Boundary Bay Marathon, 2013

It was 8:15am. 15 minutes until the start of the race.
I put in my earbuds and headed out for one last warmup jog. The catchy piano intro started playing from Hall Of Fame by The Script:

"You can be the greatest, you can be the best.
You can be the King Kong banging on your chest..."

I might have banged on my chest too. I felt a rush of energy flow through me as I flew down the gravel path heading away from the start/finish line. As I turned back towards my car the song played my favourite verse:

"You can go the distance. You can run the mile (or 26 miles).
You can run straight through hell with a smile.
You could be the hero. You could get the gold.
Breaking all the records they thought never could be broke."

It was going to be a great race. I was envisioning coming back down that very same path in exactly 3 hours, seeing the finish line and knowing the race was over.

With 5 minutes to go I lined up at the start line, anxiously waiting for the race to begin. The sun was shining, and it felt surprisingly warm. I suddenly realized I was hopelessly overdressed. I rushed over to my bag (which was sitting 20 feet away - one benefit of small races!) and quickly stripped off my long sleeve shirt and tossed my gloves and toque. Back in the start line I chatted with a few runners, including my friends Mike Janes (who was amazingly running his 4th marathon this year!) and Les Disher. A girl next to me asked how many marathons I'd done - "a few" - and what time I hoped to run this one in - "I'm not sure, around 3 hours maybe. I'm just going to try and keep up with this guy" (pointing to the tall guy in a black shirt and toque, who I overheard was called Ivo and who I recognized as being the winner of this race from 2 years ago).

As the race started we all headed up the gravel path weaving through Boundary Bay Park. There was also a half marathon, 10K, and 5K race all starting at the same time, so I made sure to be right near the front so I wouldn't get held up. But as expected quite a few people zipped passed me. There were maybe 20 people in front on me when I hit the 1 km mark at exactly 5 minutes. Wait, what?!? My plan had been to take the first 5K nice and easy at 4:15/km pace. I glanced down at my watch and was relieved, but also a bit worried to see that it read 1.2 km. Okay, the markers must be off. Don't worry. But naturally I was wondering how accurate my watch was! The pace felt really easy, but I didn't want to lose 45 seconds right away.

When I reached where I knew the 2 km marker should be my watched beeped and it read 4:19. The actual marker was 200 m still ahead, right at 2.2 km. So obviously the markers were all going to be offset by 200 meters. This is why GPS watches are crucial. I decided to ignore the markers, and just trust my watch. The third km went by in 4:15, then the next two in 4:10. I took my first gel just before 5K at the first water station. My 5K time was 21 minutes flat (4:12 pace). By now all the 5K and 10K runners had already turned back, so it was just the half and full marathoners. I could only see a few runners a long way ahead.

The next 5K I settled into my goal pace of 4:05/km (4:07, 4:06, 4:05, 4:10, 4:05) reaching the 10K mark at 41:35 (second 5K was 20:35). The perfectly flat course (despite being hard packed gravel) really made it easy to maintain a consistent pace. There was a slight wind was in my face, but that meant it would be at my back in the second half. I had already taken my second gel before 10K as well - I was trying to get in some carbs much earlier in the race this time.

After the 10K, the half marathon runners turned around and headed back to the finish. I think there were 4 of them ahead of me - 2 guys and 2 girls. When I passed the 2nd aid station at 10.55K I asked "How many runners are ahead?" - "Just one!" he yelled back. Sweet. It was a 2 man battle, me and Ivo. But I couldn't even see him! Despite the course being right on the water and very straight, Ivo had gone out hard and was already way ahead. Every now and then I would catch a glimpse of the lead cyclist because he was wearing a reflective orange vest that was easier to spot. "He'll fade" I repeated to myself, "he went out too hard".

The next 10K went by very smoothly and uneventfully. I stayed relaxed but focused, and enjoyed myself - smiling at spectators and random walkers. Amusingly one spectator cheered me on around 15K saying "Go catch him!" to which I replied "I will!". It probably sounded a little arrogant, but I felt strong and just had that feeling. At 18K I took my third gel.

That second 10K took 40:29 (20:20/20:09 for 5K splits). The pace had increased slightly as each kilometer was run between 4:02 and 4:06 per km, until the 20th one which was 3:58! I knew my brother and his wife would be cheering me on at 20K, so I think my pace picked up in anticipation. It was definitely a big boost to see them. I yelled to my brother "That was the easiest 20K I've ever run!". As I headed around the loop at Mud Bay Park towards the turn around I couldn't see Ivo or the lead cyclist at all, which seemed weird. I knew he was far in front, but if he was so far in front then why wasn't he coming back towards me yet? Finally on the last corner before the turn around I saw him coming back. I mumbled something like "good job" as we passed and glanced at my watch (~1:25:50). When I got to the turn around my watch read 1:26:52, so I guessed that he was about 2 minutes ahead (~500 m). I had been aiming to run the first half in 1:26-1:27, so this was a very positive first half. In fact it was the fastest first half of a marathon I'd ever run!

