It's the morning of the Boston, and I am in the lobby of the Westin. Last night we had a great dinner with Gil and his family at a old Italian restaurant (Cantina Italiana) in the North End neighborhood of Boston. That classic Italian neighborhood was jam-packed with people in Boston for the marathon. With the warm weather, the restaurants had their front windows removed, and people had tables on rooftops and patios.
I need to get to the Boston Commons to meet Gil, and the plan is to take the a combination of buses and and trains on the Boston MBTA public transit line. Not a big deal, but I hear that the hotel is running a free shuttle bus. Less walking, so I wait for that. The street where they line up school buses to take us out to Hopkinton is packed, and so is the park. Gil and I exchange a few texts, and while I am waiting for him, I see someone in a Palos Half-marathon shirt from the first year they ran it. I ran Boston 2009 wearing that shirt. It is Ken, from the Park Forest Club. I knew he had run Boston before, but I wasn't aware he had qualified this year. We both get calls from people meeting us, so we shake quickly and exhange good wishes for the race.
Gil shows up, and within 5 minutes, and 2 busloads, we are heading to Hopkinton. Each time I have run Boston, getting on these buses has gone smoothly. In less than an hour, we are pulling up to the high school in Hopkinton where they set up the pre-race waiting area called "Athlete's Village". It is quite an array of tents and porta-potties, and decorations, with giveways from shoe vendors, fod and coffee, music and lots of excitement.
In past years, staying warm in the early morning dew soaked grass was caled for. This year, by 8 am you can already feel the sun on the sidewalks and walls of the school, so the shade under the big top tent is the welcome. There are always and interesting array of people around, but this is the first time I haven't seen anyone else from the Park Forest running club here at the start. Even with over 2 hours to wait, there is not a lot of time not filled with getting food, waiting in line for a porta-pottie, taking pictures, or taking stock of things like gel packs to take on the run.
Because the Boston start is on a narrow country road, and space is limited in Hopkinton, they let out three waves of runners - we are in wave 2, and will start at 10:20 am. Each wave has 9 corrals of 1000 runners each, ranked by qualifying times. So, in the 13000-13999 corral, people range from a 3:25:00 to a 3:35:00 qualifying time. The first wave has actually started by the time we stow our gear bags on designated buses to be shipped back to Boston.
The mood is electric with anticiaption as a steady stream of marathoners walk about a half-mile to Main street in Hopkinton. It is about 10:15 by the time we get to Corral 5. We just have time to have someone take a picture of us before we hear the gun for our start. There is the usual ebb and flow of a big race start before we cross the starting mat, and maybe 2 minutes pass before our chips get triggered. The pace quickly picks up, because it is pretty pronounced downhill start. The road is narrow, but the runners move quickly, because we are so precisley seeded by proven qualifying times. The crowds may not be as thick as Chicago, because there is not as much room, but they are cheering appropriately loud for this special event.
The pace does not seem too fast - I notice my watch is set to minutes per kilometers from the last time I did speedwork. We are going about 5:10-5:20 minutes per km, and i fgure that is close to a 8:00 - 8:30, which is about 1 minute faster than we want to go. Sure enough, at Mile 1, we see 8:23. We try to stay at an easy pace, the gravity, the thick stream of runners and excitement carries us. The second mile brigs us past a roadhouse with lots of Harleys in the lot. Some Heavy Metal is blaring, and they have a Sam Adams 26.2 flag flying.
Even in this country setting on the outkirts of Hopkinton, there is rarely a spot without people on the side cheering us on. We get to the 5K mat, and I am glad that my time is not faster than Laura's 5K time yesterday. That's what happened in 2010, and I knew my pace was too fast. We are still at under the 9 minute pace we wanted. We are getting close to 11 am, and losing the shade. The pace makes us feel the heat, and we take fluids at all the official stops which are not real frequent in the fist few miles, but then show up every mile or 2 afterwards.
The town of Ashland comes out in force to see us, and it is great to have the crowds. We have a groupe of people that we leapfrog as we go from mile to mile, and we trade observations and encouragement. Gil is just floating along on the experience, and it makes it all fresh for me too. In the next town, Framingham, I see a long gray pony tail, hanging in front of a shirt that says "Frogger 26.2" It's Dave "Frogger" Mauger, from the Park Forest Running club. I jump ahead of him while he slows for water, and I take my phone out to take his picture. He gives me a high five as he runs by, and surges ahead. He qualifies with a slower time than me, but he always does much better in Boston than I do.
