Juxtatarot
Footballguy
Congrats to all our Boston racers! 
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Ran a 10k in June (4 Viewers)
- Thread starter GStrot
- Start date
Juxtatarot
Footballguy
Juxtatarot
Footballguy
I don't know much about golf but here are the marathon records by age:
http://www.arrs.net/SA_Mara.htm
Not much of a drop off until the early 40s.
Prince Myshkin
Footballguy
great job guys...i was checking on my lunch break and my eyes about popped out when i saw Steve's time at about 30k...glad to see he held on strong.
Prince Myshkin
Footballguy
Juxtatarot
Footballguy
Prince Myshkin
Footballguy
and a 6 year old girl ran a 4 flat....
thats what I hope to run my first FM in.
koby925
Footballguy
A 56 year old running 2:27 is maybe more impressive to me. Wow
ETA - Old dudes were tearing up marathons in the 20s-40s. We have turned into a collective bunch of wusses.
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Sand
Footballguy
Juxtatarot
Footballguy
tri-man 47
Footballguy
Ed Whitlock is the one that amazes me ...he keeps popping out new records every year (and he's still at it).
sho nuff
Footballguy
My heart was freaking pounding watching that earlier.AWESOME FINISH
USA USA USA
Awesome race for Meb.
sho nuff
Footballguy
CGRdrJoe
Footballguy
IvanKaramazov
Footballguy
Congratulations to everybody who ran today. As usual, I'm looking forward to some high-quality reports.
prosopis
Arizona Chupacabra
Dinsy Ejotuz
Footballguy
Not a runner, don't follow running and didn't see the marathon today, but here's a heartfelt congrats to everyone who ran today. Hell of a thing to accomplish.
comfortably numb
Footballguy
beer 302
Footballguy
PatriotJohn
Footballguy
Congrats to all the FFA runners! I am running my first (and probably only) Marathon in September and watching today made me want to go out and do it tomorrow! Anyone else doing the Air Force Marathon in September?
beer 302
Footballguy
Bet you could talk SteveC into it, you gotta run pretty quick to keep up though. Like 103rd out of 36,000 quick
Hang 10
Footballguy
Yes sir. As runners I think we can all relate to the end of the race suffering that old Meb had to be going through. For a minute there it felt like was doing the running and when he finished I was exhausted.sho nuff said:My heart was freaking pounding watching that earlier.Hang 10 said:AWESOME FINISH
USA USA USA
Awesome race for Meb.
tri-man 47
Footballguy
To name drop: I've met Greg Meyer, the '83 winner. We ran in local HS cross-country races, and I'd see him (briefly) at the start line. He's been in town for a couple of race expos, and we work for affiliated colleges, so we've chatted. I dropped him an email to acknowledge his long-standing accomplishment, and he responded by saying it's a great day for Meb's win and that "he's a great guy."
Of course, now I know Steve, and some day I'll probably be name dropping him (I suppose I am already for Mr. 103!).
Of course, now I know Steve, and some day I'll probably be name dropping him (I suppose I am already for Mr. 103!).
Those of you with facebook already saw the little blurb I posted about the last 10K of my race. I'll post a report in the next couple of days, but while that was not the fastest or best marathon I have ever run, it as definitely the most dramatic.
To answer PJ's question on the AF marathon, I actually signed up for that race within minutes of registration opening this year. My wife is a Captain in the Air Force (soon to be Major) and I want to win this race for her this year
*NM, I am at the airport and since I have trouble falling asleep after marathons like I usually do I just went ahead and did the write-up*.
To answer PJ's question on the AF marathon, I actually signed up for that race within minutes of registration opening this year. My wife is a Captain in the Air Force (soon to be Major) and I want to win this race for her this year
*NM, I am at the airport and since I have trouble falling asleep after marathons like I usually do I just went ahead and did the write-up*.