When I passed my brother and his wife the second time (around 22.5K) he jogged with me and I said "next time you see me I might be in the lead!". Or not. I had increased my pace to 3:56, 3:57, but Ivo probably increased his too. I could rarely see him and the cyclist in the distance, and I didn't seem to be gaining at all. The kilometers flew by now, and they were definitely getting more difficult. I took my 4th gel at 25K, and held on to that same pace - running that 5K in 20:08.

After 25K I knew my brother was going to be cheering me on at 31K, so I decided to try and pick up the pace a bit more to see if I could gain some ground on Ivo. On the long straight stretches I could see him up ahead, and the distance between us was closing very slowly. The 5K from 25 to 30 was my fastest yet in 19:58 (and 3rd 10K in 40:06), wooohooo! When I passed by my #1 cheering squad at 31K my brother yelled "you're gaining, you're way closer to him now!". I tossed him my empty handheld water bottle (10oz) which I had been carrying up to this point. It felt really good to be free of it. I had taken my 5th and last gel, and only had a few honey stringer energy chews to last me the rest of the way (I ate two every 2 km until 40K).

This is where the race begins I said to myself. The inevitable fade is bound to happen soon, so stay strong, stay focused. You only have to run 10K more. Ever. Gotta love the logic of a tired brain!

It was around this point in the race when I realized how pain free the race had been so far. I had already run 32K at a great pace, and nothing hurt! Well that is unusual. But I'm sure the next 10K will suck, right?

Luckily (and similar to the North Olympic Discovery Marathon in 2011) I was in 2nd place and had the leader in my sights. This really helped me stay focused and keep pushing. I was definitely gaining ground on Ivo now. I felt like I could have passed him around 34K, but instead I let myself ease back slightly to conserve some energy. I wanted to overtake him "dramatically" - not slowly inch past him. I could tell he was fading now, as looked tired - he would run the long way around a corner instead of hugging the inside corner. The 5K from 30 to 35 was 20:03.

When I was about 20 meters behind Ivo at 36K I picked up my pace and zipped by, saying something like "Great work Ivo, keep pushing man, get that PR!". The lead cyclist sped up to match my pace and off we went. I tried to make a bit of conversation with the cyclist, but he tended to stay about 10 meters ahead of me. At this point I realized again how good my body felt. Shouldn't I be suffering by now? But amazingly nothing hurt, and I was running faster than I had all race. I dropped my fastest kilometers so far - 3:55, 3:51, 3:57. I had this big goofy smile on my face and was just ecstatic to be out racing on such a beautiful day. I felt tears come to my eyes as I envisioned crossing the finish line. Not yet I thought, still 3K to go. Anything can happen.

When I passed 39K I glanced behind and saw that I had a big lead now. The 5K from 35 to 40 took 19 minutes and 42 seconds. Unbelievable. I have often visualized running the final 10K of a marathon in under 40 minutes. Well today could be that day. The final 2 kilometers were back in Boundary Bay Park on the winding gravel trail. I continued to pick up the pace, causing the lead cyclist to speed up as well. The final kilometer was my fastest in 3:50, and the final 10K took 39:30. Once again I felt overwhelmed with emotion, and fought off tears as I could see the finish line up ahead. Hearing my brother yelling "He's gaining on you, he's right behind!!!" I sprinted all out, crossing the line in 2:51:08. A new personal best by almost 9 minutes (was 2:59:45), a course record (previously 2:59), and amazingly almost a 3 minute negative split (1:26:52/1:24:27). I had fully expected to fade a few minutes and run 2:56.

The rest of the afternoon was awesome. Family friends had made it to the finish line just in time to see me cross the line, and so we all hung out for an hour in the glorious sunshine, and then had a nice lunch together before I headed back to Victoria. Unfortunately Mike didn't have a good race as he has been battling an abdominal injury and had to pull out after half way. Les on the other hand ran a very strong race finishing 4th overall in 3:07 with nearly even splits.

Post race my right hip was a bit sore, and I had a raw spot on my left baby toe. But otherwise the body felt fine. And interestingly I felt fine the next few days too. No DOMS on the quads, and I was back running 2 days later. Perhaps the softer surface and the flat course took less of a toll on my body then previous marathons?

I would highly recommend this race to anyone wanting to run a fast marathon. It was well organized, has a nice friendly small race feel.
Obviously being in November and on the water (no protection) means that the weather can be a big factor. The gravel didn't seem to be an issue. It is mostly hard packed (as long as you stay in the tire tracks) and didn't cause any discomfort. About 4 km is on pavement, and 4 km on softer gravel (at the start/finish). A few things to consider if you are planning on running this race - prepare for all weather conditions! And consider carrying water. There aren't many aid stations (5, 10, 14, 21, 28, 31), so it's hard to get in enough liquid. I carried a handheld 10oz water bottle which I swapped out at half way for a full one.