Gil is real interactive with the crowd, and wants to take whatever little kids are handing out, oranges, candy, water. I appreciate the support, but I am a little more selective taking food from nonofficial people without gloves. Somewhere in the first 10 miles, Gil mentions the heat. The temps are in the 80's now. The wind is mostly behind us, so you do not feel the cooling effect. I had carried a baggie with me, and I go up to some guys with a cooler on a lawn, and get some ice. I put some in my hat, and tell Gil to put some on his neck. Your skin does the job of a radiator, using evaporation to cool off. But at acertain effort and temperature, your body will not be able to cool down quick enough. The issue is not the skin temperatrue, but your body's core temperature, which affects the internal organs and the brain. Pouring 8 ounces of 40 degree water into ot on a 160 lb, six foot body mass will not have a discernible effect; immersing your self in cold water will, but we don't have time for that. So, the best way to cool your core body temp with ice, is to put it on the major arteries and veins: carotid in the neck, axillary under the arm, and femoral in your leg. So, the ice bag goes on the side of your neck, and the blood gets cooled as it leaves/returns the heart. (note to self: invent running shirt with pockets under arms for ice packs. )
Our 10K time is close to a 9 minute pace overall, so we are slowing down. Gil has taken to running through every sprinkler and hose he can. I know that the soggy clothes and shoes can weigh you down and cause blisters and chafing, plus I am carrying my phone, so I stay out of the direct spray. But on these narrow roads, there is sometimes no avoiding it. Every town's fire department has some sort of cooling device, and there are misting tents, hydrants opened up. Eventually, I get Gil to hold my phone while I run through. After running Chicago and 2007 and 2008 in 90 and low 80 degree heat, I know that 80-82 is my limit for actually "running" a marathon. But that was a 7 am start, and the flat Chicago course. This race started close to 10:30 am, and the course is notoriously hilly. I know that I will have to scale back, so it is agood thing we are not pushing for time. Gil wants to take a bathroom break around mile 10, so I take that opportunity to make more room for fluids. Natick is a cool town, and we pass St. Patrick's church right at noon while the bells are ringing.
Gil has a habit on long runs of going into a sideways "carioca" skip. He says it helps him stay stretched. It is both inpiring and demoralizing. He has an utter joy for running, but while I am struggling to keep up our pace just going one foot in front of the other, he is going sidways at the same speed - Really?! So Gil starts breaking into his sideways shuflfe-step about once every mile or 2 , as we go by a band that's playing or some kids. I actually egg him on at times, like when we go by a store with mirrored windows with a sign that says "Check out your form". He did the same thing during the Fox Valley Marathon when we qualified for Boston.
We are doing okay, but making sure we check our fluids, and take some gels every 45-60 minutes. We come towards the halfway point and go by the famous Wellesley 'scream tunnel'. The girls are offering kisses, and holding up signs, saying 'Kiss me, I'm Italian'. 'Kiss me, I'm liberal'. I am running by slapping hands and ytelling back, and then stopping to kiss the girls with the more clever signs. (I believe there must have been at least one guy, because Gil read off a sign that said "Guys Need Kisses too." Okay, just not from me. The last person in the line was a post-middleaged guy in full Indian headress with a sign that said "Kiss Me, I'm Red Cloud" That was wrong on several levels, and spoiled the image.
It was well into the afternoon, and the bigger towns like Framingham and Wellesley brought wider, sunnier streets with more heated-up concrete, and less shade. At times we picked up the pace, or hit a hill, i could feel my heart raxcing, and would ease up. This was my 13th marathon, and I have made it to the starting line and the finish line of every one, and I was not going to break that streak today. Yes, it was hot, but the diverse crowd of runners and the spectacle of the spectators, cheering us on, offering refreshments, and spraying us with hoses kept it fun. I started to see people getting medical attention on the side, ambulances and gurneys. In my past 2 Bostons, I had seen a few runners pull up with strains and sprains, but these were people that semed to have dehydration/heat exhaustion issues. It was still a long way to see Teresa and Laura, and first we had to go up Heartbreak Hill.
At 88 feet, Heartbreak is not that very tall of a hill. But it comes between mile 20 and 21, and is the fourth of the "Newton Hills" which begin at mile 16. With the long descent at the beginning of the race, those hills seem all that much magnified, esepcailly coming that late in the race, with your legs already shot.
The first year I ran Boston, I did nto walk on the hills. The second time, I tried to run most of the time, but I know I walked a little on one of them. This year, I knew that I had to walk up these hills. My "run" was not much more than a shuffle, and if I kept at that for more than a few minutes on the hills, I my chest punded and I got lightheaded. Gil would look back, walk through the water stops while I caught up, and wait until I was ready to plod along.
After we crested Heartbreak, the activity of Boston college started to take over. This was an early afternoon frat party/homecoming/street festival in full swing. We were yelling back at the crowds, and I told Gil where to expect to see our families. We knew that his wife especially might be worried because our chip times would have showed us slowing down drastically. We are on a gradual downhill after the crest of heartbreak, and Gil tells me I have really sped up (anything must seem fast compared to walking!) But I tell him that when I know I am coming up to a spot to where I see my wife, it helps me pick up my pace for at least a mile before, and a mile after. Unfortunately, I can only see Laura at one spot on Boston's point-to-point course, but at Chicago and Green Bay, she gets to 5-6 spots all over those loop courses. Then Gil spots his wife's blond hair, I run over, and high-five her and their son and his wife, and then I see Laura, and I know I can make it. It is already longer than my last total Boston time, and the last 5 miles could be even slower. But we get some Gatorade, some hugs and kisses and pictures, and we head off.
