I ran step for step with my wife today. Her first marathon. We both crashed at 20 miles and suffered through the last 10 k…heat conspired to significantly alter our plans. Still a great day. Had a great time with my best friend. I promptly dropped are the finish line. Very funny.
Special thanks to the coors brewing company for the pick me up post race. Btw, he city of Boston and her fans were simply amazing. We went for the experience and got way more than we asked for.
You should be even more glad when I tell you that we didn’t go out at 6:15s either. Perhaps if we had we would have actually won that masters team title. Or maybe not. Anyway, another mile or two and you would have gone by me.
I ran step for step with my wife today. Her first marathon. We both crashed at 20 miles and suffered through the last 10 k…heat conspired to significantly alter our plans. Still a great day. Had a great time with my best friend. I promptly dropped are the finish line. Very funny.
Special thanks to the coors brewing company for the pick me up post race. Btw, he city of Boston and her fans were simply amazing. We went for the experience and got way more than we asked for.
I was literally saying – out loud – “ow!” with every step I took
Not only you. It was so awful. My legs are shattered. Is that really so bad because of the added dehydration due to heat or are we just not well trained?
Not to rub it in, but my legs feel pretty close to fine. I don’t know if it’s because I had trained to run a 2:42 and therefore the pounding of a 2:52 didn’t feel like as much (sort of like how a slower IM marathon isn’t as painful). I did run a lot of hills in training, both up and down.
I feel pretty exhausted, light headache, etc., but my legs feel Ok.
It’s gotta be the combination: I know that the sooner in a race I feel that I am running tired, the sooner my form starts to suffer (even if the changes are minor), and so the sooner I start feeling beat up.
Boston’s hills of course make that fatigue happen sooner. So does Heat/dehydration, going out too fast, and being poorly trained.
Not to rub it in, but my legs feel pretty close to fine. I don’t know if it’s because I had trained to run a 2:42 and therefore the pounding of a 2:52 didn’t feel like as much (sort of like how a slower IM marathon isn’t as painful).
That’s why I am so confused! My fitness was - I believe! - also 2:42ish (I ran 2:34 and 2:33 in NYC 08 and 09 so it’s not a stretch) but they hurt really bad from half ay already.
I did run a lot of hills in training, both up and down.
I thought I did, too… Well, I guess it’s safest to assume that I just wasn’t in good shape.
Who knows that happens at the crazy end of the spectrum when it comes to people’s bodies and the weather.
I drank a large amount of Gatorade on Sunday, probably 80oz or so, and then another 40oz or so before the start. I certainly think it helped going in with the tanks topped off.
I did, too. I guess everyone did. There were some wild detonations so I guess I’m still fine given I was 5-10 mins. slower than I thought I could be on a cool day.
I caught one guy around mile 21-22, as I was approaching him he looked absolutely fine, probably running mid to high 6’s. In the matter of a few steps he started staggering and as he was about to fall over backwards I saw a cop and pointed him to the guy and he was able to catch him. From mid to high 6’s to in a cop’s arms in a matter of 15 feet.
I think this is lame. Even if the race was in 100 degree heat, they folks should run the race. Not like they call the race off in Kona if it’s “too hot.” What about all the people trying to qualify for 2013? Now they get screwed b/c it’s a little too hot…come on, just plan on going a little slower.
I think this is lame. Even if the race was in 100 degree heat, they folks should run the race. Not like they call the race off in Kona if it’s “too hot.” What about all the people trying to qualify for 2013? Now they get screwed b/c it’s a little too hot…come on, just plan on going a little slower.
Can someone please second the motion that people stop comparing the Boston marathon to Kona. It’s apples and oranges. Kona in October is always hot. Boston in April is VERY VERY SELDOM above 80F. The season leading up to Kona forces most athletes to acclimate to the heat. The season leading up to Boston prohibits most athletes from acclimating to the heat. Most importantly, an open marathon is undoubtedly harder on the body than an ironman. Anyone with sufficient experience racing in both scenarios will attest to that.
i felt that as a triathlete, we had a leg up on the pure runners. i treated yesterday like an ironman im all the way and it worked out fine. was 30 slower than my average boston time, but enjoyed the day nonetheless. i agree that the specatators were amazing. they were the ones offering ice, ice-pops, hoses, etc. it was an awesome day:)
Most importantly, an open marathon is undoubtedly harder on the body than an ironman. Anyone with sufficient experience racing in both scenarios will attest to that.
I also find a marathon “harder” (lots of experience in both) but that’s relative and personal. The mile is also a painful bitch and let’s not get started on 100 miles of running.
Two observations:
(1) A marathon is run at a higher intensity which leads to higher body temps quicker. At the same time, the absorption of fluids is hindered due to the lack of blood in the stomach. You can eat a Pizza while you walk but not a gel if you run hard.
(2) Marathoners rarely have to train for races in heat. I think triathletes have a better understanding of how to deal with it. It seemed to me that I took better care of cooling down than the guys around me. That may be personal preference but maybe it’s also what you learn when racing in the heat at a triathlon.
the faster you run the more heat can start to limit you.
heat probably wouldn’t slow me down much, at ~3:40 marathon time I am not running fast enough to heat myself up much.
but you guys, thats a lot of energy! and nowhere for it to go on a hot day!
Not to rub it in, but my legs feel pretty close to fine. I don’t know if it’s because I had trained to run a 2:42 and therefore the pounding of a 2:52 didn’t feel like as much (sort of like how a slower IM marathon isn’t as painful). I did run a lot of hills in training, both up and down.
I feel pretty exhausted, light headache, etc., but my legs feel Ok.
My legs are completely trashed today. This is my third Boston and I was bringing my best marathon form ever but can’t recall my quads ever feeling so hammered. I was wondering what was going on during the long downhill after Wellesley - my quads felt unusually sore. I guess some slight cramping must have been to culprit?
I trained plenty on hills but not enough fast down hills at the end of my long runs, that’s what I’m doing differently next year!
I was shooting for 2:55 before the weather alerts.
At the start, I really thought 3:00, 3:05 at teh worst was a reasonable ‘backing off’ time.
When I came to the realization that I was going to have to dig deep just to stay under 3:05 (ran a 1:32 conservative first half, and I knew I wasn’t going to go even splits on the day), I backed off.
I ended up 3:13, and I’m pretty good today other than the sunburn.
I’ve run faster, I’ve run slower.
Blackwater Duathlon a few years ago was hotter, but I’ve NEVER run a marathon at those temperatures.
It really was brutal.
If it were not for the spectators handing out ice, i think it would have been much, much worse for a lot of people.
The Gatorade at waterstops was undrinkable several times, it was so hot.
This was my fourth, and with the n’oreaster in '07 I’ve now seen the full range of Boston weather in April.
Seconded. I did IMAZ in April 2008 when it was 97 degrees. Yesterday in Boston was easily twice as painful. It’s been debated here at least a few times over the years, and an open marathon (that’s hoestly raced) is almost universally rated tougher than an IM. Factor in the diabolically perfect placement of Boston’s hills and it’s an even wider gap. And the point about where Boston lies on the calendar and lack of opportunity to train in heat leaing up to it really cannot be overstated.
Well, I am a bit more sore on day 2! But it will be a day we all remember and certainly something to draw a few lessons from. Races sometimes all start to blend together once they’re in the rearview mirror, but we’ll all remember Boston 2012.