Garmin Activity, Full race results.
Note that there was a glitch with the timing system, and all the times were shifted 40 seconds faster. I suspect the glitch only affected the half marathon (since they were the ones who complained).

Boston Marathon - The Race

In my previous post I covered as many of the details as I could think of about what happens before the race starts. This entry is all about the actual race - the excitement, the pain, the heat, and the finish!

Goals

Going into this race I set 2 goals: finishing under 3 hours again, and enjoying the Boston atmosphere. I've said to a few people that this could well be my last marathon (yes I know we all say that), so I really wanted to enjoy the experience as much as possible, and try to draw energy from the hundreds of thousands of spectators that come out to watch on the holiday Monday that is race day.

I was actually hoping for a time of 2 hours and 55 minutes. This requires a pace of 4:09 per kilometer, 20:45 for 5K, 41:30 for 10K, and 1:27:30 at half way. When the forecast showed 30 degree heat (86F) on the day, I made the foolish decision to not change that goal. Looking back this was probably not a good choice...

The Start (0 - 5 km)

I anticipated a slow start due to the 2000 runners who would be lined up in front of me (I was in corral 3 and there was approx. 1000 runners per corral), but I knew that the first 6km was quite steep downhill so I figured once we started to move smoothly I'd easily be able to make up the lost time from a slow start.

It actually wasn't a slow start at all. It took me exactly 1 minute to cross the start line, and although it was very congested we all managed to move pretty quickly. My first kilometer was 3:57 which was a surprise. I was carrying an extra water bottle, and was frequently drinking from it, hoping to chuck it after a few kilometers to let my arms swing freely. I stayed to the left side of the road (which is a narrow street, one lane each way) for the first few kilometers, and this was good because I was able to move past quite a few people. After 1km or so there was a wooded area on the left with some bushes and quite a few runners stopped for a quick pee!

The first bit of chaos happened at mile 2 where the first water/gatorade station was setup. Boston does an amazing job of having water and gatorade stations every mile starting at mile 2. They have them on both sides of the road slightly staggered. This is key because when there are that many runners you simply can't get across to the other side of the road to get water! Well at the first water station I (like many others) was simply trying not to trip on the runners in front, and didn't see the water station coming up. So all of a sudden WHAM, we all ran into each other and slowed right down. Luckily no one around me fell or was hurt, we simply slowed down and carried on. But it was not pleasant. I couldn't even grab a water because I wasn't close enough to the left side of the road.

I finally finished my water bottle around kilometer 4, and was very relieved to chuck it. I hate running with stuff in my hands. It was around this time that a guy wearing a very bright yellow singlet came up beside me and asked if I was from Victoria. This confused me, but I later realized that my red Harriers singlet has Victoria, BC on the back, duh. Anyway, it turned out to be Geoff Courtnall (formerly of the Vancouver Canucks and other NHL teams) who is also from Victoria! I knew he had run a 3:03 at Victoria to qualify and was running Boston raising money for charity. For every minute he ran Boston under 3:10 he'd donate money to charity (full details). We chatted for a couple minutes while we flew past many runners (I definitely picked up my pace a bit to stay and talk with him!). Then he slowly pulled ahead of me and I lost sight of him. While I wished him the best of luck, I was a little surprised that he'd be going out so hard...

Coming up to 5K I was trying to slow myself down because I knew I was ahead of pace, but despite the heat things felt okay so I wasn't too concerned about being 20 seconds fast. My splits were: 3:57, 4:11, 4:04, 4:15, 3:54 for a 20:22 split (4:04 pace).

5 - 10 km

This next section is where things started to get harder. Way too early to be feeling crappy right? I was drinking water and a gatorade at every water station. It wasn't as crowded now, and the streets were a little wider too so there was more room to move which was nice. Many runners started to run almost single file along the right side of the road because it had slightly more shade from trees and small buildings.

I had some pain in my lower back as we neared 10 km, and that definitely didn't help keep my spirits up. I was also getting annoyed with my fuel belt digging into my stomach and sliding around my waist. It was a tough choice - do I wear the fuel belt to carry extra water/energy drink and hold all my gels (7)? I don't like wearing a belt, but I thought on such a hot day the belt was a good idea to have a little extra liquid and to hold the gels. But it is not comfortable at race pace, it slides around and digs in, and generally annoys me. Anyway, during a marathon these little things can really drag you down if you're not careful. I had planned on dumping the 2 fuel belt water bottles once I finished them, and then dumping the fuel belt too (and carry the remaining gels in my hand).