Last edited by a moderator:
2014 Boston Marathon Trip Report:
I'll spare the unnecessary details, but the highlight of the pre-race portion of the trip was meeting up with Gruecd on Saturday afternoon for a drink/appetizer (he had a drink, I had the appetizer). We talked about running, some random ####, and surprisingly football (real/fantasy). Again, another plug here for a 2014-2015 FFL for this group. Afterwards, we may or may not have swiped the glass from the bar as memorabilia. As always, it was cool to meet another one of the guys on this board and just chill for a bit.
Race day:
I woke up and was the most fired up I have been for a race in a long long time. I went out for a short 1-mile shakeout run and was running marathon pace by the end (for just a minute or so) in my sweatpants and clunk training shoes. The last 2-3 hours before the race pretty much flew right by, and before I knew it I was in the starting corral. I looked over and of all people I was standing next to one of my friends. We chatted for a few minutes before they brought out the elites and they jogged by no more than 5 feet away from us. Next came the national anthem, a short speech by the race director, then we were off.
The race:
I pretty much settled into pace right away. I purposely backed off on the downhills to save my quads/hamstrings from the poundings but would more than make up the ground on the flat/uphill sections, which seemed to be exactly the opposite of how 90% of the other runners were approaching the race. However, after shredding my legs on the downhills the last 2 times I knew this was the best way for me to run the race. As you guys saw, the splits were fairly even for the first 20 miles. In fact, the race was pretty uneventful until we hit the Newton Hills except I went through a bad patch around miles 9-11, and then it went away at halfway.
First 8: 5:42, 5:35, 5:32, 5:38, 5:39, 5:37, 5:38, 5:34. (just trying to stay relaxed, although I started about 8s behind the gun and a ton of people went out too fast so I was picking people off pretty much the whole way)
Next 8: 5:37, 5:40, 5:39, 5:35, 5:38, 5:34, 5:37, 5:34. (again, fairly consistent splits here and I was basically just trying to keep everything under 5:40 and conserve my energy and my legs for what I consider to be the toughest parts of the race from miles 16-22)
Newton Hills - Miles 16-21: 5:39, 5:46, 5:40, 5:52, 6:22
As I made it up the first Newton Hill on mile 17 I started rolling people up left and right, and was slightly surprised I was still under 5:40 when I finished the first mile of this segment. The 2nd hill was a little tougher but when I saw the 5:46 I was trying to contain my excitement. I held back a little bit the next 2 miles because I knew Heartbreak (and most importantly the downhill after Heartbreak) would be the deciding point in my race. As we started going up Heartbreak, I felt the alarming sensation in my hamstrings that they were on the edge of a cramp,so I slowed down just a tad more as we crested this hill and hoped it would hold up on the downhill that was coming.
Mile 22 - As we started heading down the backside of Heartbreak, I knew the moment of truth was coming. I was either going to make it down this thing without cramping and sail on home to a new PR or it was going to be like the last 2 times. Unfortunately, a quarter mile into the downhill my right hamstring cramped up. I favored my left leg for the next 1/2 mile and was hoping I could still run it out, but before my right hamstring could loosen up my left hamstring seized up too. This forced me to take a walk break for a minute or two, and I covered this mile in 7:31.
Mile 23 - The last 2 times, once I cramped up I knew that I had to watch my effort level once I started up again because I would cramp up within another couple of miles if I got down to anywhere near my race pace. So I basically forced myself to not look at my watch and just run this mile at an effort level that was as fast as I felt was comfortable. As I finished up the mile and clicked my watch for a split, I was pleasantly surprised to see a 6:09.
Miles 24/25 - Over the next 2 miles, I slowly grinded the pace down until I was back down to my goal race pace. I also started picking off most of the people that had passed me during my walk break a couple of miles back. In fact, I was doing exactly what I had visualized pretty much everyday for the last 2 months during my runs and was pulling someone else in every minute or two. These two miles were covered in 5:39, 5:35.
