google.com, pub-4167727599129474, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0

Running 2019 Boston Marathon

The 2019 Boston Marathon was another adventure run. We had rain, we had heat, a little bit of wind and a whole lot of fun.

Originally posted on April 28th, 2019.

I awoke to the sound of thunder around 5:30 on Marathon Monday.

All week they forecasted rain and possibly thunder and lightening during the race.

I didn’t pay much attention until Wednesday.

On Wednesday, April 10th, the BAA sent the following email update:

Marathon Monday is a fun day for all, but amateurs to elites should all remember to take the weather seriously. The current weather predictions are predicted to be similar to 2018’s race, so please keep an eye on the extended forecast and dress accordingly for the weather conditions. Packing extra layers, gloves, hats, and waterproof gear is encouraged.

By Friday meteorologists said the rain should end before the race and most likely before noon. Over the weekend the forecast improved to rain ending before 9:00 with race temps in the 50’s and some wind.

2019 Boston Marathon Weather ForecastOn Friday the BAA announced that Wave 4 would start immediately after Wave 3. Normally there is a 25 minute gap between waves. In 2018 when we had close to a Nor’easter they also had Wave 4 start right after Wave 3.

Even with the improving forecast, everyone knew that anything could happen.

As I had my coffee and toast I hoped that they were right. While getting dressed I noticed that the thunder had stopped and the rain seemed to be getting lighter.

I checked my go bag and running belt for the 10th time and headed out. As I drove down my street NPR said it was 7:01 on Marathon Monday, Patriots Day.

Getting to the 2019 Boston Marathon

I parked in my garage around 7:30 and walked to the Kendall/MIT Red Line T station. The rain was now light, it was reasonably warm and there wasn’t much of a breeze.

I had considered walking, but the Red Line stop at Arlington was right around the corner from the bag drop area. Last year I walked over in the rain and got soaked. The walk also added over a mile of walking which I wanted to avoid.

 Pre Race Map bag drop, bus pickup
Boston Marathon Pre Race Map

The train ride was uneventful and the cars were not crowded. I even made a good transition at Park Street from the Red Line to the Green Line.

In no time I was walking down Boylston Street towards the 2019 Boston Marathon finish line and looking for my bag drop. The buses where they collected our gear were not lined up in bib order so I had to look around a bit.

There were plenty of eager volunteers ready to take my bag and I was on my way to the buses in no time.

I slipped on the KT Tape poncho from The Expo and made my way down Boylston Street. As I crossed Arlington Street I heard my friend Bill Ozaslan call my name! He was directing runners towards the buses. We said hello and chatted briefly in passing.

It was great to see a friend and get some encouragement before the race.

The Walk though the Public Garden was easier than last year. The puddles were smaller and the crowd seemed lighter.

I was seeded in Wave 4 and my assigned bus loading time was 8:55 to 9:30. It was around 8:00 AM when I got in line for the buses. Wave 3 loaded from 8:00 to 8:45 AM, but no one was turned away. Their goal was to fill every seat in every bus and roll em out.

As we stood in line I chatted with several people. One young lady had come to Boston from Paris! That was pretty cool. We made idle chit-chat while waiting our turn to board.

Later in the day when I heard about the massive fire at Notre Dame I felt bad for her. She probably heard about the disaster in her home town soon after finishing the race. To feel such sorrow and anguish after achieving such a triumph.

On the bus I sat with a guy from Vancouver, BC. He went to college in Boston many years ago and had run Boston a few times before. We were both old hands at running and had a good chat all the way out to Hopkinton.2019 Boston Marathon Recap and course description Click To Tweet

Hanging with Team Mass General

When I ran for MGH in 2018 they had a heated tent for the team. Since the 2019 forecast was similar to 2018, I hoped they would have the tent again.

All training season, I hadn’t received a single email from MGH about the race. I had no idea if they would have a tent, but I was hopeful.

While working the Bib Pickup station at the Boston Marathon Expo Sunday night, me and my friend Marty Hergert started looking for an MGH Twitter account to reach out to. Turns out that MGH has many twitter handles, none of which seemed like the obvious choice to contact.

I sent a Tweet to an MGH account but didn’t get a reply until 10:24 Monday night.

They had a post race get together that I didn’t know about that until after the race also. I was too busy before the race to even think about these things.

As I walked into Athletes Village I asked a volunteer about MGH. They didn’t know but pointed to someone holding an MGH sign. The person holding the sign told me the tent was in the same parking lot as last year.

Because the first wave had been called and I had a fourth wave bib, she had to walk me through security, which was no problem. I was so grateful for her assistance.

I managed to find my way to the MGH tent in a few minutes. I had my MGH singlet on and they let me in with a smile.

MGH Tent Boston Marathon 2019The tent wasn’t heated but they had food, drink and just about anything else a marathon runner would need. They even had a DJ and an MGH photo background.

I settled in and started chatting with people like we were old friends. I recognized one older guy from last year, but that was it. I was in a room full of strangers and fellow travelers.

They had a line of porta-potties in the parking lot and I only had to wait a minute or two. When I went back inside the tent I surveyed the food and beverages, got a cup of coffee and some sort of breakfast bar. I wasn’t really hungry but I knew I would be in a few hours.

