2017 St. George Marathon

After running the Boston Marathon, I took 3 full weeks off with no running at all to allow for a deep recovery.  I ate a lot and enjoyed the extra sleep.  Before long, I was itching to get back after it.  With my progress in the past year, I decided to continue to focus on my running and set aside long course triathlon for a season.  I set my sights on St. George Marathon, Gilbert Half Marathon and then the MESA-PHX Marathon.  I believe I can get to sub-3 hours for a marathon and St. George and Phoenix are the best courses for me to pursue that goal as they both have downhill sections, but not too much down.

St. George does not have a lottery for marathon entry anymore, so it is first-come first-served for registration.  MW and I signed up and trained together with the rest of the Delancey Loopers team. When I started running again, the rest of the team was also in off-season, so we collectively decided to run the Strava Mile Challenge in June and go for mile PRs.  Of course, we made the attempt on our familiar loop since it is fast and flat.  After warming up for a couple of loops, we started an all-out effort.  Most of the team set PRs that day and I ran sub-6 minutes for the first time ever.  We also did a few 5k races and I pursued my goal of sub 20 minutes.  On the third attempt I squeezed in at 19:56 at Kiwanis Park.  What was interesting about that race is that on the 3^rd mile, my HR was 4 bpm higher than I have ever recorded.  I found a new zone of suffering that day.  Everything was hurting for the last mile and yet I kept pushing hard because I could see that 20 minutes was in reach.

By mid-July, we were heavy into marathon training with long runs and rising weekly mileage.  The pattern of workouts was similar to before with a hard workout on Tuesday, a long run Saturday, and mostly easy running on the other days.   I have come to really appreciate the easy running; it does not hurt as much, it helps me recover, and I can feel the benefits of high mileage weeks with limited damage.  In August and September, I had several weeks with 50+ miles.

This year I have traveled a lot for work and over the summer I was in San Francisco or San Jose many weeks.  This turned out to be a big help because the temperature was much cooler than Gilbert and there are many hills to run.  I ran frequently along the Embarcadero, Crissy Field, across the Golden Gate Bridge, and down through Golden Gate Park.  During one run on Twin Peaks for some hill miles, I was running in the clouds with a cool mist. The view was lousy, but the feeling was awesome. 

Back in Phoenix, MW and I were joined by JS for some long runs on the Phoenix Marathon course which also has great hills for training.  We started very early to beat the heat, but by the end it was always plenty warm.  Some of my workouts and long runs I suffered from the heat and blew up.  One of my strongest workouts was a long run on the Phoenix course where we ran 6 miles steady and then goal marathon pace for 10 miles without stopping.  This was a real race test and I nailed it.  Even when I hit my targets I felt that it was harder than it should be and I wondered how I would be able to push that hard for 26.2.  We talked about this a lot and from past experience came to expect that the fitness and speed were developing, they were just masked by the heat. 

As race day got closer, Coach D helped me develop a race plan that would enable me to get a PR.  I was aiming for 3:08-3:10, but thought that 3:05 could be possible if everything went perfect. The key I was told was to be conservative in the first half and let the race come to me in the second half.  My plan was to average 7:15 pace, so the first half I aimed for 7:25ish.  There is a long hill starting at Veyo and the temptation is to work too hard and that can burn too much energy.  I had practice running uphill, so I knew to find a sustainable effort level and not worry about the pace showing on my watch.

Taper went smoothly so I was heading in to race week with no injuries, no sickness, and no hard travel the days prior.  I bought some new Newton Gravity shoes for the race, got a haircut to lose some weight 😊, and packed my bag.  Speaking of weight, after Boston I promptly put on about 10 pounds and I found it harder than expected to shed that when running 50 miles a week. It is somewhat unexpected, but the reason is because of the fueling demands of running that much.  During August and September, I focused on protein intake (IsaPro shakes) right after runs, had frequent small meals, and stayed away from sodas.  The Isagenix AMPED bars and protein shakes helped a lot, but they don’t replace the need for making good decisions on what you eat and portion size.  By race week, I was back down to my normal 186 race weight and I felt good.

