Boston 2013: Heartbreak and then more Heartbreak

(mile 17)

My usual post would have gone something like this: I would describe how I felt going into the race, then tell you about the race itself, and finish with the details of my post-race celebration.  This telling of the 2013 Boston Marathon does not seem so important now.  Instead, I will tell a similar narrative but with a very different ending.  The Boston Marathon has been referred to as the 'Super Bowl' of marathons.  It is the dream race for so many in the running community to compete in.  If you tell someone you run marathons, the follow up question is often times, "Have you done Boston?"  For me, Marathon Monday was supposed to be very special.  I marked it on my calendar the day I achieved my qualifying time in the early fall of 2012.  I felt proud to have reached this goal and knew I had earned my way to the starting line in Hopkinton.  In my last marathon (before Boston), I ran 2:54 in Philadelphia.  This was back in November.  Since, I have trained harder and faster than ever before.  I entered Boston believing a 2:40 time was a real possibility.  On Monday, however, my body and mind were never in the race.  My legs felt heavy from the start and I simply never settled into race pace.  I tried to relax and enjoy the crowds when I knew it was not going to be my day.  The support was unbelievable on the course.  I ran through the Wellesley scream tunnel and the girls there deafened me with their cheers.  I ran past my family at mile 17.

(mile 25)

("I finished Boston.")

It was a great moment.  I gave them a wave and carried on my journey through the Newton Hills.  While the hills were doing their best to slow me down even more, I saw more family members at mile 19.  They yelled to me and I waved back.  They gave me a nice boost.  Although I was struggling and could not figure out why, I knew I would be able to finish the race.  I then made it to the top of Heartbreak Hill.  My time goal was gone and my day was long over.  Every step was a struggle.  The BC students did their best to pick me up as I made my way to mile 22.  I then entered Boston and the crowds grew from there.  They were 5-10 people deep at times, with everyone urging on the runners to the finish.  My family was again at mile 25 to cheer me on but I did not see them this time.  I was in survival mode.  They told me I looked focused and in the zone.  I felt depleted and hopeless.  Finally, I reached the most famous two turns in all of running.  I made the historic right turn onto Hereford Street.  The crowds were going crazy, I was so close to the finish.  I climbed Mt. Hereford and made the final turn of the course, a left onto Boylston.  I was inside a half mile of crossing the finish line and could see it at this point.  I pushed on and finished in 2:56:55.  This is not a PR.  I did not have a race that I am happy with.  My day was over early and it was a struggle to the very end.  I ran the closing miles of the race slower than many of my 'easy' training days.  I did, however, finish Boston.  I did not stop.  I did not quit.  I would be lying if I told you these thoughts were not in my head very early in the race.  There are three little words that not everyone can say and that now I can: I finished Boston.  While I did not have the race of my life that I envisioned for weeks before the race, I can still say these words.  I am a Boston Marathon finisher.  I received my medal and I can wear my jacket with pride.  This is the point in my retelling of the race where I say I am determined to do better.  This was not my best effort and I will be back.  While this is all true, there are other events that need to be told and thoughts that still need to sink in.