As it gets later in the afetrnoon, it seems the crowd is more and more bositerous, maybe a littl over-served on this sunny day off work and school in Massachussetts. But they are all for us, whether we like it or not. Drunken guys yell things like "You guys are F***IN AWESOME!. Near Fenway park, a thick-necked guy with a crew-cut tells the runner next to me checking his cell phone to turn it off and run, "Technology rules our lives! Turn off the technology" I yell back to tell him that I turned off my running watch 2 miles back. He thumps his chest by his heart and points toward me "YEAAH!" I think if I was closer he would have tried to chest-bump me. Gil is waving to the crowd, and he does his side-step as we cross an overpass, but he stumbles, and the crowd gasps, but he catches himself. I tell him no more for the rest of the way.
We come up to a banner saying one more mile to go, and I consider reaching up to hug or kiss it. I didn't want to stop for fear I could not get going again, so I run by and leap up and slap it - getting a big cheer for the crowd. Gil looks over at the wide street, with crowds lining the greenway in the middle and decides that the left side isn't getting enough attention, so he decides to run by and slap everyone's palm. I catch up to him, and tell him to get ready two quick turns - right on Hereford, and left on Boylston. We go by an underpass, and on the grassy hill, the pramedics have a runner with his head downhill, with an exygen mask on. I guess I 'smell the hay in the barn', because Gil tells me not to speed up so much. I don't know if he wants us just to have the same finish time, or he's afraid I'll collapse, but we soak up the crowds on Boylston street, and pass more runners, and a few fallen on the side, within sight of the finish line. We cross, at 4:51:02. The finish area is hot and crowded, we feel spent and exhausted, but we have to walk a few blocks to get any water, even warm, and our medals. My legs are stiff, and my back is sore from holding ice up by my neck while I ran. The post-finish area is a carbon copy of the otehr years I ran Boston, sunny, full of banners and really good runners, and I am proud to be one of them, and glad to have made it again.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Duel in the Sun Rematch
After the morning races, I staked out a spot in the Boston Public Library Auditorium. Runners’ World was sponsoring a number of talks by panels of famous runners and health experts (this was in addition to another 2 days of talks sponsored by the Boston Athletic Association). The main event was going to be a Alberto Salazar talking about his new book “14 Minutes”, which covers his life story as a running prodigy, marathon champion of Boston, NY and the Olympics, culminating with the heart attack he had while coaching this generation’s prodigy, Galen Rupp, at the Nike distance running facility in Oregon. They say that he had lost his pulse for 14 minutes, hence the title of the book.
I caught the end of the talk prior, which included Greg Meyer, the last American-born male to win Boston in 1984, Amby Burfoot, multiple Boston winner in 60’s and 70’s ,and writer for Runner’s World; Katherine Switzer, the first women to complete the Boston marathon; Lorraine Moeller, women’s winner of the ’82 Boston marathon, and my personal favorite, Dick Beardsley, who finished 2nd to Salazar by 2 seconds in record time in a wire-to-wire battle in the 1982 Boston Marathon famed in running legend as the ‘Duel in the Sun’. Dick was also going to join Salazar on stage for part of his talk to recap the 30th anniversary of that race.
The few minutes I caught were very lively, with these old road warriors talking about the difference between the elite American running scene then, and now. These days, there is a focus on running a certain time in a race – back then, all they cared about was beating the other guy – how to crush him on the hills, how to psych him out. One of the panelists was not an elite runner, but the coach of the Dana Farber charity team. He talked about the running for a cause being the “superman” or “wonder woman” cape for charity runners. That resonated with me, because I raised money for the Arthritis foundation for my first marathon, and Laura did the same when she ran her’s two years later. And besides that inspiration of helping people like Laura afflicted with arthritis, we also got the fringe-benefit of becoming closely acquainted with Dick Beardsley, who was a “celebrity coach” for them. Since Laura spoke at a past dinner when Dick gave a speech, he has treated us like old friends each time we have seen at the Chicago marathon, and at Boston. So, when Laura arrived, and Dick saw her in the hall, he called out her name, and gave her a hug. He is so genuine, and interested in other people. He will ask about our races, and remembers that Laura is doing triathlons.
After the first panel, I went up to talk to Greg Meyer . He is not as charismatic as Beardsley or Salazar, but back in the day, his credentials were sold, winning Boston and Chicago. I asked him to sign a poster for a friend of ours who was running the Boston marathon for charity. He had been the top single fundraiser ever for the Chicago Marathon last fall. When I told him that, Greg Meyer signed the poster ‘From one Chicago Champion to Another.”