KB and our two youngest drove up with me to St. George.  We planned a little stay in Las Vegas after as the kids were on fall break.  I was excited to have someone cheering me on and something extra to look forward to at the finish.  Since we left after school, we did not get to the hotel until past 9pm and the race expo was closed.  This was not a big problem as the packet pickup was open in the morning.  I got my stuff sorted out and tried to go to sleep at 11, but sleep eluded me until probably midnight.  I wasn’t particularly nervous, I just wasn’t that tired.

Gear: Newton Gravity VI shoes (Blue), Wright double layer socks, Adidas Delancey Loopers singlet, Adidas BAA shorts, Adidas BAA cap, Plantronics Backbeat FIT earphones, throw-away gloves, and SPI Belt with phone.  3 AMPED Fuel gels, BASE salt in Ziploc, and e+Shot.  Warmup jacket and sweat pants for pre-race warmth.  I carried the e+Shot and one gel inside my gloves so that my SPI belt wasn’t as heavy.

Nutrition: IsaLean shake, AMPED bar, bagel and banana early morning, AMPED Power and Gel before the race, AMPED Fuel, e+Shot, and water during the race.

The hotel had an early breakfast for the athletes and a shuttle to the start.  I picked up my race packet and met MW and JS in the line to get on the bus.  The morning was chilly and the forecast was for clear skies and a light wind from the north, which would be at our backs.  The temperature at the start line was in the high 40s, so we huddled around fires to keep warm and I had some extra layers.  We ditched our clothes in the gear bag and went to the start.  The start was delayed by 15 minutes to wait for a final bus coming up the road which prolonged the shivering.  The dawn twilight helped to illuminate the road better than I remember from last time, perhaps it was the delay.  Also, I wasn’t rushing to climb over a barrier to get in the start chute like last time.  The start for me was very relaxed and I relished the opportunity to go for it.  The anthem, the gun, and then finally we were under way. 

I quickly settled into a comfortable pace and tried to relax.  The only thing that was bothering me at the outset was my right sock.  It felt like it was bunched up near my toes and it was uncomfortable, but my feet also felt cold so I just let it be to see what it felt like when they warmed up.  About 10 minutes later the sensation went away, so even if my sock was bunched up, it wasn’t bothering me!

I debated what to listen to on this run.  I have been listening to various podcasts while running solo and nothing when running with others.  I enjoyed running Boston without music, but in the end decided to use my running playlist for this race because there would not be crowds most of the way.  It turned out to be great because my playlist was fresher since I haven’t listened to it for some time.

The miles clicked by and I was allowing my pace to flow with the terrain, trying to keep a consistent effort throughout and nudging here and there.  It really helps to have other runners around to keep a steady pace, but I have to be careful not to speed up as I tend to do that when a runner passes me. 

The course is fairly quiet until there is a smattering of activity at Veyo as the hill looms ahead.  The last two miles were the fastest to that point as there was a bit of a downhill.  The next couple of miles would be slower and I tried to focus on keeping a steady effort.  As we turned up the hill, some runners slowed and some blasted up the hill and it made it more difficult to stay steady, but I maintained my effort level and didn’t stress about the pace being slower. 

The music helped me to enjoy my surroundings.  Each new song and each new turn with beautiful mountain vistas in the clear sunrise brought a smile to my face and I just relished the moments.  There were several similar moments throughout the morning.  I like to take pictures, but since I wasn’t going to stop I took mental pictures and simply enjoyed God’s creations.

The signs along the course were not all that great this time around.  Several said ‘If Trump can run, so can You!’ and there were a few about crop dusting.  Not that imaginative I thought.  Last time seemed much better.

At mile 9 I stepped into a Port-a-pot and when I came out I saw the 3:15 pacer in front of me.  This was perplexing because I thought I was ahead of that pace already.  I crossed the start line about 45s after the gun at about the same time as that pacer, so I couldn’t figure out why he was there.  I figured I would pass him soon.