Mile 25-Finish - So shortly after the 25 mile mark, I saw a "1 mile to go sign" and I decided on a lark to take my split for this last mile after covering 25-25.22 in 77s. I then decided to kick things up a notch and passed the last couple of guys that were within sight of me. All of a sudden, right before we went into the tunnel/underpass with a little over half a mile to go I realized I was pretty much in no man's land because I had broken clear of the guys behind me and I couldn't see anyone else in front of me either. The crowds were 4-5 deep at this point and the cheering was pretty much all focused on me. When I came out of the tunnel on the other side the crowd went nuts again, and this continued as I rounded the last 2 turns, during which point I felt like there were thousands of people cheering for nobody else besides me (because let's be honest, there wasn't anyone within 30-40 yards of me through this stretch). I high-fived pretty much everyone on the right corner as I turned onto Hereford St, and then as I rounded the last turn I just started sprinting even though I knew I was going to be over 2:30 and (I thought at the time) my finishing place was determined. I was about to let up with about 200-300 meters left and just cruise in when I saw a runner ahead with a double digit (elite) bib, so I pulled out my high school freshman kick and picked him off in the last 20 yards (along with 2 other unfortunate souls who were also fading). As I clicked my watch when I crossed the finish I saw I had covered the last mile in 5:14. Looking at the results later, even though I was the 90th overall man, I had the 15th fastest split from 40K-finish (in fact, I was only 32 seconds slower than Meb over this stretch). I guess if I am going to be screwed over the the undulating hills and cramp up again, and least I got to hammer the last few miles and vent some of the frustration in the last 5K.
Post race analysis:
I knew coming in there were definitely holes in my training for this cycle. I had a setback in February after New Orleans where I had to take 3-4 days off of running twice due to my calf/hamstrings acting up. As a result, I made an adjustment where I ran my easy days on a treadmill and only hit the roads for my long runs / workouts and a couple of runs a week. It was a calculated risk that my legs wouldn't be ready for the pounding that they would take on the hilly roads of Boston, but it was also one I felt was necessary in order for me to make it to the starting line healthy. Seeing as how my legs loosened up over the last few miles, I feel like this gamble almost paid off since it clearly indicates that my legs were much more ready for this course than the previous 2 times, but it was still not enough. I know if I want to run this race in the future and do well, I have to pretty much go back and hit the hilly road loop near my house everyday like I was doing last fall/winter, so that will definitely be taken into consideration if I do this race again.
This was also by far the strangest marathon I have ever run, as I have never been able to recover from a leg cramp like I did today. In fact, if anybody had told me I was going to run a 5:14 last mile and have one of the 20 fastest splits over the last 2.2K of the race and still not break 2:30, i would have thought they were insane. As it stands, I will always remember the last 3 minutes of this race as one of the most incredible road racing experiences of my life. In fact, just closing my eyes and visualizing the crowds going nuts as I rounded the last 2 turns is enough to give me 2nd thoughts on my plan to take a break from marathoning after this fall.
As far as I am concerned, I am 0-3 in Boston, but I'll be back one day, maybe sooner than I had planned.
I'll spare the unnecessary details, but the highlight of the pre-race portion of the trip was meeting up with Gruecd on Saturday afternoon for a drink/appetizer (he had a drink, I had the appetizer). We talked about running, some random ####, and surprisingly football (real/fantasy). Again, another plug here for a 2014-2015 FFL for this group. Afterwards, we may or may not have swiped the glass from the bar as memorabilia. As always, it was cool to meet another one of the guys on this board and just chill for a bit.
Race day:
I woke up and was the most fired up I have been for a race in a long long time. I went out for a short 1-mile shakeout run and was running marathon pace by the end (for just a minute or so) in my sweatpants and clunk training shoes. The last 2-3 hours before the race pretty much flew right by, and before I knew it I was in the starting corral. I looked over and of all people I was standing next to one of my friends. We chatted for a few minutes before they brought out the elites and they jogged by no more than 5 feet away from us. Next came the national anthem, a short speech by the race director, then we were off.
The race:
I pretty much settled into pace right away. I purposely backed off on the downhills to save my quads/hamstrings from the poundings but would more than make up the ground on the flat/uphill sections, which seemed to be exactly the opposite of how 90% of the other runners were approaching the race. However, after shredding my legs on the downhills the last 2 times I knew this was the best way for me to run the race. As you guys saw, the splits were fairly even for the first 20 miles. In fact, the race was pretty uneventful until we hit the Newton Hills except I went through a bad patch around miles 9-11, and then it went away at halfway.
