
- My feet were really hurting by the time we got to Newton. Since I was wearing a newish (less than a month old) pair of the same model I always wear, this was odd. It could be the downhills, though. Maybe I need new orthotics.
- I didn't really remember how much fun passing by Wellesley College was last time I ran Boston. I was a little worried that the girls would be tired of screaming by the time the second wave of runners came by, but there was no need to worry.
- The course change making runners go under Mass. Ave in the last mile and then climb out of the underpass is kind of evil. I mean, it's not terrible, but I didn't really dig that added little hill.
- There were so many people at the finish that I worried that I wouldn't be able to find Matt. But he always has a way of finding me. It was great to see him so happy that I finished. And he was very patient as he waited for me to be ready to walk again. (I like to sit for a while afterwards.)
- How could I not comment on the weather? It was probably the best it could be for mid-April in Boston. But when the sun was out, it was strong--I have the sunburn on my back and forehead to prove it. Had the race started in the morning, it would have been even more ideal. Just an idea...
- My running club got two hotel rooms at the Park Plaza for anyone to go and change, shower, chill out, etc. after finishing. Matt and I went there for a bit and it was so nice. Great idea!!
That's all I can think of now. I'll add to my list if something else pops into my tired brain. I realize I haven't really talked a whole lot about how I felt, but I don't feel like rehashing it all. Like I said, I did fine, but I would hope that someday, my decent mileage and workouts will lead to something more. I'm going to try really hard to take it easy for the rest of the week. I don't think it will be too hard, actually!
Posted by becky at April 17, 2006 8:27 PM
Comments
Becky,
Congratualations on another marathon in the books! Happy resting and recovery!
Posted by: Meghan at April 17, 2006 10:17 PM
Hi becky!! i'm glad you had some good to go along with the bad and ugly :) You looked strong when i saw you. congrats on a nice race. i rode my bike there (up and down the heartbreak hill section) and i was TIRED! all of the runners (who ran farther than i biked) were so impressive!!
Posted by: Audrey at April 17, 2006 11:28 PM
Hi becky!! i'm glad you had some good to go along with the bad and ugly :) You looked strong when i saw you. congrats on a nice race. i rode my bike there (up and down the heartbreak hill section) and i was TIRED! all of the runners (who ran farther than i biked) were so impressive!!
Posted by: Audrey at April 17, 2006 11:29 PM
Kudos! Maybe some day I'll have the guts to run Boston... until then, I'll just have to admire those like you who do. :)
Posted by: alweiss at April 17, 2006 11:48 PM
Great job Becky!! I am glad you made it, sounds like it was your best Boston Marathon experience yet.
Posted by: barb at April 18, 2006 12:06 AM
Congrats Becky!!! I was following along with you on the race tracker and you ran soooooo strong! It sounds like a great experience, especially since you got to run with your friend the whole way. Rest up and relax! You've worked so hard, now comes the fun part. :)
P.S. I'm not sure what a running skirt is, but I'm pretty sure I don't want to know... :)
Posted by: Beth at April 18, 2006 7:30 AM
To the dozens (and dozens) of Becky's fans screaming her name throughout the course... you guys ROCK.
Congrats to my Love on another successful marathon.
Posted by: Matty at April 18, 2006 11:54 AM
I just got home and was excited to see how well you ran! Congratulations! That's awesome that you got to run with Wynne! I enjoyed reading "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly." I love reading people's reflections on their experiences. Rest up and recover well!
Posted by: Caitlin at April 18, 2006 12:16 PM
No matter what you think, you did a great job out there yesterday. It is a part of all of our make-up as runners to want to do better.
I have to say I've seen the running skirts and don't know what I think about them. I overheard a girl in our local running shop last week talk about how much she loves them, but they just look too restrictive to me.
Blondie
Posted by: Blondie at April 18, 2006 8:39 PM
Sorry we couldn't be there to cheer in person, but we stalked you. After reading your blog we feel like we were there. Congratulations on another solid marathon finish! Rest up...no really!
Posted by: Saxtons at April 20, 2006 2:06 AM