By half way, I was starting to get excited.  I was right on my target average pace of 7:20 and the big down was in front of me, and most importantly, I felt great.  The temperature was still cool, my legs were fine, and I felt like I had plenty in the tank.  I started to let my pace creep up and there were some sub-7 miles that really helped to nudge my average down. 

I took a gel at mile 7 and then again at mile 14 and chased it down with some water.  I was saving my e+Shot until I felt I needed an energy boost, and I didn’t feel I needed it yet.  At each aid station I carefully navigated through the runners to get a cup of water and take a sip.  I have learned this to be helpful even if not thirsty because it keeps a continuous supply of hydration throughout the run.

On one particular sweeping curve, the red canyon walls lit up by the morning sun came into view.  The blue sky and trees in the valley provided rich contrast.  At that moment, A Beautiful Day by U2 started and all I could do was smile.  And run.  It was indeed a very beautiful day.

I still had my gloves on, not because I needed them for warmth, but because I liked wearing them.  It was helpful to have something to wipe my nose and brow with and I was still carrying an e+Shot.  I finally ditched them at mile 20 after taking the e+Shot and my last gel.  I thought at that point, ‘OK, the gloves are coming off!’ and I geared up for the challenge ahead.

I steadily knocked off several miles in the 6:55 to 7:05 range and I was still feeling strong.  I felt prepared mentally to push through when it got more difficult.  I remember seeing a runner pushing a stroller and passing me.  Then I overtook him on a small incline, but then he blew past me again after.  I found out later he was an elite runner.  At this point, I was passing many runners.  I only remember one other runner that passed me in the closing miles.  What a great feeling.

Coming down through the canyon I continued to enjoy the sights.  As I transitioned into the city, there were more crowds and noises.  I stopped my music to enjoy the sounds more.  At 2 miles to go, I knew I was in range of a PR and I was determined to hold onto it.  My legs still felt OK.  They were sore and telling me to stop, but it wasn’t near the degree of pain I have felt in previous races at this point.  Also, I was not laboring to stay on pace.  The last mile I had to dig deep to keep the legs moving fast as the course was also flattening out.  The fact that I was on plan psychologically helped me to stay on target for just a few minutes longer. 

During the final stretch I heard my name for only the second time on the run.  The first time someone read my bib, but this time it was my son shouting from the side lines.  I turned to my left and saw him waving.  I didn’t see KB or CB nearby though.  I turned ahead and the finish line was in sight.  I pressed on and finished with a little kick.  The time said 3:11 and change so I knew that I had a PR.  My official net time was 3:10:54 for a 2-minute marathon PR and a 6-minute course PR.  Happy day!

After passing through the finishing shoot I gathered some frozen treats and drink and waited for MW and JS to finish.  About 20 minutes after finishing my appetite started to come so I piled my plate high with post-race eats.  I found KB and the kids and went to give them some hugs and take a picture. To memorialize my new PR I parted with $8 for the medal engraving.

Back at the hotel I took and ice bath and some Ibuprofen and then lied down for an hour.  My legs were not nearly as stiff and sore as they were last time and I attributed that to the higher mileage preparation and hill-specific training.  In fact, in Vegas we walked a lot and although I was a little slow, I was able to get around just fine.

My first half was 1:38:02 and second half was 1:32:52, a nice 5-minute negative split.  In fact, the second half was my second fastest half marathon ever!  From 35k to 40k was my fastest 5k section.  Overall, my average pace was 7:17.  I still need to drop that by 25s to get to sub 3 hours!

At some point late during the run and then later in the day when I looked at the times, I had the thought that this was my best marathon. Not just my fastest, but my best executed race.  The conditions were favorable and I followed the plan.  I have never felt so good at the end of a marathon.  Better preparation certainly was a big reason for that, but so too was mental preparation, pre-race activity, weather conditions, patient execution, and a little bit of good fortune along the way.  If I never have the opportunity to run a marathon again, I would be very satisfied with this one!