First 8: 5:42, 5:35, 5:32, 5:38, 5:39, 5:37, 5:38, 5:34. (just trying to stay relaxed, although I started about 8s behind the gun and a ton of people went out too fast so I was picking people off pretty much the whole way)
Next 8: 5:37, 5:40, 5:39, 5:35, 5:38, 5:34, 5:37, 5:34. (again, fairly consistent splits here and I was basically just trying to keep everything under 5:40 and conserve my energy and my legs for what I consider to be the toughest parts of the race from miles 16-22)
Newton Hills - Miles 16-21: 5:39, 5:46, 5:40, 5:52, 6:22
As I made it up the first Newton Hill on mile 17 I started rolling people up left and right, and was slightly surprised I was still under 5:40 when I finished the first mile of this segment. The 2nd hill was a little tougher but when I saw the 5:46 I was trying to contain my excitement. I held back a little bit the next 2 miles because I knew Heartbreak (and most importantly the downhill after Heartbreak) would be the deciding point in my race. As we started going up Heartbreak, I felt the alarming sensation in my hamstrings that they were on the edge of a cramp,so I slowed down just a tad more as we crested this hill and hoped it would hold up on the downhill that was coming.
Mile 22 - As we started heading down the backside of Heartbreak, I knew the moment of truth was coming. I was either going to make it down this thing without cramping and sail on home to a new PR or it was going to be like the last 2 times. Unfortunately, a quarter mile into the downhill my right hamstring cramped up. I favored my left leg for the next 1/2 mile and was hoping I could still run it out, but before my right hamstring could loosen up my left hamstring seized up too. This forced me to take a walk break for a minute or two, and I covered this mile in 7:31.
Mile 23 - The last 2 times, once I cramped up I knew that I had to watch my effort level once I started up again because I would cramp up within another couple of miles if I got down to anywhere near my race pace. So I basically forced myself to not look at my watch and just run this mile at an effort level that was as fast as I felt was comfortable. As I finished up the mile and clicked my watch for a split, I was pleasantly surprised to see a 6:09.
Miles 24/25 - Over the next 2 miles, I slowly grinded the pace down until I was back down to my goal race pace. I also started picking off most of the people that had passed me during my walk break a couple of miles back. In fact, I was doing exactly what I had visualized pretty much everyday for the last 2 months during my runs and was pulling someone else in every minute or two. These two miles were covered in 5:39, 5:35.
Mile 25-Finish - So shortly after the 25 mile mark, I saw a "1 mile to go sign" and I decided on a lark to take my split for this last mile after covering 25-25.22 in 77s. I then decided to kick things up a notch and passed the last couple of guys that were within sight of me. All of a sudden, right before we went into the tunnel/underpass with a little over half a mile to go I realized I was pretty much in no man's land because I had broken clear of the guys behind me and I couldn't see anyone else in front of me either. The crowds were 4-5 deep at this point and the cheering was pretty much all focused on me. When I came out of the tunnel on the other side the crowd went nuts again, and this continued as I rounded the last 2 turns, during which point I felt like there were thousands of people cheering for nobody else besides me (because let's be honest, there wasn't anyone within 30-40 yards of me through this stretch). I high-fived pretty much everyone on the right corner as I turned onto Hereford St, and then as I rounded the last turn I just started sprinting even though I knew I was going to be over 2:30 and (I thought at the time) my finishing place was determined. I was about to let up with about 200-300 meters left and just cruise in when I saw a runner ahead with a double digit (elite) bib, so I pulled out my high school freshman kick and picked him off in the last 20 yards (along with 2 other unfortunate souls who were also fading). As I clicked my watch when I crossed the finish I saw I had covered the last mile in 5:14. Looking at the results later, even though I was the 90th overall man, I had the 15th fastest split from 40K-finish (in fact, I was only 32 seconds slower than Meb over this stretch). I guess if I am going to be screwed over the the undulating hills and cramp up again, and least I got to hammer the last few miles and vent some of the frustration in the last 5K.