Each time I went back to the seat I claimed, there seemed to be new people around. Each time people struck up conversations like we were my old friends. It was pretty cool.

A lady next to me was putting her name on her bib with a sharpie. I asked if she would write “Andy” on both arms. No problem!

I finally got some ink!

Running 2019 Boston Marathon

Sometime after 10:00 they told us to make our final race preparations and to then head outside for some photos. I was pretty much ready to go so I headed out to the porta-potty line one last time. It’s the most important pre-race check box to tick!

People were still coming out of the tent when I exited The Loo. I tried not to be in front but the way the crowd moved into place I was pretty much in the middle. They took a bunch of photos and had a high tech camera that I think was going to make a 3-D image, or something.

With that most of us headed for the start. A few people were still getting ready.

As I walked down the street I could feel the excitement build. Even for my 9th Boston Marathon it was still a thrill to walk with the crowd towards the start.

As we approached Grove Street, the road that goes from the High School to the start area, we went through a check point. They were using wand metal detectors! I was shocked they didn’t go off since all of us had a phone, keys or something metallic on us.

Grove Street HopkintonThe walk down Grove Street was joyous and long, as usual. Unlike 2018, people were out on their lawns wishing us well. Some folks offered supplies and I think one little girl had a free lemonade stand.

You gotta love the people of of Hopkinton. 35,000 runners massively inconvenience them and they offer the sweetest kindnesses to strangers in return. That is class.

I saw the tent for Race Cancer Foundation and my friend Jessie Lizette was there! Another friendly face to share the day with. We had a quick hug and I was on my way.

As we turned right onto Main Street and started to walk up the hill my excitement clicked up to 11. The crowds were growing and it was beginning to feel frickin real!

Like 2018, we just kept walking towards the start line. No stopping and engagement with the announcer. No camera on a huge boom swinging over the crowd. I was totally prepared this time.

As I crossed the first timing mat I started my watch. It was freakin real now!

And They’re off to Boston

In 2018 only steel barricades lined the road out of Hopkinton. This year the cheering crowd was back!

The road out of Hopkinton is down hill for the first 0.7 miles. This makes it easy to let the adrenaline and crowds carry you along like a leaf in the breeze. Everyone feels awesome at this point in the race.

I did my best to stay in the middle of the road and chill out. My left knee conveniently started acting up about two weeks before the marathon. So I was paying attention to how both knees felt as I ran that first mile.

At 0.7 miles we hit our first hill. In the first mile we lost 130 feet of elevation and that first hill gave us back 34 feet. I was so pumped up in 2003 that I didn’t even notice this hill. In subsequent years I’ve noticed it.

Over the years, I’ve become a student of the course.

I ran the hill intentionally knowing there were many more hills to come and paid attention to how everything felt.

Mile One came in at 9:31. Right on my goal pace of 9:30.

Mile two was gently rolling hills. At 2.1 miles we hit our next hill of about 29 feet.

Mile two was 9:21 and mile three was 9:12. My goal was to run even splits around 9:30, so these miles were a little fast.

I skipped the first water stop at mile two and drank from a 500ml bottle to which I had added an electrolyte mix. At 5K I took my first gel and washed it down with some water.

Somehow my bib didn’t register at the 5K mark. I believe my watch had me around 28 minutes at the 5K mark. Way off my 5K pace but close to my marathon pace.

Things were going well.

Around this time I began to think about a porta-potty stop. I really didn’t want to but sweat was dripping down my left arm. In order to keep drinking the way I knew I needed to, I would need to make a stop.

The BAA had water stations and porta-potties starting at mile two and I began to look for on open porta-potty.

The mile three porta-potties looked occupied so I kept on going. At mile four they had ten in a parking lot and at least one had a green handle.

As I ran into the parking lot someone else ran in front of me and I was afraid I’d have to wait. But as the other runner went in, a runner came out of another door.

I still had two water bottles with me and managed to balance them on the “shelf” in the corner of the porta-potty.

I timed my self and got in and out in 30 seconds. I joked that I had done a “Flannagan” like Shalane did in 2018.

Mile four came in at 9:36 with my pit stop, but mile five came in at 8:56. I was definitely feeling better.

At 4.2 miles we hit the first hill that I remember from 2003. It’s 52 feet over a half mile as we entered Framingham.

This time I greeted it like an old friend. I took the hill.

Settling into The Run

Now that I had resolved my hydration issue I could focus on running. My knee was only a 2 on a scale of 10 and didn’t seem to be getting any worse. I worried about pounding it on the down hills in Newton, but that was many miles away.

I had plenty of gels, two bottles on my belt and most of two bottles in my hands. I was warmed up and was settled into the race.

Mile six and seven were 8:55 and 8:49. At 10K I took my next gel, finished the plain water bottle and tossed it.

The BAA clocked me at 57:51 at the 10K mark. I estimated that my second 5K had a pace around 29 minutes. The fact that the 2nd 5K included a pit stop, my 5K splits were basically even.

My overall pace at 10K was 9:18!

Mile eight chimed about half a mile into Natick. My pace was 9:12.

