I put off writing this race recap because I kind of wanted to say good riddance and move on. But there are always lessons in races, and so here I am, belatedly reviewing one that went off the rails.
When I qualified and booked this trip, I had no idea that I’d get a job offer to relocate to Boston. What started as a dream marathon trip had now turned into show up to race and check out my future city. We’d be moving there sometime the following summer, and since Louie and I hadn’t been to Boston before, we wanted to check out as many areas as possible.
I went in undertrained. Big life changes can do that to you. My new job required longer hours and much more sitting than I was used to, and I could no longer devote as much time to training. My years-in-the-making habits around when I ran and how I cross-trained and recovered were all disrupted.
On race day, I thought I was starting “easy,” and realized about halfway in that “easy” for my current fitness level should have been :30-:45 seconds slower. The 55 and sunny weather that seemed pleasant at first became a slow burn. I overheated, under hydrated, and got a wicked sunburn, despite having put on sunscreen. It wasn’t dramatic. There was no injury. It’s just the same thing that has happened to many others before me. The Boston hills got me, and I kind of hope to have redemption on them one day.
While this wasn’t the race I dreamed of, I still enjoyed the pomp and circumstance that is Boston. The first 15 miles felt pretty good, and I managed to find some joy and highlights – here are my top 3:
- Wellesley Scream Tunnel wins, hands down. While there was a lot of spectator magic throughout, I nearly wept passing through. The energy from the Wellesley women is just electric.
- Seeing Louie. My husband used the commuter rail to travel from the start line to several points throughout the course. Despite the thick crowds, I managed to catch him at each spot along the way.
- Running with some greats. I got passed by Lauren Fleshman somewhere along the way, and even though she likely started in a later corral than I did, I got a kick out of thinking I was ahead of such a pro in a marathon. Maybe 5 mile later I passed Shalane Flanagan and the runner she was guiding, Boston Marathon bombing survivor Adrianne Haslet. It lifted my spirits seeing them work together.
I ran decently through mile 17, then slowed considerably. The wheels really fell off after 20. At that point some pains in my glute that had started up when I began sitting more for my new job were limiting my range of motion. It wasn’t pretty, and I wasn’t having much fun. That part burned me up. I knew I wasn’t in shape for a time goal, and I had reset my expectations for the race to just have fun and soak up my new city.
Those final turns were okay. I wanted to soak it up—the cheers had reached a fever pitch—but I was so ready to be done. I knew I was close to being just under 4 hours, and I didn’t even have enough grit to push for that.
I couldn’t help but think afterwards that marathon training doesn’t seem like enough for this race. You’re on your feet for hours before the actual race – waiting for the buses, walking through the athlete’s Village to the start line. Waiting, waiting, waiting.
The details:
Boston Marathon
April 18, 2022
Marathon #16
Weather: 40 and chilly to start, warming to 55 degrees with full sun
Finish time: 4:00:33
