Road surface is pavement (the first few miles were newly paved last year). The pavement is in good condition for the most part; the worst stretch is from miles 21-25 along Beacon St. where it is a bit dinged up. Driving the course the day before to check it out couldn’t hurt so you’ll get some sense of the hills. I’ve always thought that the toughest part of course for me has been around 16.5 miles - you go down a long downhill from Wellesley into Newton Lower Falls and the road flattens out for maybe a few steps and then starts a long gradual climb over I-95 and into Newton. It doesn’t look that bad diriving it but you definitely notice it on race day.
Yeah, last year I managed to keep the pace down through the early downhills, felt good going up the hills and thought I’d be able to kick the last 3. Not a chance, the last miles into Boston were oh so painfull. 2006 is going to be better…
Like everyone said, lots of downhills. If you don’t have any long hills to train on, run up and down the same one. And, after the IM, try to focus on some light strength training, especially your quads. They will feel like hamburger meat after Boston.
Hal Higdon offers some excellent advice on the race here: (sorry, I can’t do lazy links…) http://www.halhigdon.com/boston/bostonbound.htm
Good luck with it. I’ll be there again!
KC
In addition to all the great advice already given, I have to tell you to book your hotel RIGHT NOW! if you want to stay near the finish line. The hotels all fill up and it is great to stay there with all the runners near by. Also, for your post race meal, don’t get sucked into Legal Seafood. It’s very crowded, long waits and really not that good. I had a great seafood dinner that night at Skipjack’s on Clarenden St., a few blocks away. It was recommended by the concierge at my hotel when I asked him to make me a res at LS. Good luck in the marathon and IMNZ. Sounds like you’ll have a great early season!
"Just be careful after you get over the top of Heartbreak…there’s still a long way to go from there so don’t hammer down the other side because if you do you’ll be dead by the time you reach the cemetary.
The final few miles of Boston are actually pretty fast but you rarely see anyone running them fast…they leave it all on the downhills. "
I’ll second the above advice. I hit the Newtown Hills feeling pretty good and felt pretty good on all 4 hills. At that point I was still holding on to hopes of a 3:02 or 3:03. I took the last hill (Heartbreak) as a personal challenge and got myself all fired up to storm up it and down the other side. Well I passed a bunch of folks going up and held my pace going down the other side and then blew up at Mile 23. Somewhat managed to hold it together, although I f’ing cramped up on Boylston when I tried to sprint to the finish. Overall managed a small PR at 3:07, but could have been better had I been a little more conservative on the hills.
Oh and don’t let all of this “watch out for the downhills” talk totally freak you out. Just train on hills and run a consistent effort and you’ll be fine. I honestly think more people “trash their quads” braking on the downhills than anything else.
Keith
Isn’t that stretch near Mile 16 called “Hell’s Alley” ? I seem to have more trouble at this point then I do at Heartbreak. It sure does sneak up on you. Throw in some unseasonably warm weather…ah the fun of it all.
Last year was the first time I had ever heard that stretch referred to as Hell’s Alley, I think they are trying to give key points along the course names to go along with Heartbreak Hill (another is The Haunted Mile along Beacon St after the Chestnut Hill cemetary around mile 22). At any rate, it’s a tough section even when you know it’s coming and try to mentally prepare for it. Former GBTC coach Bill Squires, who coached Rodgers, Salazar and Greg Meyer in their primes, has said that he feels it’s the toughest section of the whole course.
Boston is not a particularly difficult course. Prudence on the first half, then Heartbreak isn’t too bad; but do practise some downhill running.
I was over Heartbreak before I realized I’d come to it…
The Wellsley girls are fine… for me the best part was the finish, through the concrete canyons with the crowd roaring, felt like a rock star…