The crowds were pretty deep and consistent through Natick. I finished and tossed my second bottle, so now I could slap some hands along the way!

At Mile nine I ate one of the four Snickers bars I brought with me. Even in what seemed like heat, it was firm. I washed it down with some electrolyte drink from one of my belt bottles and satisfied some of my hunger.

There was very little cloud cover at this point in the race. Remembering 2014, I tried to run on the shaded side of the road but it didn’t work very well.

Just after mile nine I crossed the 15K timing mat at 1:26:23. It took me about 28:32 to run the 5K between the 10K and 15K mark.

I was running remarkably consistent splits of 9:16 still.

On one hand I figured I was one-third of the way through the race, on the other hand I knew that the halfway mark was really at mile twenty!

Mile nine through 13.1 miles went smoothly. I took a gel around mile twelve and started taking water at stops. The crowd at the stops was thinner now and I was getting tired of gels and sport drink.

At 20K the BAA clocked me at 1:55:10 or 28:43 for that 5K. Still at a 9:16 overall pace.

I crossed the Half Marathon mat at 2:01:31, still a 9:16 pace.

Running to Boston!

After mile thirteen we were headed for The Wellesley College Scream Tunnel. In 2018 there were a few hearty souls still hanging on the barricades for us. I was so miserable by then that I could barely muster a smile for them.

This year there was a huge crowd of college girls screaming at us. Many held signs, some with provocative or funny things on them. Oh to be 20-something again!

I smiled and waved but didn’t stop for a kiss.

There are just rolling hills between 20K and 25K, nothing challenging at all. Just the miles.

25K is at the top of the hill that drops down to the ramp to the Rt. 128 bridge. I heard Shalane Flanagan call this bridge the toughest hill on the course and I am inclined to agree.

At 25K my time was 2:24:42, just under a 9:19 pace. Mile 15 had rung in at 9:43 and I’m not sure why.

I managed to run down the hill to the Rt. 128 bridge and mile 16 came in at 9:10.

While training for this marathon I had practiced running down hill. It takes more than just throwing your foot out there. You have to condition your muscles for the impact, practice maintaining good form and trust that you can control your body and not fall on your face.

After the trough at mile sixteen we began the climb up the ramp to the bridge.

In 2018 there had been a raging brook running down the right side of the road! About half-way up the ramp there was water gushing two feet out of a drain and creating the torrent. It was a sight to see.

This year I just focused on getting up that damned hill.

Some people were walking and most everyone slowed down. Running the seventeenth mile, a 76 foot hill kicked everyone’s ass. I managed to keep running and felt okay for where I was.

Mile seventeen chimed in at 10:10. My first mile over 10 minutes. It was beginning to feel like a run.

Dem Damned Hills!

At about 17.25 mile we took that famous turn in front of the Newton Fire Station.

The road is so wide here and the crowd is large and loud.

I knew that the Melrose Running Club and my daughter were less than four miles away, atop Heartbreak Hill. I wished they had been at mile 16 or 18. Mile twenty-one, for god’s sake!

The Rt. 128 bridge may be in Wellesley, but it’s the first of the “Newton Hills.” At 17.5 miles we made the steep ascent of hill #2. 50 feet over a third of a mile on tired legs and a swimming mind.

I could have been pulled over for an OUI at this point, I was so altered. Count back from 100? I can’t even count up to 10!

Mile 18 came in at 10:08 even with the hill.

After summiting hill #2 we had a dip and another rise. Then mostly down hill until 19.25 or so.

My quads were shredded by this point, so I couldn’t really run down the hills. I did okay and mile nineteen came in at 9:45.

30K was just before mile 19. The BAA clocked me at 2:56:12 and my overall pace had dropped to 9:27.

Still under my goal of 9:30 but the hills were taking their toll on me.

At 19.25 we hit hill #3 and ascended another 50 feet over about a third of a mile. Mile twenty came in at 10:11. I was doing better than a lot of people but I was running out of gas.

At mile twenty I took some Gatorade and another gel. The big one was coming.

The crowd was huge and loud. Somewhere along here I realized that my ears were ringing! It was that loud. Or was I that altered?

I took a salt pill and two Hyland Arnica pills after the big turn at the fire station. So I should have been in relatively good shape. I knew what I was doing.

Heartbreak Hill

At 20.3 miles that big damned hill began! It’s 85 feet over about a quarter of a mile!

I knew that my stop was coming up, but I still chugged up the hill like the express train. It gives me such a feeling of accomplishment to run Heartbreak Hill. I have walked it before, but not in recent years.

As I ran the hill I moved to the left side of the road and kept looking ahead. The Melrose Running Club color is purple and I was looking for our pop up tent.

Finally it came into view and looked so far away!

I never stop for long at the tent. It is a race after all!

In 2018 they had plastic barricade fencing along the road. This year they just had a rope, so I could get off of the course.

2019 Boston Marathon, Angela NagelinI saw my daughter Angela standing there and gave her a big hug. I’m sure she was thrilled. My buddy Matt Sazama was a few feet away with his camera.

I had to motion to him to take our picture. That’s all I really wanted from this stop. Later he said he wasn’t sure who the girl was so he didn’t want to just take a picture of me with some random girl!

