quote:<HR>Originally posted by mrinertia:
I think I'll stick to medium sized events (Bayshore is next!) until I can run Boston, that is (as a qualifier of course).. <HR>
The smaller event are more fun for sure (Boston excepted) . I've done 12 of non Boston marathons and I never was able to qualify for Boston at any of them, but then when I trained for those others I was not training for Boston. Let me explain.
I'd volunteer at Boston for many years but never run it. My training buddies and I would always run half the course back to Boston sometime in Feb and run in mid march from the start line to Cleveland Circle (22 miles) as our last long run. One or a few of 7 guys was always running Boston.
except for miles 2 to 4ish, Boston is wall to wall spectator people shoulder to shoulder all the way. From about mile 16 on people are not only shoulder to shoulder but are now multiple levels deep.
At Wellesley College, Boston College and Boston U. Headphones are not anymore dangerous than not having them. the noise is overwhelming.
One could push a corpse over the start line of Boston and the crowd would move it along on by sheer telekinesis.
I got an opportunity to run Boston by getting a club qualification bypass number which local clubs get for being active in volunteering at Boston and in the running sport in general. Was I psyched.
I trained smart and was PRing at most distances in races leading up to Boston. Whether it was the upcoming Boston or learning to run negative splits (by not going out too fast) I still don't know but I was having a great year.
At the start line I was back in the 18th or 19th corral with the other charity cases
smile including a few other people I knew who had club numbers. They kept telling me to calm down. I was actually sort of bouncing on the balls of my feet like a kids on the sideline of a high school game. I then realized that I must have been conveying a "Put me in, Coach, put me in, put me in!" look to people
I was lucky as it was a perfect weather year.
Anyway, I had to back off 3 times from a 30 second too fast a pace during the early part of the course. Boston can be tough on those that don't respect the considerable "down" of the early going. I was shooting for 3:45 that day I'd learned that put to much in the bank early in a race, most often means you are going to withdrawing more than you want to later. Even with knowing that I was under my plan but I just felt invincible.
I hardly knew I was running. I stopped 3/4 of the way up Heartbreak Hill to walk a sort bit with a friend who was having a bad day and then continue continue on.
I don't remember much about anything from that point except for a friend the stuck his arm our from the crowd at Cleveland Circe with 8 oz bottle of water that I nursed to the finish line. After being handed the bottle I remember nothing but turn the final corner on Boylston St to see the finish line and that I was going to be in at 3:40 and change. It was an out of body experience.
It was amazing to be there. I felt so good, that had getting back up the course not been so difficult I might have gone out to run in with some slower friends. Boston had sucked me into its aura and I as such my first BQ was at Boston. That day, that run, that place was absolutely everything it was touted to be. Get there if you can.
http://This message has been edited by NHSenior (edited Oct-10-2007).