We settled in for the main event, which was pretty much a book tour publicity stop for Salazar’s book. Runner’s World’s top writer, John Brant wrote the book with/for Salazar, and the Editor-in-Chief was the host. They showed a video recapping Salazar’s heart attack, and seeing the boyish Galen Rupp recount his coach/mentor/idol’s near-death experience was heart-wrenching. I had read an excerpt of the book in Runner’s World, and Salazar’s life is certainly fascinating, from training with Boston legends like Bill Rodgers, to the Duel in the Sun. I learned some new things, such as his father was a friend of Fidel Castro’s, but left Cuba when Alberto was 2 years old, mainly in response to Castro’s planned suppression of the Catholic Church. I bought the book, and I am looking forward to reading more.
The eventual interchange between Salazar and Beardsley did not disappoint. They both denied any lingering rivalry from the disputed finish where police motorcycles seemed to cut Beardsley off in the last half-mile, yet they playfully traded jabs about their shoe-sponsorships. Dick is such a great conversational storyteller, we have seen him give several speeches, planned and impromptu, and spent several hours getting a guided tour of the marathon route from him in 2010. Salazar is definitely charismatic in his own right, he is very matter-of-fact about his abilities, accomplishments, as well as his flaws and failings. He seems content to sit back and let others weave the narrative, but like a good kick, his timing and wit can punctuate the finish. Beardsley was talking about having Alberto sign hundreds of posters produced by New Balance of their Duel in the Sun. The intent was to raise money for Beardsley’s Foundation, but the posters showed Dick in the lead with a pained look on Salazar’s face. Just as Beardsley was saying how great a sport Alberto was, Salazar jumped in and said – “I had my son Albert do all the signing, and he wrote over all the New Balance logos.” -which I think was said jokingly, but like I said, Salazar lays it out there.
I would have liked to get pictures/autographs with one or both of these legends, especially together, but it was very crowded, as is the day before the Boston marathon. Laura and I feel lucky to have gotten to know Dick and his wife Jill, personally, and it is good to know that whether I show up at Boston again, or see Dick on the circuit before marathons from Napa to Grandma’s, he will welcome us back. Beyond his running accomplishments, his personal story of his battle against being addicted to painkillers is riveting and inspiring. John Brant wrote about both Salazar and Beardsley in the book “Duel in the Sun”; Beardsley wrote his own life story in “Staying the Course”, and they are trying to make a documentary movie about his life called “Against the Wind”. I have had some people in my life struggle with dependency issues, and getting a window into Dick’s life story, and seeing that the current chapter is on course to a happy ending helped me to not be judgmental to the people who maybe needed my help, or at least patience while they got the strength to help themselves. It seemed that if addiction can hit a 2:08 marathoner, one time potential Olympian, that maybe you can’t just blame it on personal “weakness”. If anyone in the local running community ever has an opportunity to get a speaker before an event, I would highly recommend Dick, or if you want to learn about his foundation, and maybe contribute, visit his website. Hearing a lot of aspects of Dick’s lifestory and seeing his personal interactions with hundreds of runners and people of all kinds of backgrounds and abilities, I would say he came out of the ’82 race a winner.
I caught the end of the talk prior, which included Greg Meyer, the last American-born male to win Boston in 1984, Amby Burfoot, multiple Boston winner in 60’s and 70’s ,and writer for Runner’s World; Katherine Switzer, the first women to complete the Boston marathon; Lorraine Moeller, women’s winner of the ’82 Boston marathon, and my personal favorite, Dick Beardsley, who finished 2nd to Salazar by 2 seconds in record time in a wire-to-wire battle in the 1982 Boston Marathon famed in running legend as the ‘Duel in the Sun’. Dick was also going to join Salazar on stage for part of his talk to recap the 30th anniversary of that race.
The few minutes I caught were very lively, with these old road warriors talking about the difference between the elite American running scene then, and now. These days, there is a focus on running a certain time in a race – back then, all they cared about was beating the other guy – how to crush him on the hills, how to psych him out. One of the panelists was not an elite runner, but the coach of the Dana Farber charity team. He talked about the running for a cause being the “superman” or “wonder woman” cape for charity runners. That resonated with me, because I raised money for the Arthritis foundation for my first marathon, and Laura did the same when she ran her’s two years later. And besides that inspiration of helping people like Laura afflicted with arthritis, we also got the fringe-benefit of becoming closely acquainted with Dick Beardsley, who was a “celebrity coach” for them. Since Laura spoke at a past dinner when Dick gave a speech, he has treated us like old friends each time we have seen at the Chicago marathon, and at Boston. So, when Laura arrived, and Dick saw her in the hall, he called out her name, and gave her a hug. He is so genuine, and interested in other people. He will ask about our races, and remembers that Laura is doing triathlons.