12:57 P.M.- This is the approximate time that I crossed the finish line at.  I was exhausted, disappointed with my time but happy that I finished.  I would be able to proudly wear my medal and jacket.  I would be able to have a nice celebration with my family in Boston.  I walked through the finish line area and made it to the family meeting area.  Because of all of the people at the race, it took my parents and the rest of my family until about 2:00 P.M. to finally find me.  When they did, I was cold and shivering.  I was wrapped in my solar blanket and my lips were turning blue.  It was not a pleasant feeling to say the least.  We moved inside a building so I could warm up a little bit.  While there, a man came up to me and shook my hand.  He told me what an accomplishment it was that I finished Boston and that I was a champion.  I did not feel like much of a champion but this was one of the nicest exchanges I had ever had after a race.  This man cheered me up and I felt a little better about my race.  After all, I had just crossed the finish line of the greatest marathon in the world.  I started to begin to feel a little better and started to focus my attention on where my next meal would be coming from.  We left the family meeting area around 2:30 and went to Maggiano's Little Italy a few blocks away.  I was with several of my family members: my parents, sister, two uncles, an aunt and one of my little cousins.  We sat down around our table and started to relax.  I thanked everyone for supporting me throughout the day.  It meant a lot.  They toasted my efforts from the day and congratulated me on my run.  It was great being with my family, enjoying each other's company.  At 2:50 P.M., we were being served our main courses.  The mood at the table was light.  All of a sudden, a woman exclaimed at a nearby table that bombs had gone off at the finish line.  There was immediately talk that this was a terrorist attack, with the implication that it was foreign.  The finish line that I had crossed two hours ago?  It could not be true.  I then started to receive an influx of text messages asking my whereabouts and if I was alive!  We finished eating very quickly, paid our bill, and left the restaurant for our car to go home.  When I walked outside the restaurant, the scene was something close to panic.  There were people walking the streets, in all directions, with nobody seeming to give much notice to the next person.  It was a scary sight.  We were able to leave Boston quickly and we listened to the radio.  We listened as descriptions were given for what was happening at the finish line.  I got home and took a long shower.  I was drained from the day.  I made my way back to school and fell asleep not long after.  When I woke up, the events of the previous day began to sink in.  It could have been me; it could have been my family.  At any point in the race, the bombs could have gone off.  When we were still in the finish area at 2:30 P.M., we were close to where the second bomb went off.  It is scary to think about how close we all were to danger.  My heart goes out to the victims and their families.  Whoever is responsible for this attack should know that the running community is the wrong group of people to mess with.  I watched on the news how race volunteers and doctors were among the first responders.  They put their lives at risk and ran towards the fire as opposed to running away.  I saw that many runners ran to the hospitals to donate their blood right after the incident.  I have already seen countless running clubs and organizations plan group runs or events in honor of those affected.  The running community has stayed strong over the last couple of days.  My heart goes out to all of the runners who were not able to make the right on Hereford and left onto Boylston.  This was supposed to be something for all runners to experience and now there are many who are scarred to come back to Boston.  We still do not know who is responsible for this attack.  Right when the event happened, however, I immediately heard people call it a foreign terrorist attack.  I just ask for people to keep an open mind until federal and state authorities conduct their investigations and find the people or group responsible.  It could very well have been the work of a domestic terrorist group.  There is no need to fear what we do not know and put blame on people who were not involved.  This was a tragedy but speculating on what we do not know will not help us recover from what we experienced.  The Boston Marathon was supposed to be a race for both runners and fans to enjoy.  This did not happen.  I can tell you that I will be back in 2014, or at least that I want to be back in 2014.  I am qualified for the race again and will not hesitate to sign up.  I want to again express my thoughts and concerns for everyone affected by the events from this past Monday and hope that the running community continues to stay united as one in this difficult time.

David

Reflections

It's finally here!  I will be running in the 117th Boston Marathon tomorrow, April 15, 2013.  I have been looking forward to this day for months.  I have been following my training plan, running upwards of 85 miles a week.  This includes countless workouts, doubles and long runs.  The work has been done.  I have spent the last week or so tapering.  I did my last workout on Wednesday and completed a 5 mile tempo in 28:52 (5:46 pace).  Before the Philadelphia Marathon I did a 5 mile tempo in 30:04 on the Tuesday before the race.  The result: a 2:54 marathon.  I am clearly in much better shape heading into Boston and this is something I really need to stress to myself.  Before races, I tend to psyche myself out and have a good amount of nervous energy.  I wonder about where I will finish and how fast I will get there.  I look at my training and question if there is anything I could have done differently.  In my taper week, I have dropped my mileage and have had a few days of running 6-8 miles right around 7:00 pace.  I have done my best to stay calm and relaxed over the past few days.  I have made sure to get my sleep over the past week too.  There is nothing left to do.  Tomorrow I will find myself on the start line in Hopkinton with a 26.2 mile journey ahead of me.  You can learn a lot about yourself throughout the course of a marathon.  You find out what kind of person you are.  The marathon challenges you to be tough.  All I can ask is that I respond well to race pace tomorrow and do my best.  I want to feel strong during the race and have specific targets I will look to hit.  My goal is to take the race out conservatively, running about 6:15 pace (or even a few seconds slower) through 10k.  Then, I will really look to drop down into marathon pace and try my best to hold it until the Newton Hills.  I hope to be in the 6:00-6:10 range from the 10k point up to mile 17.5.  At this point the race really has begun (the hill at mile 16- the 128 overpass is really the first big climb).  I will run by effort through the hills until I crest Heartbreak.  At this point, I hope to have some energy left to use for the remaining 5 miles.  The Graveyard mile (21-22) is a fast, downhill mile.  From 22 on, the course drops a little more and the crowds pick up until the finish in Boston.  I cannot even express what it will mean to take the famous right onto Hereford and then left onto Boylston.  I have been training for this moment.  I have put everything into training for Boston 2013.  I am ready.  The emotions will certainly be high on race day.  Tomorrow is an opportunity to live up to the motto of Team David: Never Going Back.  I am going to leave everything out on the course tomorrow and want nothing more than to run a great race.  I cannot help but to think back at where I was a few years ago.  Back in high school, I was not one of the top runners on the cross country team.  I was not even close.  I never broke 20:00 in the 5k in high school.  I certainly was not in the kind of shape I am in today.  I have worked very hard to get to this point.  It started with one half marathon, which I ran in 1:45 (8:00 pace).  My last marathon averaged 6:38/mile and this was just a year and a half later.  My philosophy to running is simple: get out the door and run.  I try to get the most out of myself in each day of training with the hope that I will keep improving.  I want to encourage others to do the same.  You can accomplish so much through running.  Every race and every finish line give motivation for the next one.  I just want to say thank you to everyone who has been with me and has supported me since I have started running marathons.  It may seem crazy at times but I find peace through running.  I see tomorrow as another chance to chase my dreams from Hopkinton to Boston.  Tomorrow I will take the stage in Boston and put everything out there.