I never did find out why the 3:15 pace group was in front of me.  I don’t ever remember passing them and they were hard to miss since they had balloons.  It remains a mystery.

Next up is Gilbert Half Marathon and then the MESA-PHX Marathon in February.  That will be my sixth time doing that race and another opportunity to get closer to a 3-hour finish.

2017 Boston Marathon

Boylston Street from Hereford to the Finish line is everything it is made out to be.  Reverberating amid the towering glass and stone of downtown Boston skyscrapers, the voices of tens of thousands offer shouts of encouragement and cheers of appreciation.  One foot in front of the other, not able to see anyone in particular, but everyone at once.  In the distance the distinct shape of the bridge marking the finish line approaches all too quickly.  It is a passage only 600m long lasting all of 3 minutes, but one that took 4 and a half years to reach.

Many of my friends and family witnessed how running for me went from being a plodding pain to a perennial pursuit as I set a big hairy audacious goal to run a marathon.  I reached that goal, completing the 2013 Phoenix Marathon and enjoyed the experience enough to sign up for another.  A few short weeks later I was drawn in to the drama of the Boston Marathon bombings and marveled at the courage displayed that day and in the days and months that followed.  It was during this time that I first learned about the qualification standards to run the marathon.  For a male my age, the time was 3:25, nearly 30 minutes faster than what I had run at Phoenix, a pace I thought was entirely out of reach.  And that was that.

Another year of running and triathlon passed and the next year I toed the line again at the 2014 Phoenix Marathon.  It was a perfect day for running with no wind, cloud cover, cool temperatures, and a little rain early on.  I completely surprised myself with a 3:31 time and later that day it dawned on me that I was only 6 minutes away from qualifying for Boston.  That is when my curiosity about Boston transformed into a legitimate goal to run it. 

On my journey to complete an Ironman triathlon, I started learning more about nutrition and worked on eating cleaner and started using high quality protein, BCAAs, and creatine from Isagenix.  I researched more about training programs and worked to get faster and fitter, leaning on the knowledge and experience of friends I met through Cadence group runs.  Soon I was ready to run the 2015 Phoenix Marathon for a shot at qualifying.  The day started out great and I soon found AC on course, a strong runner that I knew from Cadence.  She and I were running similar pace, so we paced each other for several miles.  The pace we were on was in the 3:15 to 3:17 range, which was well ahead of what I needed.  The wind and the work of that pace got to me and I slowed down about mile 19 as she pushed on.  Somewhere in central Mesa I realized that the several minutes of cushion that I had was evaporating quickly and I had to get moving to avoid missing my goal.  I mustered what energy and will I could and pushed through the last two miles to get to the finish at 3:23:09.  I made it.  Barely.  I finished with a PR, and more importantly, I qualified for Boston! 

The registration for Boston is in September and I learned that running a qualifying time does not guarantee entry to the race.  In the previous two years, so many had registered to run that they had to cap the entries and the slowest registrants didn’t get in.  The cutoff margin was 1 minute 38 seconds and 1:09 previously so I thought I was safe with the 1:51 margin.  I paid my fee and waited.  On the last Wednesday of September, I received an email with the news that I was not granted entry.  The cutoff this year was 2:28, so I missed by 37 seconds!  I knew there was a chance of this happening, but I thought it was very low.  I was very disappointed, but I also knew of others who had missed by less.

I was already registered for St. George Marathon on the first Saturday in October.  I had a good build up for the race so I felt I could set a new PR.  The marathon was 3 days after I received the bad news about Boston, so that just gave me extra motivation to crush that run!  And crush it I did.  The favorable conditions and downhill ending helped propel me to a 3:16:59, a BQ time with a full 8 minutes of margin.  The unfortunate thing was that I had to wait until September 2016 to register, and that would be for the 2017 Boston Marathon.  But, I was assured a spot to run this time.