I don’t recall what we said but I’m sure she asked how I was and I probably said okay. Next I moved to the pit crew. My throat was so dry I could barely speak. My friend AJ Drummond kept asking if I wanted a pretzel for salt.

I kept try to say I had taken a salt tablet a few miles back but the words just wouldn’t come out. Finally Jose Viveiros understood that I wanted water.

He came over with a bottle and I took the top off of one of the bottles in my belt. The electrolyte mix was too strong so I wanted to top off my bottles and make them drinkable again.

I quickly got the top on the first bottle and then filled the second bottle. I tried to look into the crowd to see who else was there, but my eyes didn’t seem to be working!

I waved goodbye to everyone and I was off. With just a bit of uphill left, the long descent into Boston began.

Mile twenty-one came in at 12:36. The pit stop was well worth the loss of a few minutes.

To Cleveland Circle and Beyond!

Mile twenty-two was mostly down hill. The crowds were still as big and as loud as they were all through Newton.

Nothing hurt, I was simply exhausted. My muscles were shredded. But nothing hurt, so I kept running.

At 35K the BAA clocked me in at 3:30:09 and my overall pace was just under 9:40. My goal pace was 9:30. It didn’t look like I was going to hit that mark, but the wheels were still on the bus.

Just after 35K I hit the twenty-two mile mark at 9:34. With only 4.2 miles to go it would be hard to bend the time much closer to 9:30.

As we cruised past the Chestnut Hill Reservoir and headed into Cleveland Circle I felt a second wind. Mile twenty-two has 79 feet of decline and I kicked it in.

I moved to the left side of the road and ran between the tracks. I had the road to my self here and moved freely.

Heading out of Cleveland Circle toward mile twenty-three we lost an additional 54 feet. It was just what I needed. Mile twenty-three came in at 9:33!

After mile twenty-three, my two miles of exuberant running began to take their toll. Mile twenty-four is mostly downhill and the crowd support is phenomenal.

I could feel every rise in the road in my thighs. Even with pretty good fueling and hydration I was running on fumes.

Mile twenty-four had 21 feet of incline and 54 feet of decline. Nothing really. But mile twenty-four dropped to 10:09. With only 2.2 miles to go I decided to go all in.

2019 Boston Marathon Finish

Somewhere around mile twenty-four we entered Boston. The home stretch!

No one in the fourth wave had qualified for Boston. We paid our fees, did our fundraising and ran as much as we could. At this late stage in the race many runners were beyond any distance they had ever run before. It was all guts and will power fueling these brave folks.

The crowds were deep and loud even this late in the day. Usually I look into the crowd and exchange a few whoops with someone who has had a few more beers than I. It’s a lot of fun and helps distract me from the pain.

For 2019 I kept my head down for the most part and focused on keeping my feet moving.

I knew I could keep moving and not walk. It just took every fiber of my being to keep the party rolling towards Boylston Street.

Part of the reason a marathon is so mentally taxing is the reduced level of glucose going to your brain. The other reason is the level of focus required to keep running when your body and good judgement say, “hell no!”

At 40K the BAA clocked me at 4:01:20 for an overall pace of just under 9:43. Mile twenty-five came in at 9:57! Under ten minutes! 40K and 25 miles are just about the same distance.

I was running about 0.3 miles long, so Garmin shows mile 25 before the Turnpike Bridge. The BAA map has mile twenty-five just past the bridge.

The bridge is one of the last challenges for runners. In a car you’d barely notice it. On marathon Monday it’s just one more hill between you and the finish.

Somewhere after the bridge there is the “One Mile to go” sign.

Then we entered Kenmore Square. The crowd was huge and loud! I looked to see if any of my colleagues had managed to make it to the race. A few hinted that they might, but I didn’t see anyone.

As we left Kenmore Square we came to the last water stop near the Charles Gate overpass. Some people grabbed a cup but I kept in the middle of the road.

Commonwealth Ave was packed with people. I was highly focused on finishing the race and didn’t engage with the crowd or pay them much attention.

Soon the Mass Ave underpass came into view. Most runners hate this dip in the road. Our legs can handle neither the decline or rise out of the tunnel. I don’t think anyone let out a whoop in the tunnel.

I was surprised how easily I made the ascent out of the tunnel. As soon as I got back on Comm Ave I made my way to the right side of the road.

I could hardly believe that I was seeing the Hereford Street sign come into view! I’ve run this corner many times between the marathon and BAA 5K.

During a marathon, seeing that sign is like seeing the shoots open before splashdown for an Apollo mission. Almost home, but it’s not over yet!

Right on Hereford, Left on Boylston

2019 Boston Marathon, Comm Ave onto Hereford StreetIn 2018 Hereford was a slick hill littered with piles of ponchos, jackets and other trash. What a freakin mess was all I could think.

This year the road layed invitingly before me. There were more runners than last year but it still felt like the road was mine to run. I took the hill and approached the corner.

As I got to the top of the hill I moved left and got ready to execute the turn onto Boylston Street. It went perfectly.

All of a sudden, there were runners around me. The road is so wide but there were people near me!

Way the hell down the road I could see the finish line. This year it was a big screen TV or something. I didn’t recall all of the lights from before.