Never Going Back,
David

Thank You Notes, Round 2

It's now one week out from the Boston Marathon.  That's usually when I check my inbox, return some emails, and of course, send out my marathon-versioned thank you notes.  If everyone does not mind, I am running a bit behind schedule and was wondering if I could write them out now.  Here goes:

#1 Thank you to the sponsors of Team David: my family and friends.  This marathoning thing is not easy.  There is no way I could do it without any of you.  My parents and sister show up to every race and always encourage me to keep chasing my dreams.  I want to give a shout out to all of my friends.  By now, I am sure you are all tired of hearing me even mention the words "run" and "Boston."  You all still stand by me and want to see me do well.  This means a lot to me.  I want to personally thank my "new" roommates.  I moved in back at the end of September and have never been happier.  That makes all the difference in running.  I do not say it enough, but you guys really do not know what your friendship means to me.  The support I get from all of you gives me something to run for.  Team David is a growing organization so get your membership now!

#2 Thank you to my coach, Alan.  Alan is part of Team David but I wanted to give him his own spot.  I have learned so much in this build-up and am very thankful for all of your effort and hard work in getting me to the start line fresh.  Part of the battle of the marathon is making it to the start line ready to go.  I know I sometimes run more than I should and a little faster than I probably should too but without you coaching me, I probably would have gotten hurt.  It is important to know when to run easy and when to go for it.  The workouts you wrote for me in this build-up were tough and I look forward to keep making improvements.

#3 Thank you to winter.  In particular, I would like to give a mention to my good friends Snow and Wind.  You two came out to play nearly every day over the past couple of months.  Instead of going inside and using a treadmill (as some would say a reasonable person would do), I went to battle with you each and every day.  And who won?  I am going to take the decision in this one.  It looks like we are finally getting some spring weather and I am still here.  Many look at the weather in the winter as obstacles but I met them as a challenge in each day of training and that made it fun.  You both taught me how to be a "tough New England runner" and I thank you for that.

#4 Thank you to dogs.  I have been putting up with your barking and jumping for much too long.  Every time I run past you, you just have to say something to me.  And it's never anything nice!  It's always the smaller dogs too.  They seem to put up the biggest fight.  I have been chased down the road by many of you, but the joke is on you.  I was going to keep running anyways!

#5 Thank you to the hills.  All of you.  I hear there is this little thing called Heartbreak Hill coming my way in a week.  I personally want to mention Smith Hill, Jenckes Street, Freeman Parkway and Olney Street.  All of you have done your part and I would much rather climb Heartbreak than any of you.  Thank you for giving me the strength I need to conquer the Newton hills on Monday.

#6 Thank you to power bars, cliff bars, and GU products.  You all do your job to fuel me both before and after runs.  As a newly converted vegetarian (which I do not mention much on here) I am grateful for the protein I take in from these products.  Is it a problem that I actually like their taste too?