At the 2015 Phoenix Marathon I proved to myself that St. George was not a fluke by running it in 3:18:04 for a course PR.  I started thinking of how I would approach the following running season and I decided I wanted to continue doing triathlon, but focus mainly on the run and I explored hiring a coach.  Two friends were planning to run the Big Cottonwood Marathon in September, so I thought I would join them.  Then I wanted to try for a PR at the 2017 Phoenix Marathon and then run Boston. 

Coach DD started giving me guidance in July and I ramped up quickly for the September race.  It was mainly a practice run for me, but I wanted to do well and with the downhill I thought it was possible to aim for another PR.  The downhill is extreme however with over 5,000 feet of descent, and most of it by mile 18.  By the late stages, my calves were very tight and I slowed down to avoid injury and finished in 3:28.  I came to appreciate the difficulty of the hills and learned how ill prepared I was to run so much downhill.  I did enjoy the course and scenery and I learned a great deal from the experience. 

By late December, coach had me running 50+ miles a week and my speed had picked up.  For the 2017 Phoenix Marathon I aimed for 3:10 and narrowly missed it, finishing in 3:12:04 for a PR by 5 minutes.  I was very happy with the run and managed to push harder and further into the pain late in the race. However, I had room to improve in my execution as the last 2 miles were about a minute off my target pace and I stopped to stretch out quickly 2 times and that certainly cost several precious seconds.  Next step was Boston in 7 weeks.

I recovered quickly and got back to 50+ miles a week.  I avoided serious injury and sickness and despite a busy travel schedule, was able to complete all of my scheduled runs.  Coach had me run hills several times to get ready for the famous and dreaded Newton Hills that are late in the Boston race.

Since Jan 1, I logged 82 runs totaling 673 miles in Scotland, Canada, Mexico, California, Nevada, New York, Texas, Massachusetts, and Arizona.  January was my peak month with 223 miles and 9 weeks exceeded 50 miles.  There have been super fun runs with friends at Cadence and the Delancey Loopers and there have been tough runs at inconvenient times when on the road and in rough conditions including ice in Canada, rain in Scotland, and sand in Mexico (well that was by choice:-).  One particularly tough run was a 20-miler in Central Park on a cold drizzling morning, but the heavy rain held off and I got it done.  Several of the runs were on hilly roads to simulate the Boston course profile including running several miles uphill at the end of a 16-mile long run.  Through all that, I didn’t miss a scheduled run except once during taper week (don’t tell coach!), and I stuck to the plan prescribed.  One time I had to cut a 10-mile run down to 6.5 due to time constraint, but I still did the main workout for that day.  All this to prepare to reach the finish line on Boylston St with a few thousand friends on Patriot's Day.  I definitely felt like I did the work to prepare as best I could and I managed to avoid injury and illness.

My original plan was to aim for PR at Phoenix and then just enjoy Boston with no pressure to run hard.  But since I was feeling so good and running so well, I thought that it would be a waste not to try hard at Boston.  So, coach gave me a race plan that would give me a chance to PR if conditions warranted and if I felt good late in the run. 

The weekend of the rate was magical.  We met our friends MP and CP from Calgary and the ladies ran the BAA 5k on Saturday morning and it was fun to cheer and spectate.  The winner set a record and was finished before all the runners were started.  We heard Meb Kaflezighi speak about running and his career and that just inspired me more.  The expo was full of people and energy and even at church on Sunday the congregation was overflowing with visitors for the marathon.  Each passing moment my excitement and anticipation grew.  The weather forecast looked clear but on the warm side in the low 70s with a west wind.  MP knew that this was bad news for him as he was not used to running in heat.  I felt I was fairly accustomed to warm weather running, so I thought I could stick to my plan.  I was not nervous and I managed to sleep well. 

Finish line

BAA 5k 

Finished!

Gear: Newton Gravity VI shoes, Wright double layer socks with blue and green stripes, Adidas Delancey Loopers singlet, Lululemon shorts, BAA Headsweats cap, sunglasses, and SPI Belt with phone (but no music this time).  3 AMPED Fuel gels, chapstick, and BASE salt in pockets.  Sweatshirt and garbage bag for athlete village. 