I knew I was going a little slower during this section, but I thought this was good to balance out the first 5K. My splits were 4:05, 4:12, 4:14, 4:20, 4:13 for a 5K time of 21:04 (4:12 pace). At this point (10K) I was exactly on my goal pace with a time of 41:26 (although looking at my results I actually crossed the official 10K line at 41:39).

10 - 15 km

If I really had any belief that I could run a 2:55 in the heat, that changed during this section. I dropped a full minute over these 5 kilometers, and basically felt like crap. My back was still aching, and I just wasn't moving well. My splits were 4:22, 4:26, 4:25, 4:18, 4:25 for a 5K time of 21:54 (4:23 pace). Way off goal pace.

I have to say that the crowds were pretty amazing. Apart from a short section just after the start there were people lining both sides of the street the whole way. In residential areas it was families camped out on their front lawns offering oranges, water (often ice cold), or spraying you with water from a super soaker or sprinkler. In commercial areas people lined the sidewalks cheering and screaming for everyone. The ice cold water cups and bottles were the nicest surprise, since most of the official water stations had been setup for hours and were serving luke warm water.

15 - 20 km

This section was no better than the last. The only good thing about it was the "Scream Tunnel" right at 20 km where thousands and thousands of girls from the Wellesley College lined the right side of the road where the college is. It is infamous. Everyone told me you have to run on the right side through Wellesley! So I did, and it was unbelievable. If I was single I would have definitely slowed down for a kiss. I high-fived almost everyone, and really enjoyed reading all the creative signs such as "Kiss Me! Don't worry, you're faster than my boyfriend", "I majored in kissing", "It's hot, but so are you!", etc. I especially enjoyed seeing an 80 year old woman at the end of the tunnel with a "Kiss Me" sign.

Apart from that there isn't much I remember. There was some nice shady sections as there was a park on the right side I think? My splits were 4:31, 4:27, 4:35, 4:26, 4:40 for a 5K time of 22:39 (4:32 pace). By now my overall pace was 4:18 and I knew before half way I would be going well over 3 hours.

20 - 25 km

Since the Boston Marathon has more of the downhills in the first half, I wanted to be slightly ahead of pace at half way. That way I could handle losing a minute or two in the Newton Hills which are from 25 - 33 km. Well when I got to half way and the clock read 1:31:23 I knew that wasn't a good sign! Marathons are hard to begin with, but the extra difficulty of trying to stay motivated, stay positive, keep pushing etc gets even harder when you aren't running well. If I had a clear mind I might have realized that a 1:31 half in the heat is very good, and a sub 3:05 finish is still possible (which is the Boston qualifying time for my age). But I was not thinking clearly, and still fixated on my goal of 2:55 which was long gone. So instead of taking some positives, it was all negative.

By now I had finished both the water bottles in my fuel belt, and chucked them. My strategy was to have 1 gel every 5 kilometers, so I had already taken 4 and only had 3 left for 25, 30, and 35. Somewhere during this section I decided to just chuck the whole belt too and carry the remaining gels in my hand. I definitely felt a little better, and managed to run a little quicker. A couple times I put some ice cubes under my hat which was nice as I was definitely over heating and feeling that extra bit more fatigued due to the heat (and maybe the fast start). Before 30 km I had also chucked my hat because I was too hot - a nice souvenir for some lucky spectator (or dog).

Somewhere in this section I saw a runner getting put on a stretcher and carried off the course. Ugh, not a good sign.

Being free of the fuel belt seemed to help my splits too, as my times were 4:28, 4:22, 4:24, 4:25, 4:39 for a 5K of 22:18 (4:27 pace), slightly faster than the previous section.

25 - 30 km

Right around mile 16 and kilometer 25 the course goes down a nice steep hill before crossing the Charles River. This is a low elevation point and the start of the Newton Hills. From here the next 8 km are definitely the toughest section of the course. People generally say there are 4 Newton Hills (see the Elevation Profile). Each one is roughly 1 km of uphill followed by roughly 1 km of gradual downhill with the 4th hill being Heartbreak Hill which is the steepest. I was prepared for these hills (many runners from the West Coast had told me that these were pretty small hills) and did a decent job of keeping up my pace. My splits might not reflect that, but I think it was a decent effort. The first 3 hills were definitely nothing serious at all, they just dragged on a bit. I kept looking at my watch wondering why it was taking so long!

30 - 35 km

The couple kilometers before reaching the summit of Heartbreak Hill (at 33 km) seemed to drag on forever. I didn't stop once and still managed to keep moving reasonably well right up the steepest section of Heartbreak Hill, and gave a little yell when I finally reached the top. There is a nice steep downhill after Heartbreak, and more gradual downhill the rest of the way until the final mile. On a good day this would have been the section to take advantage of and make up some lost time. I didn't. By this point I wasn't even looking at my watch, and I had a whole new game plan now - just finish (or "get er done" as Donald would say!).