#7 Thank you to making new friends on the run.  It is nice to be a part of the Rhode Runner Racing Club.  It is nice to have company on our weekly runs.  It can get lonely as a distance running, who runs a majority of his miles on his own.  I would also like to thank people in two different instances.  The first happened about a month ago.  I was running near Roger Williams Park and I ran past someone on the sidewalk.  As I went by, he yelled, "Are you training for that thing...Boston?"  I yelled back, "Yeah!"  Then he proceeded to wish me luck.  It is moments like this that really get me.  I don't know this guy.  I will most likely never see him again and could not tell you what he looked like.  This guy gave me a greeting and wished me well at Boston.  It was a simple encounter but brought me a lot of joy.  Another instance happened a week ago.  I was doing a tempo run at marathon pace and someone pulled up alongside me on a bike.  He started to talk to me and told me he had been a marathoner years ago and ran Boston in the '80s.  Cool!  He then biked and talked with me for about two miles until we went our separate ways.  It was nice to have some company and it took the pressure off of the running.  I was able to concentrate on our conversation and the running felt easy!  I really enjoy the community feel of running and hope I can find ways to use my own running as a public good in the future and try and help other's with their goals.

#8 Thank you to those lovely people who yell "Run Forest Run" at me when I am running.  This is not an original thing to do.  I repeat: This is not an original thing to do.  That is all I want to say on this subject.

#9 Thank you to the haters.  While there are so many on the Team David bandwagon, there are always people who want to see you fail.  They gain from another's loss and this is not right.  You provide a great deal of motivation for me.  Why can't you just be happy for other people's accomplishments and focus on what you can do to help yourself.  Spend some more time evaluating your own goals and what you stand for instead of knocking someone else's.  As the rapper Evidence says, "Success will be the best revenge."  This is what I strive for, not to hurt others, but to be the best me I can be.  I will be happy if I know I gave it my best on Monday.  That is all I can ask for.

#10 Thank you to the year that was in 2012.  I gained a deeper perspective of marathon running.  In 2012, I started four marathons and finished three.  The year began with disappointment at Boston.  I prepared diligently, as I did in this cycle, for my first Boston Marathon.  Then, temperatures approached 90 degrees on race day.  This is not something I can control but that day still haunts me today and is something I constantly think about.  What could I have done differently?  I told myself I did everything to prepare for the race and entered the Cox Marathon in Providence.  I ran 3:11.  I was on 3:05 pace through 20 miles and then fell off pace a little towards the end.  I missed out on getting my BQ then.  I spent the spring and summer months training and racing.  I set several new PRs across the different race distances and got myself into great shape for a fall marathon.  I ran the Lehigh Valley Marathon on one of the last days to get a Boston qualifier for 2013.  I ran 3:03:14.  I did it!  I felt an array of emotions when I realized I had reached this goal and crossing the finish line was one of the best feeling's I have ever had.  I then capitalized on my fitness and ran a 1:20 half marathon at Hartford and 2:54 marathon at Philadelphia in November.  I started to work with my new coach at the end of my build-up for Lehigh but then he helped me prepare for Hartford and Philly.  2012 was a roller coaster of a year for running.  It started with a low and went up from there.  Looking back on what I was able to do, at where I started in the first place, gives me all the motivation I need at Boston.  I started the 2013 racing season with a 1:21 half marathon.  It was slower than I ran at Hartford which was in October.  This was not indicative of the kind of shape I am in now.  I expected something in the 1:15 to 1:16 range based on the workouts and mileage I have done in this build-up.  I have been running faster than ever and feel great!  I am going to capitalize on my fitness and put it all out there at Boston.  So, I had a bad race.  Looking back on 2012, I know what I was able to do after one bad race.  There wasn't something right about the day.  All I know is that April 15, 2013 will be perfect.  After Boston, I will set new goals and keep moving forward to another level.  Nobody can come between me and ambition.

Those were my thank you notes.  Some of them were serious, others were meant to be on the funnier side or something that runners can relate to.  I kind of went off in my last thank you note, but it needed to be said.  I really strive for excellence in a very difficult sport and it helps to have a better perspective on where you came from and what you hope to do.  My advice to the people who read this (1000+ views now!!) is to take a piece of paper and write your running goals down.  It can be a certain time or simply that you want to run a couple days a week.  Then write down on the page a list of things that will help you get there.  This is something I do for myself.  It helps me to visualize what it is I want in my training and to see the tools that I can use to make it a reality.  Keep at it everyone and prove to yourself that you can reach your goals.