We ran and ran and ran! Then all of a sudden the finish line was there! I moved to the right side for Wave Four finishers and threw peace signs into the air as I approached the sacred line!

Finishing my ninth Boston Marathon was just as exciting as any other, except for maybe the first one!

As I left the finish area one of the BAA executives was standing there clapping for everyone. I stuck my hand out and he shook it and said “Congratulations.”

As I caught my breath I kept walking towards Mylar blankets and my medal!

Boston Marathon finishers medalMy friend Meg Micheals volunteers to give out medals every year. I always look for her and found her this year. It was great.

I had to keep moving and got my bag of food and headed to the bag pickup area. The volunteers saw me coming and had already called into the bus with my bag number. Very efficient.

I didn’t have anything to hang around for, so I headed for the exit. At the corner I took a left and the Arlington T stop was right there!

After the 2019 Boston Marathon

I was surprised how easy it was to get down the stairs to the platform. Someone was playing music and the air was warm. Unlike previous years, no one said a word to me.

At Park Street I made an efficient transfer to the Red Line and headed for Kendall Square. Walking up the stairs out of the Kendall/MIT stop was a bit more challenging.

Walking down the street to my office was cold and seemed to take too long! Fortunately the garage door was open and I didn’t have to go around to the front of the building.

I tossed my stuff in the back seat and tossed my self into the front seat.

The drive home was okay. It was a holiday so traffic was light.

Getting out of the car was a bit of a challenge and so was getting up the stairs! My muscles were tightening up.

I took a nice shower and sat down to watch my DVR recording of the 2019 Boston Marathon. What an exciting finish!

Run well my Friends,

Andy

Melrose 5K Race Directory 2022

Melrose 5K races, races near meMelrose is a very active town. There is a YMCA, Melrose Boot Camp and a large and active running club, the Melrose Running Club. Whenever I drive through town I see runners everywhere.

If you are promoting a race that I do not have listed here, please contact me at [email protected]

2020 and 2021 were tough years for races every where. Some went virtual and some just faded away.

Melrose 5K Race Directory

Fitzgerald Physical Therapy Associates Melrose Run For Women

8 May | 9:00 AM | Sunday | Mother’s Day

Mother's Day Race, melrose 5K race directoryThe Melrose Run for Women is back and in person for 2022!

With Fitzgerald Physical Therapy Associates as the marque sponsor, the race is sure to be better than ever!

Produced by the Melrose Running Club this 3.5 mile women only road race draws around 1,000 runners each year.

All proceeds benefit Melrose Alliance Against Violence (MAAV). Since 1998 over $278,000 has been donated.

Awards are given to the top finishers, the first mother and grandmother to finish, and best mother/daughter team finishers. Awards are also given to top age group finishers.

Registration is open at: $35 per person and $60 for mother/daughter teams. On May 1st prices got to $40 and $70 respectively.

Melrose Firefighters Fathers Day 5K

TBD June | 9:30 AM | Sunday – see you in 2022?

melrose 5K races, firefighters 5k

I really thought this race would make a come back in 2021 since the fire fighters are so good at organizing this.

Keeping my eyes open and hopes high for 2022!

2021 would be the 8th running of this Melrose 5K race which raises money for the Melrose Firefighters Relief Association.

Normally, the fun starts with a free kids race where everyone wins! Music, snacks, and fire trucks will abound.

Melrose Family YMCA Spooky Sprint 5K

29 October | 8:30 AM | Saturday

The Spooky Sprint is alive! Alive and in person for 2022!

spooky sprint 5k, kids race, melrose 5K race directoryThis race begins at the Y and travels through charming downtown Melrose and through beautiful Pine Banks. Bring your costumes and family!

All proceeds benefit the Melrose Family YMCA’s Growing Stronger Together scholarship fund which ensures no one in the community is turned away for inability to pay.

In 2015 the YMCA of Metro North provided more than one million dollars in financial aid providing all children, adults and families with opportunities to develop a healthy spirit, mind and body regardless of income.

Registration is open at: $30 for adults and $20 for 18 and under through October 13th.

Assault on Mt. Hood

10 December | Noon

assault on Mt Hood, cross countryThe Assault on Mt. Hood returns as an in person cross country race for 2022.

The location as much as the time of year makes this race what it is, and you just can’t duplicate that at home.

This race has become an early winter tradition for cross-country runners from the GBA and beyond. The race is run on the Mt. Hood golf course and the route is slightly different year-to-year depending on conditions.

The race organizers seek to make the course more challenging each year. So come prepared to climb hills!

This Melrose Running Club production features awards, refreshments, a Huge Post Race Party with plenty of food and a few beers.

And don’t forget about the legendary nutcrackers!

We have a 2022 date, but registration is not open yet.

Melrose 5K Race Directory Updates

Please let me know if I missed a race or if your group is starting a race for next year. I will be more than happy to add your race or make any corrections to the races listed.

Run well my Friends!

Andy

Cambridge Winter Classic 5K 2021

Only my second in person 5k of 2021!

I’ve run the Cambridge Winter Classic almost every year since it’s inception.

One year it was so cold that they had a huge tent with sides. Not just a canopy or pop-up. That was a wild day!