My splits were 4:42, 4:51, 5:08, 5:17 and 4:41 for a 5K time of 24:41 (4:55 pace).

35 - 40 km

It's not good to admit it but I had definitely lost all motivation to keep trying at this point. Each kilometer was getting more painful and dragged on and on. And even though the crowds of spectators were getting louder and bigger the closer I got to the finish I couldn't find any way to get motivated to pick up the pace. In my head I had long since realized that a sub 3 hour was gone, a sub 3:05 was virtually impossible. So there really wasn't that extra incentive to dig deep. To me a 3:06 and a 3:15 were the same, and the 3:15 sounded a lot better :) I'm sure many other marathoners have reached this same conclusion!

The roads were so wide at this point that there really weren't many runners around. It felt like tons of runners were passing me (and they probably were), but I think I was actually passing more people. At one point right around 40 km a guy running right beside me face planted on the asphalt. He must have tripped on an uneven section or something. I wanted to stop and help, but in that super fatigued state I didn't want to stop moving since I felt pretty wobbly myself. There were so many spectators I'm sure someone rushed to his aid and hopefully he was able to get up and finish.

Not that you care, but my splits for this section were 5:12 (ouch), 5:12, 5:23 (double och), 4:37, and 4:58. That made for a 25:21 5K (5:04 pace). I honestly don't remember too much during this section. It was a blur, I just keep running and wishing that the turn onto Boylston would hurry up and get here.

40 - 42.2 km (Finish)

Right at 40 km I must have been running beside Geoff Courtnall since our times were 1 second apart (he had been ahead of me since before 5 km), but even with his bright yellow singlet I didn't see him. He obviously suffered in the heat too and faded to finish in 3:14:xx. I had my head down and was shuffling my way towards the finish so I guess it wasn't a surprise that I missed him.

There is a nasty little underpass around 41 km where we ran under a road and back up again. It wasn't much but it still sucked. But the good news was I could finally see the turn on to Hereford Street, which meant I was only 1 km from the finish!

Hereford is a slight uphill, but once I rounded that final left turn on to Boylston a huge grin broke out on my face, and I started to run, finally. I knew my wife was cheering on the right side of the road (the shady side), so I crossed over to that side and sprinted down the final 650 m to the finish. There were so many people that I simply couldn't scan them fast enough to spot her, so sadly I didn't see her. But I still appreciate her being there and holding up the sign:
"Chris 'Chariots of Fire' is NONSTOPPABLE".

My finishing time was 3:13:30. A nice number. Not a time that I would have chosen, but all things considered it is a time I'm proud of. The experience was something I'll never forget - the whole event, the spectators, the heat. It was definitely the most unpleasant race I've done though, and does re-affirm my plan of not running another marathon. Apparently the first thing I said to my wife when I saw her after the finish was "Don't ever let me do this again". But apart from the heat and a bit of back pain I really didn't have any major physical problems during the race. It was just too f*cking hot.

Post Race

If you want to look up any results, here is the Searchable Results Page. My bib number was 2849.

It was freakishly hot at the finish line - the pavement, the buildings, it all made for a very unpleasant feeling. We were herded down Boylston were we were given our medal, a shiny space cape, water, gatorade protein drink, a banana, and some protein bars. Eventually I made it to the bag check area and the nice volunteers gave me back my bag (very quickly, they had it ready for me before I could hobble over to the bus). I had to stop a couple times and lean up again various trucks, but eventually made it to the family meeting area. I texted my wife and lay down in the shade.

We had to walk about 2 km back to our hotel, but it actually wasn't too bad. The heat in the direct sun was still unbearable, but walking actually felt pretty good. The rest of the day I mostly napped, ate some delicious junk food, and took a couple cold showers/baths (since I was still over heating from a bit of heat stroke). By about 9pm that evening I was feeling okay enough to walk around (with medal on of course). The atmosphere out on the streets was amazing, so many people said congratulations. Anyway, that's about all I say about Boston. Will I go back and run it again? No almost certainly not. Once was enough. But it is definitely an experience I would not have wanted to miss.

Boston Marathon Part 1 - Pre-Race Tips

There is so much to say about the Boston Marathon that I'm going to split it into two separate posts. This post will be on the pre-race details - the expo, getting to the start, athlete's village, etc. The second post will focus on actual race and how it went for me.

Resources

There are many websites and forums out there with tons of useful tips from very experience Boston Marathoners, so be sure to check them out (I list a few in my previous blog post).

The official BAA website has a lot of good resources too, like the Participant Information page, Pre-Race Information page, and Spectator Guide.