After the first panel, I went up to talk to Greg Meyer . He is not as charismatic as Beardsley or Salazar, but back in the day, his credentials were sold, winning Boston and Chicago. I asked him to sign a poster for a friend of ours who was running the Boston marathon for charity. He had been the top single fundraiser ever for the Chicago Marathon last fall. When I told him that, Greg Meyer signed the poster ‘From one Chicago Champion to Another.”
We settled in for the main event, which was pretty much a book tour publicity stop for Salazar’s book. Runner’s World’s top writer, John Brant wrote the book with/for Salazar, and the Editor-in-Chief was the host. They showed a video recapping Salazar’s heart attack, and seeing the boyish Galen Rupp recount his coach/mentor/idol’s near-death experience was heart-wrenching. I had read an excerpt of the book in Runner’s World, and Salazar’s life is certainly fascinating, from training with Boston legends like Bill Rodgers, to the Duel in the Sun. I learned some new things, such as his father was a friend of Fidel Castro’s, but left Cuba when Alberto was 2 years old, mainly in response to Castro’s planned suppression of the Catholic Church. I bought the book, and I am looking forward to reading more.
The eventual interchange between Salazar and Beardsley did not disappoint. They both denied any lingering rivalry from the disputed finish where police motorcycles seemed to cut Beardsley off in the last half-mile, yet they playfully traded jabs about their shoe-sponsorships. Dick is such a great conversational storyteller, we have seen him give several speeches, planned and impromptu, and spent several hours getting a guided tour of the marathon route from him in 2010. Salazar is definitely charismatic in his own right, he is very matter-of-fact about his abilities, accomplishments, as well as his flaws and failings. He seems content to sit back and let others weave the narrative, but like a good kick, his timing and wit can punctuate the finish. Beardsley was talking about having Alberto sign hundreds of posters produced by New Balance of their Duel in the Sun. The intent was to raise money for Beardsley’s Foundation, but the posters showed Dick in the lead with a pained look on Salazar’s face. Just as Beardsley was saying how great a sport Alberto was, Salazar jumped in and said – “I had my son Albert do all the signing, and he wrote over all the New Balance logos.” -which I think was said jokingly, but like I said, Salazar lays it out there.
I would have liked to get pictures/autographs with one or both of these legends, especially together, but it was very crowded, as is the day before the Boston marathon. Laura and I feel lucky to have gotten to know Dick and his wife Jill, personally, and it is good to know that whether I show up at Boston again, or see Dick on the circuit before marathons from Napa to Grandma’s, he will welcome us back. Beyond his running accomplishments, his personal story of his battle against being addicted to painkillers is riveting and inspiring. John Brant wrote about both Salazar and Beardsley in the book “Duel in the Sun”; Beardsley wrote his own life story in “Staying the Course”, and they are trying to make a documentary movie about his life called “Against the Wind”. I have had some people in my life struggle with dependency issues, and getting a window into Dick’s life story, and seeing that the current chapter is on course to a happy ending helped me to not be judgmental to the people who maybe needed my help, or at least patience while they got the strength to help themselves. It seemed that if addiction can hit a 2:08 marathoner, one time potential Olympian, that maybe you can’t just blame it on personal “weakness”. If anyone in the local running community ever has an opportunity to get a speaker before an event, I would highly recommend Dick, or if you want to learn about his foundation, and maybe contribute, visit his website. Hearing a lot of aspects of Dick’s lifestory and seeing his personal interactions with hundreds of runners and people of all kinds of backgrounds and abilities, I would say he came out of the ’82 race a winner.
RockStars of Running
I really look forward to the BAA 5K. There used to be an unofficial “fun Run” the day before the marathon, but in 2009, they made it an official 5K with entry fees, t-shirts and medals. So, Laura got to run in the inaugural BAA 5K, and this will be her third, just like my third Boston marathon. With the streets closed off to traffic, but without the intense marathon security and crowds, it is a chance to soak up the finish line atmosphere up close – kind of like backstage at a dress rehearsal before the opening of a Broadway show. I stake out a spot in the bleachers near the finish line. I can visualize my finish tomorrow, and see the start and spots along the course on the JumboTron.
With 6,000 people, it is a huge race, with a pretty good elite field. They actually have a wheelchair field, which is the first time I have seen that in a 5K, but they are here for the marathon, so why not. The Boylston street start is pretty wide, but there is a mix of casual runners and walkers and Boston Qualifiers who are tuning up for the next day, which can be pretty fast. There are a lot of turns and a couple of particularly steep hills around Boston common going up to Beacon Hill. Laura actually PR’d her 5K in this race a couple of years ago, but she has had a bad blister on her foot, so she scaled back her runs the last few weeks.