Post race analysis:
I knew coming in there were definitely holes in my training for this cycle. I had a setback in February after New Orleans where I had to take 3-4 days off of running twice due to my calf/hamstrings acting up. As a result, I made an adjustment where I ran my easy days on a treadmill and only hit the roads for my long runs / workouts and a couple of runs a week. It was a calculated risk that my legs wouldn't be ready for the pounding that they would take on the hilly roads of Boston, but it was also one I felt was necessary in order for me to make it to the starting line healthy. Seeing as how my legs loosened up over the last few miles, I feel like this gamble almost paid off since it clearly indicates that my legs were much more ready for this course than the previous 2 times, but it was still not enough. I know if I want to run this race in the future and do well, I have to pretty much go back and hit the hilly road loop near my house everyday like I was doing last fall/winter, so that will definitely be taken into consideration if I do this race again.
This was also by far the strangest marathon I have ever run, as I have never been able to recover from a leg cramp like I did today. In fact, if anybody had told me I was going to run a 5:14 last mile and have one of the 20 fastest splits over the last 2.2K of the race and still not break 2:30, i would have thought they were insane. As it stands, I will always remember the last 3 minutes of this race as one of the most incredible road racing experiences of my life. In fact, just closing my eyes and visualizing the crowds going nuts as I rounded the last 2 turns is enough to give me 2nd thoughts on my plan to take a break from marathoning after this fall.
As far as I am concerned, I am 0-3 in Boston, but I'll be back one day, maybe sooner than I had planned.
chauncey
Footballguy
Congrats again Steve, and thanks for the fantastic write up. It is fascinating for a beginner to see the preparation, dedication, strategy, and guts that a runner like you puts in. Those last 3 miles are inspiring and read like a movie script.
Very few runners on this planet can say "As I clicked my watch when I crossed the finish I saw I had covered the last mile in 5:14. Looking at the results later, even though I was the 90th overall man, I had the 15th fastest split from 40K-finish (in fact, I was only 32 seconds slower than Meb over this stretch)".
And congrats gruecd and wilked on your badass Boston days!
Very few runners on this planet can say "As I clicked my watch when I crossed the finish I saw I had covered the last mile in 5:14. Looking at the results later, even though I was the 90th overall man, I had the 15th fastest split from 40K-finish (in fact, I was only 32 seconds slower than Meb over this stretch)".
And congrats gruecd and wilked on your badass Boston days!
FUBAR
Footballguy
but
at your "0-3". I get what you're saying, but try to be pleased with all you accomplished. (not satisfied, never satisfied)
FUBAR
Footballguy
In week 2 now, seems to be alright.FUBAR said:Not Boston, but received confirmation for my marathon in two weeks. In it is the bib number for tracking. Well, sort of.
that's helpful.
And. How has the training gone? Taper crazy yet?
12 slow miles on the trail Sunday, yesterday was a forced day off as we had a class field-trip.
Tuesday - three 1-mile intervals just below marathon pace with a mile easy between
Wednesday - 5 easy miles (this is mostly because I'm moving Wednesday and want one last run on the trail)
Thursday - 3 hour bike ride. I'll try to keep this fairly easy. With the HIM in June, I need a few long rides.
Friday - 8 miles at marathon pace
Saturday - rest.
IvanKaramazov
Footballguy
Great report, Steve. I like how the last couple of minutes of your race made everything worthwhile -- that's a great feeling to have.
PatriotJohn
Footballguy
Outstanding! Let me know when the race gets closer...I would love to meet up with you before the race starts....maybe at the expo on Thrusday or Friday. If you have never run it before it is a fantastic race with great medals and a good course....2 good sized hills on miles 2 and 21.
And a shout out to JoeBryant.....if member number 103 is taken, it needs to be switched so Steve can have it!
Sand
Footballguy
tri-man 47
Footballguy
If I had a nickel for every time ...
Great report - great race (leg cramps notwithstanding)!! Congrats again!!!