Hotels And Rental Options

Once you've been officially accepted to the Boston Marathon, it's time to book a place to stay. There are many hotels right near the finish line which are super convenient but be warned they can cost $300 or more per night, so you might want to look for other options. I found the AirBnB website very helpful, and ended up booking a furnished suite for $150/night which was only 1km from the finish line.

Here are a few rental websites for Boston:

• AirBnB.com
• Vacation Rentals By Owner (VRBO)
• BedAndBreakfast.com
• Rentals.com

Training Tips

During the months before the marathon make sure you become familiar with the race route and elevation. It is not a typical marathon in that it is a point-to-point race and a net downhill elevation change. So make sure your training includes some downhill workouts, otherwise your quads will probably give out on you long before the finish.

If you really want to geek it out, you might also enjoy reading some tips on Boston Marathon Race Strategy to help keep you focused on how to perform your best on race day.

Weather and Packing Tips

As the big day approaches, make sure to follow the weather forecast to have some idea of what to expect on race day. One big uncertainty about the Boston Marathon is often the weather. Since it is in April the weather can be anything from snow to extreme heat. This year (2012) it was HOT - 25-30 degrees (a record I think). So unfortunately this makes the race much harder as well as the planning, and you have to bring a lot of extra running clothes to be prepared for anything.

Transit

For transit (bus and subway) information while in Boston, visit the MBTA website to plan out how to get to various parts of Boston, like the race expo, pre-race dinner, etc. The subway has many different lines running through downtown, and to get you to/from the airport.

Be warned that the subway will most likely be PACKED the whole weekend. I found it very slow, and often couldn't even get on the first train that arrived because it was already full. So expect your trips to take longer than what the MBTA website says.

Race Expo (Friday - Sunday)

After you've arrive in Boston you'll most likely want to go to the Race Expo as soon as possible. It is a 3 day event which takes place all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. This is where you pick up your race number (**make sure you bring your race number pick-up card to the expo!). The expo is huge as you might expo, so plan on spending many hours there. There are lots of good deals (like $50 for a pair of shoes) and way too many people, so go to the bathroom before you get there. If you want to go to the pre-race or post-race dinners, this is where you pick up any extra tickets for friends and family who aren't in the race. Tickets for participating athletes are in your race package. As mentioned above the transit was pretty slow the whole weekend, especially getting to and from the expo. What should have been a 20 minute trip took an hour for me.

Sunday (5K, Mile, Pre-Race Dinner)

On the Sunday (the day before the race) the BAA 5K race takes place right downtown starting (and finishing) on Boylston Street at 8am. The Invitational Mile happens at the same location at 9:30am.

All entrants get free entry into the Sunday Night Pre-Race dinner. This year it was held at the City Hall at 4:30pm. There was a long lineup, but it moved quickly. The food was pretty basic but still tasty - 3 kinds of pasta, salad, rolls, water, pops, and a goodie bag containing some chocolates and snacks. The Mayor and Race Director both gave speeches (while we waited in line before getting our food), and warned us not to race because of the heat! Naturally we ignored the warnings... There were tons of 8 or 10 person tables set up, so we sat down and were joined by some other runners who turned out to be from Vancouver! Small world.

Race Day (Monday)

All participants are told to take the School Buses from along the Boston Commons (Tremont side) between 6:00 - 7:30am. Check out the Pre-Race Info for full details.
Be warned that it will take about 45 minutes to wait in line to get on a bus, and then about another 45 minutes for the bus to make its way out to Hopkinton to the Athlete's Village near the start line. But don't worry, there are a TON of buses, so you'll get on one eventually.

Athlete's Village

Here is a list of some of the things I brought (or considered bringing) to Athlete's Village:

• Sunscreen
• Hat or sunglasses
• Disposable blanket/tarp/garbage bags to put on the ground on the grass or dirt
• Ear plugs or mp3 player to drown out endless announcements
• For males - an empty wide-mouthed bottle for last minute pee
• Toilet paper in case the port-a-johns run out
• Disposable clothing if cold - bring or wear old sweatpants, sweatshirt, jacket, gloves, toque, etc to keep you warm before the start. Any clothing you don't check and don't want to keep will be donated to charity. When you leave the village, there will be volunteers everywhere with garbage bags to collect clothing/blankets etc.
• Your official bag check bag (which you get when you pick up your bib number) with all the stuff you might want at the finish line:
  
  • Post race food/drink (At the finish I got a water bottle, protein drink, banana, and some energy/protein bars)
  • Money
  • Cell phone
  • Change of clothes

The Village is just a school (actually 2 schools), so you'll be outside on the grass. A tarp or blanket is a really good idea if you get there early and want to lie down. There is loud music and announcements, some food/drink, and lots of toilets. I found the line-ups for the port-a-johns were very short (2 minutes) when I first arrived around 8am, but got longer and longer nearer to the start time. This is why I suggest above to bring a empty gatorade bottle to use in case you need a last minute pee and the line-ups are too long!