Nutrition: IsaLean shake, IsaLean bar and banana early morning, AMPED Power and e+Shot before the race.  AMPED Fuel, BASE salt, water, some orange slices and Gatorade during the race.

Race morning

Race morning went like clockwork.  We got up, ate, dressed, dropped gear bags, met friends including HD and her brother, and headed to the bus line in Boston Common.  There were busses lined up as far as you could see and people moving everywhere.   The loading process was smooth and quick.  After a long drive, we arrived at the athlete village at Hopkinton High School and joined thousands of runners in lines to use the port-a-johns.  We made our way to the tents where we could sit in the shade.  It was warmer than forecast with temps above 70 even at 9am.  It started to dawn on me just how warm that is.

 

The screaming roar of a pair of YF-22s overhead preceded the Wave 1 start.  Not long after that, our wave was called and we started to make our way down to the starting area.  There were so many runners!  The road was packed with people in both directions as far as I could see.  I would love to get an overhead perspective.  Along the way there were people on the side handing out water, Vaseline, pins, sharpies, and anything else a runner might need.  No need to pack anything next time!  Another quick pit stop, then we shed our jackets along the way and we were ready.  I told MP if I saw him on course that was bad news for me! 

Arriving at the Athlete's Village 

Never seen so many

Pre-race party

Getting very real

I was in corral 2 and I could see the starting clock.  Two minutes to go.  A quick selfie, a check of my watch, and then the gun.  There was no movement at all for what seemed like a long time, even though it was only a minute or so.  Finally, I started moving and before long crossed the start line.  MP had warned me that it would be hard to run the pace I wanted because of the density of runners for the first 10k or so.  I found that to be somewhat true, but I was able to get to the 7:20-7:30 pace I was aiming for without too much jostling around.  I carried a water bottle so that I could avoid slowing for the water with such large crowds.  I tried to stay to the middle third of the road where the crown of the road was flattest and so I could avoid the first few aid stations.  Since they had water stations on both sides of the course, I had to weave a bit first to the right, and then to the left to avoid the slowing runners at each table.  The bottle lasted until about 10k.  I think I will use that tactic again in the future.

In the corral

The first few miles have some downhill sections and there is a tendency to go too fast.  I held to my plan and managed a 23min 5k and 46min 10k. The course weaves through forest, and even though the trees are mostly bare, there is only a little relief from the sun.  The wind was mostly at our backs, but at times it swirled around providing unwanted resistance.  By this time, the crowds were quite steady along both sides of the course, getting bigger and louder in the middle of each town.  It was a spectacular day to be a spectator, but not so great for running!

The third 5k was only slightly slower at 23:27, but I realized I was working way harder than I should have been to hold the pace and I started to really dread the many miles ahead.  At Phoenix, the middle miles melted away with relative ease and here it was me that was melting.  I continued to take water at least every mile and I had a gel at about this time and then I took salt a mile later and hoped I would feel better.  By mile 11 I knew I had no shot at a PR so I was reassessing my goals when suddenly I could hear the screams from the famed Wellesley Girls College even though they were nearly a mile away.  The scream tunnel is indeed loud and full of energy.  I gave lots of high fives and felt a boost that helped me get past the halfway mark.

Wellesley College Scream Tunnel

My original plan had the first half at 1:36 and I was now at 1:39, which is not terrible.  However, the way I felt was terrible.  I knew it was unrealistic to continue even at that pace and I was struggling to stay engaged mentally with any pacing effort.  It was about mile 15 that I decided I wa going to aim for my very first goal of having fun at the Boston Marathon.  Now it is not as though you can immediately convert suffering into fun; no matter what, I was going to suffer to keep going, but by embracing this new goal I put my mental energy into enjoying the course and crowd instead of stressing about pacing and pain.  As bad as I was feeling in these miles, I never once considered stopping to pull out.  I have heard of others doing that and even running with an MTBA train ticket, but crossing the finish line is one thing I never lost sight of, and I didn’t doubt for a second that I could do it.

