I’ll cut to the chase: 1:43:18! Take that, my 1:45 goal!
Catherine and I got there about an hour early, and I spent the time putting on sunscreen, stretching, and warming up. I didn’t warm up as much as I would for a 5k since I wanted to save my energy for the race. I jogged for about 8 minutes, did a short bit at race pace, then lined up at the 8:00 pace marker. I wore the Garmin so I could keep track of my pace, and I was shooting to go out around 8:10 pace for the first couple of miles to warm up before settling into 8:00 pace for miles 3-10. Well, guess what? I went out too fast! My first mile came up in around 7:40, and even then the pace felt slow, much easier than a 7:40 mile in training. I ran around 7:50s for the next few miles, despite my efforts to slow down.
The turnaround on Memorial Drive came at mile 6, and I was still feeling great. I decided at that point that I could probably break 1:43 if I could hold 7:50 miles through to the end. I kept pushing the pace, but I started tiring out around mile 8 or 9. I was still holding 7:50s, but it was getting harder to do so. At the 11 mile mark, my calves started cramping up. It was warm today, and I think I was getting dehydrated. I took water at every aid station, but I couldn’t get more than 1/2 the cup down; the rest ended up on my shirt. Mile 13 consisted of me trying desperately to avoid calf cramps by slowing down and not pushing off with my calves. Finally, I ran over the bridge that connects Boston to the seaport, and I picked up pace for a strong finish. I saw the finish line, and I kicked, passing the girl next to me… only to discover that it wasn’t the finish line, it was actually the start line, and the finish was another 100 yards. My official finish time was 1:43:18.
I was really happy with this race. My training went well, and everything today went perfectly. My pacing was pretty good (the Garmin was a lifesaver; I would have gone out at 7:15 if I hadn’t had the real-time feedback). I would have broken 1:43 if my calves hadn’t cramped up at the end. I think next time I will wear my Fuel Belt so I don’t have to rely on the race for water/Gatorade.
Now I’m thinking about doing a fall half marathon and trying to get my time below 1:40. Maybe the BAA Half or the Baystate Half.
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