There is also quite a bit of shade if you want it. I put down my blanket in the shade behind one of the school buildings, and lay on the ground for an hour listening to music to relax.

Bag Check & Walk To Start Line

When your wave and corral are called (usually about 40-50 minutes before your start time), it is time to start walking down the the start line (about 1.1km away, maybe 15 minutes?). As you leave the Village you will see tons of the same Yellow School Buses in the parking lot. This is the bag check area - each bus is clearly labeled with a range of Bib Numbers. So find the bus that matches your bib number and give them your official bag check bag (the same bag that contained your bib number that you got at the expo).

Because it was such a hot day I kept a long sleeve white shirt on as I walked to the start line (I tossed it to a volunteer just before the race started), and also carried a water bottle with me. There is some shade at the start line, so I waited under a tree for about 20 minutes before moving into place near the front of my 3rd corral.

That about sums up my pre-race experience. The next blog post will cover the race and post-race details.

1 Week Until The Boston Marathon!

Next Monday April 16th I'll be running the Boston Marathon!

Training

My training has gone pretty well, and I'm very excited about the upcoming challenge of another marathon. My training goals this time were more long runs (8 over 30 km), more tempo runs at lactate threshold pace (10 at ~4 min/km), higher volume in general, and more up and downhill training (since Boston has a lot of downhill).

The other difference this year was I've done a lot more races than normal. I did 5 Island Race series, including a great PR at Bazan Bay 5K in 17:20. The other 4 races I took a little bit easy to not affect my training as much.

Weather

So far the weather is looking to be rather hot, with highs in the low 20's on race day. That does make hydration more difficult, but I'm hoping that my last year's BQ marathon the North Olympic Discovery Marathon which was also in the low 20's will be a helpful experience. Definitely wearing sunscreen this time...

Boston Marathon Tips:

In my research about the marathon I've come across a lot of useful resources, especially for first timers:

• Did You PR At Boston?
• 1 day to go to Boston
• Boston Marathon Info for Newbies
• Boston Marathon Race Execution

Boston Marathon Elevation

The elevation profile is something that makes Boston different from many other marathons. It is a net elevation loss (meaning more down than uphill) of about 450 feet (140 m). But this definitely doesn't make it any easier, most people will tell you that all the downhill is what makes this a difficult marathon - it really beats up your quads early on in the race and makes it very tough during the final 10 km.

Simple:

Detailed:

Over the first 7 km (4+ miles) the elevation drops about 100 meters (from 150 down to about 50 meters)! After that the elevation doesn't change significantly (undulating) until just before the 25 km mark (15.5 miles) where there is a steep downhill of about 30 meters over 0.6 km. This is the start of the Newton Hills - a series of 4 hills ending in Heartbreak Hill. The first Newton hill is about 1 km long, and 25 m elevation. The second hill is shorter - maybe 0.4 km long and also 25 m up. The third hill is about 0.6 km long and 20 m up. And finally Heartbreak Hill is about 0.7 km long and 28 meters up. After each of the 4 hills there is a downhill section, so that should help with the recovery. Definitely don't want to lose too much time on the uphills! After Heartbreak Hill it is almost all downhill to the finish (minus a few overpasses/underpasses) - about 60 meters down.

Funnies

I also came across some funny signs that people have seen during marathons, from this forum:

• Harden/Hurry The F Up!
• A sign that said "Your wife just called....", then another guy about 10 feet further down the road with a sign saying "She said run faster".
• 
  Sure seemed like a good idea 4 months ago...

Here are the post-race blog posts - pre-race and race details.

Boston!

After my last marathon (the North Olympic Discover Marathon, or NODM for short) I did what most runners do - I said I'm done with marathons, never again! But a few months later I realized that I had qualified for the Boston Marathon and since the qualification times are getting harder I decided this was my best opportunity to run Boston. So I've now registered and been accepted to run Boston on April 16th, 2012!

As usual my first order of business was to start looking at the route and comparing the elevation profile to Victoria and NODM. Here is the graph I made showing the elevation profiles for the 3 marathons:

As you can see it has a lot of downhill to start the race, and then a tough section from 25km - 33km, and a nice downhill to finish. Anyway, that's all I have to share so far, more later.

North Olympic Discovery Marathon Race Report

Intro

This is going to be a long entry, be warned. I'll be discussing my motivation for running a marathon, why I chose the one I did, my training schedule, and a long winded blow-by-blow of the race. This is mainly just a way for me to record my thoughts before I forget them. In a later blog post I plan to include a comparison of my training stats for my 2007 marathon with this 2011 marathon.

Decision

In December 2010 I decided that I wanted to do another marathon. It was a very spontaneous decision as they often are. It is rather easy to forget all the hard work that usually goes into training for a marathon!