I have always loved the signs at marathons and there were many good ones.  Many of the youngsters had signs that said ‘Press Here for a Power-up’ or something similar.  When I noticed those, I made an effort to go hit them; the kids light up when you do.  I learned early on that high fiving adults is not a good idea; they tend to smack you so hard it slows you down!  So, I stuck to the low hands and probably found 200 of them. 

Right before the Newton Hills there is a downhill portion so I knew what was coming.  In the back of my mind one of the goals I had was coach’s challenge to not stop or walk.  I really wanted to do that since at Phoenix I came so close; only stopping twice for short stretches before resuming.  It was not going to happen.  I hit that first hill and the life was sucked out of me!  It is not that steep or that long, but it was just enough at a difficult time of the day to really cause a lot of hurt.  I slowed to a walk.  Now the only goals left were to finish and to enjoy it as much as possible. 

At the top of the first hill I was able to get running again and from that point on I probably walked for a bit every mile or two.  I do remember blasting up one of the hills determined to not walk that one and I made it, but I paid for it.  The heat and humidity had taken a toll.  I was taking a drink every half mile or so.  There were a few spray zones which I took advantage of.  There were also some fire hydrants hooked up with a spray nozzle that looked very refreshing.  However, when I stepped into the spray, it nearly knocked me over from the force.  I came out of that soaked.  It felt good initially and my wet gear helped with the cooling, but it also felt heavy and caused chaffing.  Not bueno!

Heartbreak Hill at mile 20 did not break my heart because it was already broken well before that point.  I kept plugging away at each mile and went from smiling at a funny sign to grimacing at the effort to giving a thumbs-up in the general direction of a supportive yell.  I wrote my name on my bib and I heard my name shouted out several times.  While working on Heartbreak Hill I heard someone yell out ‘go Ba La Ke!’ and that really made me smile. 

 A most interesting runner passed me in bare feet and a leather loin cloth.  He had long black hair and dark tanned skin and looked straight out of a cave man movie.  I was surprised and impressed.  Later I saw him at the finish and shook my head in amazement.  He is 53 and runs all his marathons barefoot.

At times, I was walking next to a fellow racer and we shared a few words of encouragement.  Before the race, I thought it would be frowned upon to walk, but I didn’t hear anything but encouragement and positivity.  One of the other runners I spoke with after had heard a negative comment about walking, but I didn’t hear a single one.  And I was not alone walking as the day was particularly uncomfortable for running.  On the flip side, the spectators had ideal conditions! 

Overall I was still holding together.  As I took stock of the situation, I had a bit of chaffing from wet shorts, my toes felt soggy from being wet and I thought I might have a blister, but it wasn’t hurting.  I had used gels and salt and sipped at Gatorade so I think my electrolytes were OK.  I didn’t feel any pains or cramps and I didn’t have GI distress, so despite how difficult it was to run, I was in decent condition. Not so for many of my fellow runners.  I saw a few stretchers on course, volunteers stepping out to help a wobbling runner, a few sitting down on the ground at the side, and at least one making a deposit on the road.

I remember first seeing the top of the Prudential Tower and shortly after that I saw the famed Citgo sign.  It marks one mile left, but unfortunately, I was still well over a mile away from it when I first saw it!  Once I got closer I took out my phone and snapped a picture of it.  And why not? 

Passing the Citgo sign, I was excited for the finish and to be finished.  A short downhill for an underpass, then back up (ouch), and then a right turn on Hereford St.  When I saw the left turn to Boylston ahead, I stopped to capture the moment and then I made the turn and headed for home.  My smile grew larger as the sound grew louder.  The echoing between the buildings amplified the sounds of the throngs.  I couldn’t imagine how they sustained the energy and volume for so long, as I was finishing more than two hours after the elite runners came through.  Maybe they were just that excited to see me!  Even here on Boylston there were several walking the final stretches.  Not me this time!  This moment was less than 3 minutes long and it went by entirely too fast.  Running the same route where the best in the world had competed was like being on the field at the Superbowl.  OK, maybe just a pickup game of flag football after the real game, but still, on the same field and in front of a crazy wild crowd!  Pure magic.

