Boston Marathon 2015 Race Report - bib 8219 (April 20, 2015)

Boston Marathon 2015 Race Report - bib 8219 (April 20, 2015)

 race stats: 3:17:16      6302/approx.27000, 833rd female, 716 in AG

 picking up my race bib - i was much more emotional than i thought i would be.  it was my first time back in Boston since 2013.  as we stepped off the plane and into the airport, i was immediately taken back to when i was waiting to board my plane that Tuesday morning after the bombings.  the airport was eerily quiet, I glanced over and recognized the seating area where I waited to board my plane.  As Ross and I stepped out of the subway into the city, i heard sirens... i tried to hold back tears because it was those same siren sounds that i heard post-marathon in 2013 not knowing at the time that tons of people had been injured by the bombs.  i was much more aware this time about the sirens in the city -- Boston is a big city and sirens seem to be the norm but I was especially aware of these sirens this time. 

 We found a YMCA to get in a quick swim over the weekend before the Marathon.

 Waiting in the athlete's village - trying to stay warm and dry as the rain and 20 mph winds settled into the area.  I was so glad to be able to experience this marathon with Ross.

 what's that?  SNOW?  yep, still some snow in the shade in Boston.

 These flowers were around the shops on Boylston Street.

 Sunset in Chicago before we headed to Boston

 Kids relay race on Saturday had a team from the town of Randolph near Boston :)

 Joan Beniot Samuelson gave us a special narration tour of the last mile of the Boston Marathon Course on Sunday morning and she stopped by the Abbott area after the marathon.

 The famous right on Hereford and left on Boylston area near the end of the marathon course.

 I found a quarter on the ground in the Boston Commons area.

 The famous Citgo sign! - 1 mile to go!

 Ross and I were chosen to volunteer at the 5k on Saturday, my second time volunteering - so fun to be able to give back.

 As close as I would get to the finish line before the race :)

Ross and I arrived home on Tuesday to a busy end of the week - did some quilt store shop hopping with my mom and the kids had their 2nd track practice in preparation for their Elementary School track meet on May 1st.  Helen had her spring sing performance.  Jayden and Helen competed in the 10&under Short Course Championship meet on Saturday in Cupertino, CA.  Helen was so proud of her medal and ribbons that she slept with them on her bed :)  

 My 2 Boston Jackets and Medals - Never Given, Always Earned.  Right after the race, Ross said we are DEFINITELY going back in 2016 (we both qualified @ Boston for 2016)!  I wasn't so sure as my legs were screaming at me :)  Ross also wants to do Boston to Big Sur next year (run the Boston Marathon on Monday and then fly back to California and run the Big Sur marathon on Sunday) --- post-Boston, I told Ross that I wasn't sure that I wanted to do Boston to Big Sur in 2016.... but now that I'm able to move around with hobbling ...... maybe I'll consider it :)  after all last year we did 2 marathons in 2 days :)

Race Notes:
I had a few goals for this race.  Obviously, my first goal was to run a PR (less than 3:11) - I knew this goal was going to be really tough, especially since I had just raced the Napa 70.3 the weekend before and the hilly terrain @ Boston --- another hilly course.  My second goal was to run a BQ time in Boston - for that I would need something faster than 3:40.  My third goal was to get through the race emotionally - it was so much harder than I thought to go back to Boston after 2013.  I was one of the lucky ones that wasn't injured that day but I can't help but think about what could have been that day... knowing that I probably ran past the 2 backpacks that day and not knowing what was going to happen after the race. 

Realistically, I thought I could run about a 3:15 marathon --- but the hills and race fatigue really set in for me in the last 2 miles.  Of course, the hills starting around mile 16 were a challenge.  So, I set out with a target pace of about 7:15/mile for the first 16 miles - I wanted to be running comfortable with this pace for these miles --- it's mostly downhill but there are a few uphills in those first 16 miles.  I can remember in 2013 how uncomfortable those first 16 miles were for me - I was struggling to maintain pace at that time and didn't know how I would be able to manage the Newton Hills (in 2013 my pace was much slower than my 7:15/mile pace this year considering I ran 3:48 overall time in 2013).  But THIS time I was comfortable - the miles flew by and I felt good.  Looking back at my Garmin data, I did a pretty good job on maintaining the 7:15/mile.  Then the hills hit and I switched to watching my Heart Rate and not even worrying about my pace/mile.  Mentally this was great for me - I've struggled in races and my training when I start to see the per mile pace on my Garmin go up - I start to give up physically and mentally.  This didn't happen to me this time - the hills weren't easy at all - but mentally I felt strong and then tried to pick up the pace as I crested each hill.  I tackled each hill as it came to me and all of a sudden, I looked up to see the flashing yellow stop light and realized I was on Heartbreak Hill --- almost done!  The last 2 miles were a struggle physically for me - my quads were burning BAD!  my shins hurt and even my arms were tired :)  After doing some math in my head, I knew I was close to a 3:15 finish time but not close enough so I decided to hold back a little bit on pace --- I have some big triathlons coming up (Hello Team USA!!! in Sweden and IM Frankfurt) and I didn't want to trash my legs and risk an injury.  I knew at that point that I was going to finish in under 3:20 and I was very happy with that.  Finishing in 3:17 gave me a 31 MINUTE time improvement from 2013!!!!  As I ran through the Backbay area just before turning on to Hereford and Boylston street, it seemed as if my body was going into slow motion --- it almost felt like a dream where you are trying to run fast but you can't - everything around you goes into slow motion.... this happened to me.  I just wanted to get down Boylston street to the finish - not because I wanted the marathon to be over --- but because I felt so much emotion and fear from 2013 --- but as I crossed the finish line, I felt a great sense of relief - I did it and I'm ready to move on!  I honestly didn't even notice the rain and 20 mph winds that stayed with me the entire race.  I was so thankful to be able to experience this marathon weekend with Ross - he worked so hard to qualify for Boston.  We enjoyed a nice weekend in Boston and I'm so thankful that my mom came to stay with the kids --- which in addition to their daily craziness included taking them to swim practice on Saturday from 7-9am and a swim meet ALL day Sunday.  She even said she would come back next April so we could run in Boston again :)