ONE WEEK UNTIL BOSTON,
David

(note: I first saw Thank You Notes on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.  He does it every Friday night to start off his show and it's pretty funny!)

The Art of the Long Run

Whether you are training for a distance from the 5k to the marathon and beyond, the long run remains one of the most important workouts for any runner.  The long run helps to build endurance and prepares you to excel at your goal race.  In my current build-up for the Boston Marathon, I have placed a high importance on getting in a quality, weekly long run.  Over the past fifteen weeks, I have averaged 85-90+ miles a week, hitting triple digits twice.  Many of my training days involve a high number of miles and lengthy workouts.  The long run, however, receives my full attention each week in its planning and execution.  I like to do my long runs every Sunday.  Here is what I totaled across the last fifteen weeks:15, 16.5, 17.2, 18, 12.4 (down week), 17.6, 14.3 (5k race, doubled), 21.3, 16.5, 18, 20.6, 22, 17 (half marathon), 18, 18.  You can see that early on in the plan, I built my long run from 15 to 18 miles before having a down week.  After that, I was up close to 18 again before running a 5k race.  I then went over 20 miles for the first time.  I put in a solid stretch where I was over 20 miles in 3 out of 5 weeks.  I topped out at 22 miles during this cycle and ran 18 miles three weeks and then two weeks out from Boston.  What does all of this tell us?  Nothing!  A closer examination is needed to see what helps to give me an edge from this weekend workout.  The first step is acknowledging that the long run is, in fact, a workout day.  My running philosophy is that, in order to hold marathon pace come race day, you need to practice running at that pace in your long run.  This is why the long run is so important.  There are other workouts, such as tempo runs and strength workouts (ex: 3 x 2 miles) that help with pacing.  The long run, however, provides an opportunity to run at distances close to the marathon where you can simulate how you will feel during the marathon.  My goal for the Boston Marathon is to try and run in the low 2:40 range.  A 2:40 marathon averages 6:06/mile.  This brings up the most important point I want to make.  Practice running at goal marathon pace in your long run.  Increase the pace of your long runs.  Many people will tells you to go out and run 1-2:00 minutes a mile slower than what you expect to hold in the marathon.  Think about this.  For someone want to hold 6:53 a mile and break the 3 hour marathon barrier, you would be doing your long runs between 7:53 and 8:53 pace.  I think this is much too slow.  Yes, you will gain endurance but you are teaching your body to run at a slower pace.  I would much rather see an athlete be closer to :30 seconds to 1:00 from their goal pace.  You should run comfortably hard during your long runs.  The goal of the weekly long run, however, is not to take so much out of you that it affects your next week of training.  It is important, as always, to find balance in training.  Try alternating weeks where you do a fast finish long run one week and you run steady the next (this can be 1-2:00 slower than goal MP).  A fast finish long run simply means that you run at a steady pace until the last 3-6+ miles.  In the finishing miles, the goal is to increase your pace to marathon pace and then hold it late in the run.  Teach your body what marathon pace feels like and then try to drop under marathon pace for the last couple of miles.  This is a tough workout and I would not encourage doing this every week.  I would incorporate it into training once or twice a month in a marathon build-up.  The benefits of making it through faster long runs are substantial.  You will have spent more time running closer to marathon pace at distances that are close to the full 26.2 miles.  Also, consider the confidence that you can bring with you to the start line.  I have run a number of sub-6:00 miles at the end of 16, 18, and 20+ mile runs.  This is a good feeling!  When I get into the late stages of the race at Boston, I will know that I have run fast deep into several previous runs.  I hope this philosophy for the long run makes some sense.  Treat the long run as a workout day.  Focus on pacing.  Run at a pace you can sustain but do not be afraid to pick it up towards the end and see what you have left in you.  Then, take this confidence with you after running strong at the end of your long runs.  This will help take some of the pressure off of yourself when racing.  You will know you have put in the work.  You will know what race pace feels like and that you can maintain it late into the race.  With anything, practice this in moderation and remember to place an emphasis on recovery too.  Take your easy days easy.  Good luck to everyone running spring races and see if attacking the long run a little faster in training will be beneficial for you!  Find what works best for you!

See you at Boston,
David