The race starts, and they have professional announcers doing the race, giving the background of the racers, like that one of the leading women is married to a top men’s marathoner, and they are one of the fastest marathon couples in the world. Desiree Davila of the Brooks Hanson Running team and last year’s second place Women’s Boston finisher (with the fastest time ever for an American women) is one of the ‘rock stars’, but not one of the favorites.
The first place finisher comes in with a solid lead. He is a past winner of the race, and was born in the New England area. What is great about the race is that is part of the BAA Distance Medley they just started this year. A 5K, 10K and Half marathon at different times of the year. You sign up for all 3, and the cumulative times determine the standings - and the winner of a $100,000 prize. So, even after the first three finishers are in, the next 5 or 10 do not let up, because they could make it up in the longer distance.
Laura came in strong in the 25 minute range, looking strong, passing people. I knew it would not beat her PR, the filed was more crowded, it was a little warmer, and she has had issues with blisters on her feet. I met her by the finish line, and she said when saw the splits, her first mile was 10 minutes, and her second mile was 7 minutes, but that caught up with her, and she slowed down to an 8:30.
Even though our hotel wasn’t close by, it was easy for Laura to blend in with hundreds of other runners and go into a hotel lobby and use the bathroom to clean up and change in to dry clothes (it was a Westin, which is the chain we stayed at). The rest of the day’s events were like a running festival. Laura joined me in the stands, and I showed her messages I had texted to the JumboTron text crawl “LauraN –Run Like a Girl!” “Love to Laura from Tom”. Just my way of telling her she’s number one to me, even if she doesn’t place in her age group like she does most times in small races back home.
We watched male and female races at 3 levels:
• Middle School Invitational 2K
• High School Invitational Mile
• Elite Invitational Mile
For the schoolkids, they had 2 boys and 2 boys from each of the eight towns on the Boston marathon route. The 2K was 2 laps around the city block in front of us. The mile was 3 laps. There were family members of some of the kids in the bleachers around us, and you could just tell how proud they were and excited to see their kids and grandkids in this worldclass setting. It reminded me of the joy of seeing our son Ross in thrilling high school football playoff games. I have heard someone comment that what American track and distance running is missing is the ‘rock star’ popularity that the team sports, especially football and basketball garner. In some European countries, track meets and distance races are big events for the community, and the kids get a lot of attention. I guess that would might foster more talent in running, but maybe it would be at a cost of the groundedness and humility that runners seem to have. Yes, there are scholarships, prize money and endorsements, but you have to start out willing to train, loving to run and compete. On our way back from Chicago, we met some guys at the airport from Louisville Kentucky. They said that the men’s winner, Joseph Korir (2:12) went to their church in Louisville. He ran for University of Louisville, worked as a janitor at the school while he worked his way up the distance racing circuit. He was not allowed into the elite field in the 2011 Chicago marathon, but he placed 4th anyhow. He was using his winnings to fund a medical center in his village in Kenya. They chatted with him over the weekend, and were very proud. That is what is awesome about marathoning – the accessibility of the athletes, and the motivation they bring to their races, so it makes them rockstars to me. And I have to say, from the comments and congratulations from people in my running and triathlon club, I feel like a rockstar in those circles.
With 6,000 people, it is a huge race, with a pretty good elite field. They actually have a wheelchair field, which is the first time I have seen that in a 5K, but they are here for the marathon, so why not. The Boylston street start is pretty wide, but there is a mix of casual runners and walkers and Boston Qualifiers who are tuning up for the next day, which can be pretty fast. There are a lot of turns and a couple of particularly steep hills around Boston common going up to Beacon Hill. Laura actually PR’d her 5K in this race a couple of years ago, but she has had a bad blister on her foot, so she scaled back her runs the last few weeks.
The race starts, and they have professional announcers doing the race, giving the background of the racers, like that one of the leading women is married to a top men’s marathoner, and they are one of the fastest marathon couples in the world. Desiree Davila of the Brooks Hanson Running team and last year’s second place Women’s Boston finisher (with the fastest time ever for an American women) is one of the ‘rock stars’, but not one of the favorites.
The first place finisher comes in with a solid lead. He is a past winner of the race, and was born in the New England area. What is great about the race is that is part of the BAA Distance Medley they just started this year. A 5K, 10K and Half marathon at different times of the year. You sign up for all 3, and the cumulative times determine the standings - and the winner of a $100,000 prize. So, even after the first three finishers are in, the next 5 or 10 do not let up, because they could make it up in the longer distance.
Laura came in strong in the 25 minute range, looking strong, passing people. I knew it would not beat her PR, the filed was more crowded, it was a little warmer, and she has had issues with blisters on her feet. I met her by the finish line, and she said when saw the splits, her first mile was 10 minutes, and her second mile was 7 minutes, but that caught up with her, and she slowed down to an 8:30.