As I crossed the finish line I looked up at the bridge and smiled.  I made it.  I went from being a Boston Qualifier to being a Boston Finisher!  All I wanted to do was sit, however, that is not possible.  You keep walking through the finishing area to get a bottle of water, then a finisher’s medal, on to a space blanket, a bag of food, and eventually pick up your gear bag.  Apparently, Kandyce and CP saw me and yelled over, but I did not see them.  Only then can you exit the area and wander off to the park or a bench.  Once I had my gear bag, I was very happy to get my feet out of my soggy Newtons and into my Oofoos sandals.  I headed for the park where I found a spot of grass to lie down and get sorted out.  By this time, my hunger was starting to come and I took AMPED Recover and ate an apple.  I downed chocolate protein drink they gave us, stretched out on the blanket and then just watched. 

I texted Kandyce to let her know where I was.  We originally had planned to meet up at the hotel room since it was near, but she was close to where I was so she came to find me there.  I just relaxed there for a while enjoying the beautiful weather now that I wasn’t running!  There was a bit of a breeze and some clouds were rolling in and it was cooling off.  Sadly, the next day was in the 50s and would have been a perfect day for a run!

We made our way up to the room and there we found MP.  We each did an ice bath (ouch!), started comparing race experiences, and continued with the refueling.  We headed out that night for a celebration dinner at Cheesecake Factory where we knew the calories would be abundant!

I finished in 3:52:21, a disappointing 40 mins slower than Phoenix marathon just 7 weeks prior.  I certainly did not expect that the course and weather would have such an effect on me!  I admit that I yielded to the suffering in the last 10 miles, but I was happy that I could relish the experience as much as possible when in pain!  I like to joke that taking more strokes in golf just means you get more for your money…. well maybe the same applies to the marathon; I got 40 bonus minutes of ‘enjoyment’!  Incidentally, this is the first race I have done that wasn't on a Saturday.  I loved Marathon Monday.

 As I reflect on my preparation, I can’t identify any deficiencies.  I did the miles, the workouts, lots of hills, and I practiced nutrition.  I underestimated the effects of the temperature and should have adjusted my race plan.  Perhaps if I started more conservatively I would not have had such a severe blow-up.  Nevertheless, I was happy to finish safely on my feet and thrilled to have the experience of running the Boston Marathon!

So many people have helped me on my journey.  The great people at Cadence Running, my teammates who call themselves the Delancey Loopers, my coach DD, my nutrition advisor BS and the others at Isagenix who inspire me, the many people in Gilbert and around the world who have shared a run with me, my 3 sisters who inspired me to run a marathon in the first place, and my family.  Thank-you all.  But most especially, thanks to my wife Kandyce and my children who support me and put up with my sweaty gear, early hours, running talk, and strange habits.  I love you.

Finished!

So, what does ‘Boston Strong’ mean?  To me it is a city embracing an event and the inconvenience that accompanies it.  It is fans and volunteers turning out to watch and cheer and encourage in the face of possible danger since it is impossible to secure a venue 26.2 miles long stretching through 9 municipalities.  It is all sorts of runners from all sorts of places striving to finish a very difficult race.  Young and not so young, male and female, some with handicaps and some with wheels, some with boots and some with blades, all with big hearts and even bigger ambition.  Showing up to toe the line and make the attempt to complete the last 26.2-mile portion of their journey to arrive on Boylston Street.  It is coming together as a compassionate community to celebrate athletic pursuits and demonstrate human resilience. 

Thank-you Boston for a race, a journey, a large dose of humility, and a greater perspective.  Thank-you for showing me Boston Strong.  I will be back.