This year it was a seasonable 37-40º F. Balmy.

Getting Ready to Run the Cambridge Classic 2021

I’ve been dealing with injuries for about a year now. I’m beginning to think of this as “middle-aged runners syndrome”. It’s not just an injury. Not sure it qualifies as a “syndrome” but it’s more than a simple injury.

I got to the race before all of the barriers were up and was able to get a parking spot right off of Sydney Street.

Very few people were there so I was able to pick up my bib and shirt without standing in line.

I took everything back to my car and got my running kit together. It seemed nice enough that I would not need a jacket. Instead I tucked my phone into a running belt and put on some sun screen.

My PT, Sarah, has been telling me how important dynamic warm ups are, so I went out for a slow jog.

I headed towards Race Central and used the porta potty and continued on my way.

This part of Cambridge is really cool. Parts are residential as they have been since before Paul Revere and The American Revolution. Other parts are post industrial buildings and MIT sprawl.

Running a very slow pace, 13.20, I was able to look deeper into yards and further down side streets. I love architecture and history so it was more of a visual treat than a warm up run.

My vivid imagination saw people walking to foundries and shoe factories. I imagined all the secret work that MIT and Harvard did in those industrial looking buildings during WWII and The Cold War.

Cambridge, MIT, warm up run My knee hurt for a while and I actually wondered if it would be a mistake to run this race.

I’ve experienced more pain during a marathon, but a marathon is a mission. Neither hell nor high water will stop me.

It’s a fucking crazy frame of mind. It’s much easier to walk away from a 5K, or even not start. I’ve done it once or twice before.

When I got back to the Team Clark table my left knee was at least a 4 on a scale of 1-10. I did some stretching, walked about and did a bit more un-recorded running. It did happen even though it’s not logged!

Running The Cambridge Classic 2021

Before the race the only person I saw that I know is the race director Paul. There were about 3,000 runners including 6-8 from my club.

I hung out at the table until 9:23 and then slowly made my way to the back of the pack.

As I walked down Sydney Street I could see that we had a good crowd today. I kept going until I got to the end.

I chatted with another guy my age who had a similar idea. His was to start in the back and see how many people he could pass.

When they started the race, we were so far back that I couldn’t tell if the race had begun. As we walked to the start we wished each other a good race and parted.

It was interesting to be walking with the people with strollers. As I crossed the start I began a light jog. It took a great deal of restraint to not pass everyone.

When we got to the first turn onto Pacific Street I was running easy. A few times I was running behind elementary-school kids.

My mission was to run a 30-minute 5K.

As we turned onto Albany Street I could see people running onto the sidewalk or tucking in to the curb for a tight turn. I held back and stayed behind the kids.

The perfectly executed turn was not of my concern today.

As we ran down Albany Street I began to pass people. Many were walkers or almost walkers. If I went any slower I felt like I was going to fall over!

I tried to look around and take in the sights. I also had to watch the pavement as there were some rough spots.

When we turned onto Mass Ave I had to control my self. One of my favorite things to do is run down Mass Ave in Cambridge.

Normally it is 5-6 lanes of traffic and impatient drivers. On race day it is all ours.

I did pick up the pace a bit but rarely hit a 10 minute pace. Nothing hurt and it just felt so slow!

As we approached the left onto Putnam Ave I could tell that my cardio had slipped. I wasn’t gasping for breath, but I also wasn’t pushing it.

I made the turn at exactly 1.55 miles.

As we ran down Putnam I decided to maintain my pace until the two-mile mark. Then I would see how I felt.

Mile one was 11:44 and mile two was 10:22.

Finishing The Cambridge Classic 2021

Mile three began just after we crossed Western Avenue. It was a bit of a downhill so I went with it.

This road is in rough shape with wavy pavement and a few potholes. So I had to pay attention.

As I weaved between runners I herd bits of conversation about time at Harvard Law and joining the SEAL program. I also saw many MIT shirts running down the street. But I was passing these folks.

I tried not to open it up like I normally would at this stage in the race. And I really wanted to!

But I knew if I broke anything my PT would not be impressed! So I kept mile three to a 8:34 pace.

8:34 felt “fast” and I felt like my legs got the stretch that they needed. They wanted.

When we hit mile three I heard someone tell their running partner that they had 0.2 miles to go and they both put in the kick. I had to chuckle.

Hopefully they were able to maintain their kick for almost a quarter mile.

The street was narrow and many of us were bunching up. I thought about kicking but decided to keep a more constant pace.

My last 0.27 miles came in at a 9:07 pace. Not bad.

Apre Cambridge Winter Classic 2021

After the finish line I grabbed a bottle of water and headed for my car. I wanted to put on my jacket before the freeze set in.

In no time I was headed for the beer table. Security looked at my beard and told me to grab two beers.

Cambridge Winter Classic 2021, Zero Gravity BrewingI took the Zero Gravity Madonna IPA and a Conehead IPA. The Madonna was 8% and 90 IBU. It was actually too malty and sweet for me. Often brewers try to off-set a high IBU with extra malt.

Since I wasn’t enjoying it and the alcohol was 8%, I left 3/4 of it on the table. Blasphemy, I know!