Even though our hotel wasn’t close by, it was easy for Laura to blend in with hundreds of other runners and go into a hotel lobby and use the bathroom to clean up and change in to dry clothes (it was a Westin, which is the chain we stayed at). The rest of the day’s events were like a running festival. Laura joined me in the stands, and I showed her messages I had texted to the JumboTron text crawl “LauraN –Run Like a Girl!” “Love to Laura from Tom”. Just my way of telling her she’s number one to me, even if she doesn’t place in her age group like she does most times in small races back home.
We watched male and female races at 3 levels:
• Middle School Invitational 2K
• High School Invitational Mile
• Elite Invitational Mile
For the schoolkids, they had 2 boys and 2 boys from each of the eight towns on the Boston marathon route. The 2K was 2 laps around the city block in front of us. The mile was 3 laps. There were family members of some of the kids in the bleachers around us, and you could just tell how proud they were and excited to see their kids and grandkids in this worldclass setting. It reminded me of the joy of seeing our son Ross in thrilling high school football playoff games. I have heard someone comment that what American track and distance running is missing is the ‘rock star’ popularity that the team sports, especially football and basketball garner. In some European countries, track meets and distance races are big events for the community, and the kids get a lot of attention. I guess that would might foster more talent in running, but maybe it would be at a cost of the groundedness and humility that runners seem to have. Yes, there are scholarships, prize money and endorsements, but you have to start out willing to train, loving to run and compete. On our way back from Chicago, we met some guys at the airport from Louisville Kentucky. They said that the men’s winner, Joseph Korir (2:12) went to their church in Louisville. He ran for University of Louisville, worked as a janitor at the school while he worked his way up the distance racing circuit. He was not allowed into the elite field in the 2011 Chicago marathon, but he placed 4th anyhow. He was using his winnings to fund a medical center in his village in Kenya. They chatted with him over the weekend, and were very proud. That is what is awesome about marathoning – the accessibility of the athletes, and the motivation they bring to their races, so it makes them rockstars to me. And I have to say, from the comments and congratulations from people in my running and triathlon club, I feel like a rockstar in those circles.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Gil and Tom’s Excellent Boston Adventure
We knew late in the week before Marathon Monday that the temperatures were going to be 25-30 degrees above the mid-50’s average high for this time of year for Boston. Especially with the late 10:20 a.m. start, and a SW tailwind, we would feel the peak temps. But with this being my third Boston, and Gil’s happy-go-lucky attitude, we were not really concerned about our finishing times per se, but agreed to enjoy the culmination of our journey of training, and qualifying together, just as we passed 50.
Laura and I arrived in Boston Saturday afternoon, which is the peak day for the expo. It usually is at the Hines Convention Center right near the finish on Boylston Street, but apparently there is a big trade show that comes to town every 4 years, so they move the expo out to the Seaport Expo center. We stayed at the Westin Waterfront, which seemed to be the base for New Balance, since all the doors, elevators; key cards were emblazoned with the New Balance “Qualified…” taglines. All the employees wore the newest models of New Balance shoes (a little garish, but I guess so are my Mizuno Wave Rider 15’s)
The Expo is an experience unto itself. The shoe and gear companies put on their best face, with impressive booth displays, like a Brooks “Heavenly Running” setup in a gauzy tent with puffy white carpeting, and toga –clad harpists playing while you get a free gait analysis.
There is also a cool mix of local and niche Mom and pop outfits from the rich Boston/Northeast running community. I bought a pair of sunglasses with a bifocal reading glass section at the bottom. Now, when I wear my contacts for distance when I run or bike, I can still read my watch display or text messages on my phone. Pretty good way to tap into the demographic of aging Baby Boomers staying active like me.
I guess it was a blessing that we did not have long to spend in the expo, because the money goes fast here. Picked up some mementos for the kids and commemorative marathon gear for me, and stuff like a “Will Run for Wine” Bondi band for Laura.
Gil Hannon, his wife Theresa, their son and his wife were staying over in Cambridge, so getting over to meet them for dinner seemed impractical. We decided to meet for a beer later, and Laura and I headed in the general direction of the downtown/Faneuil Hall area midway between our hotel and Cambridge. It is advised not do a lot of walking, saw when I saw these rental bikes which you pick up at one place, and drop off at another; I thought that would be better that walking. But without helmets, Ms. Safety Nurse Practitioner vetoed it. It seemed like a good deal. For a $5 swipe of your credit card, you get unlimited 30 minute rides around what looked like dozens of bike kiosks around Boston.
We had not walked very far when we came past a pretty happening Mexican restaurant in an otherwise desolate stretch of loft building. We had read about it in some guides, so we figured we would get in before the crowds hit. Very colorful decor, with a young vibrant crowd. It was advertised as a tequila bar and Mexican café. It seemed to be popular with groups of young ladies apparently celebrating bachelorette parties. It was early, so there were no shenanigans (Dang!).
We had homemade guacamole made at our table, and some very strong margaritas. I had some chipotle salmon with rice, and Laura had excellent fajitas.