The Conehead didn’t list the IBU which is odd since it features a cone of hops on the label. But at 5.7% it was much more enjoyable.

The Paul Clark table always has a few of the same folks for every race. I don’t know most of their names and some of us are getting older!

But we always have fun talking about the race, running in general and beer!

There were a few people who were new to me and we had a good chat.

Heading for the corral I saw one of my friends, Jessie Almeida. We just said hello and headed to our spots. During the race I caught up to Jessie on Mass Ave. She had earbuds and was doing a walk/run program.

We chatted a bit, but I could see I was interrupting her plan.

But after the race she came by the table with a few of her friends and we chatted for about 15 minutes. We talked science, running and beer.

By this time the crowd was thinning and most of us had reached our limit.

When I turned around my crew was gone and there was a twelve-pack of Zero Gravity with 11 beers sitting on the table. How could I walk away from that? I also took two energy drinks.

There were most of two 12-packs left and I could have taken more. But I’m not a big fan of energy drinks.

It was great to get out and run a race and spend time with people.

It has been a long pandemic and injury recovery.

Run well my Friends!

Andy

Boston Marathon 1964

Boston Marathon 1964 film

I originally wrote this post on May 21st, 2014.
It’s a bit of Boston Marathon history and a peek into the way things used to be. Here it is with a few edits, Enjoy!

Kerri Haskins of the Mystic Runners posted this Boston Marathon 1964 film on Facebook in May of 2014.

It’s a 26 minute documentary film produced by Robert Gardner and Joyce Chopra of the Film Study Center at Harvard University. It’s an amazing look at Boston in 1964 and how things were back then.

As I watched the film I could recognize buildings, intersections and the road. I also recognized the running spirit that lives in us today. These 400 runners are just like we are. Many of their comments and conversations are ones I have had or heard.

These 400 souls ran without high tech fabrics and shoes with a million dollars in research behind them. No gels or fancy beverages. No well researched training plans, trainers or coaches for the most part. It was just running in it’s purest un-adulterated form.

You will see crowds along the way, and the kids. No one was handing out bananas or orange slices. No high fives, and maybe they missed them but no girls at Wellesley.

It was a different age. I was born in 1964 and some of the cars in this film are distant memories for me. Boston was a different town back then. More industrial and less high tech, no such thing as VC and start ups run by 20-year olds. You won’t see a cell phone or tablet. I didn’t even see a walki-talki.

This piece was written by David Borden and is on the YouTube page

Published on Jan 26, 2014

When Erich Segal died in April of 2010, I remembered a short film for which I had supplied the music. In 1965, as a graduate student at Harvard, I was the only composer in Leon Kirchner’s seminar who was interested in composing music for film. While putting the finishing touches to the score for FLATLAND, supervised by animator John Hubley, the inventor of Mr. Magoo, Bob Gardner, the Director of the Film Study Center at Harvard popped his head into the studio and asked if I could supply a short film score for his current documentary, MARATHON. I said sure. Since two of the performers I had for FLATLAND were excellent jazz musicians I decided to do a quick improvisatory soundtrack. Guitarist Stanley Silverman could play anything and percussionist Fred Buda was one of the best jazz drummers I ever heard. All that remained was for me to call my old friend bassist John Neves to complete the group while I played piano. I watched the rushes and made some notes for a head arrangement. We had the track recorded in less than an hour. Soon the film was broadcast on WGBH, Boston’s groundbreaking PBS TV Station. Then it disappeared until recently.

Robert Gardner, now in his eighties, has collected numerous awards as an anthropologist and filmmaker. He is currently engaged with a number of film, video and book projects with Studio 7 Arts, his company in Cambridge MA. His most memorable films include Dead Birds (1964), Rivers of Sand (1975), and Forest of Bliss (1986). The assistant director, Joyce Chopra went on to direct many films for general release and for TV. Her films include Smooth Talk (1985), The Last Cowboy [TV 2003] and Fire in Our Hearts (2012). Erich Segal went on to write Love Story, the screenplay for Yellow Submarine, as well as influential texts in classics, his chosen field. He was a professor at Yale and a visiting professor at several universities including Princeton and Oxford. He died of a heart attack following many years of suffering from Parkinson’s disease. Walter Hewlett, also a runner in this marathon, was an undergraduate at Harvard in 1964. A man of many noteworthy accomplishments, he has been chairman of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation since 1994. D. A. Pennebaker, also in his eighties, is the legendary cinematographer/documentarian of such films as Don’t Look Back (1967), Monterey Pop (1968) and The War Room (1993). Marathon and Don’t Look Back were completed in the same year (1965).
-David Borden, Ithaca, NY July, 2010

Enjoy
Run well my friends,
Andy

BAA Athletes Village

I just signed up for the BAA Athletes Village

BAA, Boston Athletic AssociationThe Boston Athletic Association has officially announced the 2021 Boston Marathon.

The In-Person race will be held on October 11th and the Virtual Boston Marathon will be held October 8-10.

The in-person race will be limited to 20,000 runners. Even with COVID-19 those numbers will go faster than Meb!

If you have any interest in registering for one of those 20,000 highly coveted bibs, you need to sign up on the BAA Athletes’ Village.