We heard from Gil, and arranged to meet his posse at Faneuil Hall/Quincy Marketplace. This is a touristy outdoor plaza with shops and restaurants. It was developed from an old produce market by the same developers that redid Navy Pier. We met at “Ned Devine’s” a faux-Irish bar named after one of my favorite Irish comedies – “Waking Ned Devine”. The post-race party in 2009 was at the nightclub portion of the bar, so it held fond memories, and I was familiar with its location.
One of the priorities for Gil and I was to sample a special edition “26.2 Marathon Brew” put out by Sam Adams for the marathon. We were not going to be around long enough to go on private tours for marathoners of the Brewery later in the week, and get a “26.2” commemorative mug. There were other limited edition Sam Adams brews, but we were told that 26.2 would only be available on tap along the actual marathon route. That turned out not to be totally accurate, because later in the weekend, we were dropping off a race packet for a friend staying at the Ritz, and the concierge, who had run Boston and Chicago, steered us in the direction of “Beantown Brew Pub”, which he told us actually overlooks Sam Adams grave. Sorry you didn’t get your 26.2 beer Gil, but like the Irishman with the brother in America, I had one for you, even though I abstained myself.
Laura and I arrived in Boston Saturday afternoon, which is the peak day for the expo. It usually is at the Hines Convention Center right near the finish on Boylston Street, but apparently there is a big trade show that comes to town every 4 years, so they move the expo out to the Seaport Expo center. We stayed at the Westin Waterfront, which seemed to be the base for New Balance, since all the doors, elevators; key cards were emblazoned with the New Balance “Qualified…” taglines. All the employees wore the newest models of New Balance shoes (a little garish, but I guess so are my Mizuno Wave Rider 15’s)
The Expo is an experience unto itself. The shoe and gear companies put on their best face, with impressive booth displays, like a Brooks “Heavenly Running” setup in a gauzy tent with puffy white carpeting, and toga –clad harpists playing while you get a free gait analysis.
There is also a cool mix of local and niche Mom and pop outfits from the rich Boston/Northeast running community. I bought a pair of sunglasses with a bifocal reading glass section at the bottom. Now, when I wear my contacts for distance when I run or bike, I can still read my watch display or text messages on my phone. Pretty good way to tap into the demographic of aging Baby Boomers staying active like me.
I guess it was a blessing that we did not have long to spend in the expo, because the money goes fast here. Picked up some mementos for the kids and commemorative marathon gear for me, and stuff like a “Will Run for Wine” Bondi band for Laura.
Gil Hannon, his wife Theresa, their son and his wife were staying over in Cambridge, so getting over to meet them for dinner seemed impractical. We decided to meet for a beer later, and Laura and I headed in the general direction of the downtown/Faneuil Hall area midway between our hotel and Cambridge. It is advised not do a lot of walking, saw when I saw these rental bikes which you pick up at one place, and drop off at another; I thought that would be better that walking. But without helmets, Ms. Safety Nurse Practitioner vetoed it. It seemed like a good deal. For a $5 swipe of your credit card, you get unlimited 30 minute rides around what looked like dozens of bike kiosks around Boston.
We had not walked very far when we came past a pretty happening Mexican restaurant in an otherwise desolate stretch of loft building. We had read about it in some guides, so we figured we would get in before the crowds hit. Very colorful decor, with a young vibrant crowd. It was advertised as a tequila bar and Mexican café. It seemed to be popular with groups of young ladies apparently celebrating bachelorette parties. It was early, so there were no shenanigans (Dang!).
We had homemade guacamole made at our table, and some very strong margaritas. I had some chipotle salmon with rice, and Laura had excellent fajitas.
We heard from Gil, and arranged to meet his posse at Faneuil Hall/Quincy Marketplace. This is a touristy outdoor plaza with shops and restaurants. It was developed from an old produce market by the same developers that redid Navy Pier. We met at “Ned Devine’s” a faux-Irish bar named after one of my favorite Irish comedies – “Waking Ned Devine”. The post-race party in 2009 was at the nightclub portion of the bar, so it held fond memories, and I was familiar with its location.
One of the priorities for Gil and I was to sample a special edition “26.2 Marathon Brew” put out by Sam Adams for the marathon. We were not going to be around long enough to go on private tours for marathoners of the Brewery later in the week, and get a “26.2” commemorative mug. There were other limited edition Sam Adams brews, but we were told that 26.2 would only be available on tap along the actual marathon route. That turned out not to be totally accurate, because later in the weekend, we were dropping off a race packet for a friend staying at the Ritz, and the concierge, who had run Boston and Chicago, steered us in the direction of “Beantown Brew Pub”, which he told us actually overlooks Sam Adams grave. Sorry you didn’t get your 26.2 beer Gil, but like the Irishman with the brother in America, I had one for you, even though I abstained myself.
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