Athletes Village Brings it all Together

If you have run a BAA race or volunteered at a BAA event, you should have an email from the Boston Athletic Association in you inbox.

Registering is quick and easy. If you do not have your volunteer number you can look it up on their site.

Once you are registered you can easily register for any BAA event either as a runner or volunteer. Your volunteer history and number will be on the page.

Even better than all of that, all of your official BAA race results are listed with all of the details!

I keep track of all of my races, but I started running 18 years ago and a lot has been lost to the fog of the long run!

If you have run as many BAA events as I have, this page will be quite interesting to you. I found it fascinating.

I’ve Run Boston 10 Times!

It may be hard to believe, but I didn’t really know how many Boston Marathons I’ve run. You know.

10

10!

I thought it was 9.

I ran My First Boston Marathon in 2003 and finished in 5:11:07! I was so slow that my finish place was 16384 / 0 !

I know that I wasn’t the last person that day, but that number implies that I was.

I have pictures to prove that I wasn’t last!

That day in 2003 is a real testament to the Boston Marathon crowd.

All I remember is “running” down Commonwealth Avenue and making those sacred turns onto Hereford and Boylston Streets. I felt like I was in the middle of the race and everyone was there for me!

Hereford felt like a mountain and I really thought everyone had waited for me! Endorphins can be better than, well…

My Boston Marathon PR

In 2014 I ran my 6th Boston Marathon and achieved my Boston PR of 4:04:15.

I finished 18964th out of 31925 runners. In 2014 officially there were 12,961 runners still behind me when I crossed the finish line.

That placed me firmly in the 60th percentile of all runners. With a field like Boston, I’m proud to say I finished behind 40% of Boston’s finest runners.

April Showers bring My Hypothermia

Boston Marathon 2018, marathon runningIn 2018 we had horizontal rain and the temperature was in the 30’s all day. The wind chill made it feel much cooler than that.

With the cold, rain and wind I still managed to finish in 4:46:20. On a normal Marathon Monday I wouldn’t feel too hot about that. But nothing felt hot that day.

I finished 21997th out 25831 finishers, which put me in the 15th percentile. That’s still better than 2003 when I finished in the bottom 5%, or worse!

That was the coldest I’ve ever been and it wasn’t even snowing!

Every year the Boston Marathon is a unique adventure.

Last year we ran it virtually and made up our own courses all over the world.

This year 20,000 lucky runners will get to run from Hopkinton to Boston. 70,000 other lucky runners will get to run the Virtual Boston Marathon on a course of their choosing.

If you want to get in, you have to register for the BAA Athletes Village.

Good luck and Run Well!

Andy

One Mile Home Run

A couple of short distance races on a Saturday afternoon!

One Mile Home Run

Today I continued the Super Sunday Virtual Race Series with The 1K To Nowhere and One Mile Home Run.

From home I ran 1K to a random street corner. I stopped my watch, saved my 1K run and then tried to start my watch.

Super Sunday Race Series, 1K RunI hit the start button and got a beep. After a few attempts I thought I was going to have to guess how far a mile was.

It was in the mid 20’s and I was wearing shorts, so it got cold right away!

Much like a pilot trying to restart a flamed-out engine, I was determined to get my watch to start.

It seemed like five minutes before my watch beeped and the timer started. I could feel my sweat turning to ice water!

The 1K To Nowhere was in the books!

The Super Sunday Virtual Race Series consists of seven race distances:

1K, 1 mile, 5K, 5 Mile, 10K, 10 Mile and Half Marathon.

You can run these race anywhere and any time you want through March 17th.

Last Sunday I kicked off the series with the 5 Miler before the storm rolled in.

Running One Mile Home Run

The only time I run 1K or 1 mile is at a track.

Running from home I usually end up running a couple of miles.

No matter how fatigued or unmotivated I am, once I get out there I always feel like a 5K. Maybe more!

Running can be exhilarating.

The only exception is when I have an injury. I’ve gone out a few times and felt a twinge or even a cramp and had to cut it short. That’s been my year so far.

I have figured out how to run many distances from home accurately. The key is, from home.

Starting a one mile run from somewhere in the neighborhood makes it difficult to estimate how many streets I need to run up and down.

With only a mile to run it’s easy to run a street too far.

One Mile Home Run, Super Sunday Virtual SeriesOn any other day I’d be happy to run an extra half mile or more. All those kibbles and bits add up to lots of miles over the course of the year.

But when accuracy counts, it’s easy to fall short. Or long as the case might be!

When I hit one mile I knew I was a third of a mile from home. Normally I would stretch this out to 0.6 miles.

But, since my goal was one mile I decided to walk the last 1/3 mile home.

I walked at a good clip and I was surprised that I didn’t feel cold.

One Mile Home Run, Super Sunday Virtual Race SeriesWhen I got to my house I took out my phone and tried to take a selfie.

With dark, fogged-up glasses, this was a challenge. But I managed.

So in one day I managed to run two, albeit, short races.

Not a major accomplishment but it was more miles than I ran in a week.

The Super Sunday 5 Miler 2020 was the last race I ran in 2020 before the pandemic. We had a great time and had no idea.

How is your winter running going?

Andy