My only other marathon experience was the Royal Victoria Marathon in 2007 when I ran 3:02:56. My goal for that race was to break 3 hours, and because I only just missed it I knew I would run another marathon one day and break the 3 hour mark. So naturally when I decided to do the North Olympic Discovery Marathon (or NODM for short) I had the same goal.

My main reasons for choosing NODM were: close proximity to Victoria and small race (usually ~300 in the full marathon). NODM is a point-to-point marathon that starts in Sequim and finishes in downtown Port Angeles which is a short ferry ride away from Victoria. There is a good website called marathonguide.com that has user comments about the marathon and previous results. I found it a useful guide for helping me make my decision.

Training

By registering in mid december I had a full 5 months of training from January through May. Each month I wanted to increase my mileage and gradually incorporate more long runs and tempo runs, and ending with a 3 week taper at the end of May leading up to the race on June 5th. I also planned on incorporating a few local races into my training plan - Bazan Bay 5K, Comox Half, and the TC 10K.

The training went pretty smoothly with no real set backs except for one nasty cold in early March and a brief vacation in Hawaii. January, February and March were decent months, but not as consistent as I wanted (probably partly due to the less than ideal weather!). But luckily April and May were really solid training months where I was able to log some really high mileage (for me) and lots of tough long runs and tempos. Each of my 3 pre-marathon races went well too with a road PB of 17:57 at Bazan Bay 5K, a steady 1:25 Comox Half, and a really great 10K PB of 36:09 at the TC 10K.

All in all I was feeling pretty confident going into Sunday's marathon. But I knew that a marathon will always be tough and not something to take lightly.

The Race

We stayed at a nice hotel 5 mins from the starting line which was a great way to do it. I jogged the 5 mins to the start line, stretched a little gently, and then did 1km at race pace.

I had a pretty clear strategy in mind - push the downhills, don't slow up much on the uphills, aim for about 1:27 at the half way, and most importantly - stay positive. The toughest part of the marathon is from 25-33km so I wanted to make sure I was well under 1:30 at half to make up that. I also wore a fuel belt with 2x10oz bottles which I filled with water and one nuun tablet in each, and carried 6 gels (I love the Vanilla Clif Shots) in the belt's pouch. The plan was to take one gel every 25-30 mins (or roughly every 6-7km) which I calculated would give me enough energy to last the marathon. And I also planned on alternating between taking water and gatorade at each aid station which were well spaced out at about one every 2 miles.

Below is a screenshot of my Garmin Activity showing the elevation, pace, and route.

0 - 5km (20:38, 4:07 pace)

The first part of a marathon is always the best feeling: the pace is so slow feeling, and I'm also so excited. I started off the race in about 6th place, but by the 3rd kilometer I had overtaken two guys were who already breathing heavily, including one guy wearing a long sleeve heavy running shirt... not a good choice for the 20+ Celsius weather! Ahead of me in 3rd place was the lead female runner (wearing the distinctive pink top) who would stay in front of me for most of the race. As I finished the first 5km I had closed the gap on her to about 50m.

5 - 10km (21:08, 4:13 pace)

The first 8km of the course is a big loop that took us back to the start line before we started heading away from Sequim towards Port Angeles. The course was mostly on roads with a short segment on a paved trail through the park near the starting line. During this 5km section it is a gradual uphill, and I made myself slow down as I didn't want to blow up early going out too fast in the heat (plus my heart rate was still too high and I wanted to drop it below 85%). So although the pace dropped a bit, I was still feeling confident, high-fiving the volunteers at each aid station and generally feeling okay. During this section the girl in pink had pulled away and I could only just see her on some of the long straightaways. It was at about 7km when I first saw my wife and mother-in-law, who were both taking photos of me just as I had started sucking back my first gel, probably made for some great photos!

10 - 15km (21:02, 4:12)

This section was probably the flattest part of the course, and flew by uneventfully. The first river crossing was at about 9.5 miles (15km) where we crossed the Dungeness River. It was very scenic, and not a difficult river valley like some of the ones coming up. At this point I was getting more concerned with how high my heart rate was staying. My watch was telling me that it was hovering between 86-88%, which I know is a little on the high side for a marathon (75-85% is "safe"). I expected it to be high during the first 20 mins since this usually happens to me, but after an hour into the race it was still there and I was starting to feel the effects of the heat and my mind was already warning me to slow down. But I also have a theory that my max heart rate is higher than my age predicts, and so I told myself not to worry about my heart rate - if it's too high then my body will force me to slow down.

15 - 20km (21:01, 4:12)

It was around here when I had one nice moment when I passed a man and woman who were walking the full marathon. I ran by and yelled out "great job, keep it up!". They replied saying "Thanks! You're much nicer than the other 3 runners who ran by and didn't say anything. We hope you win. You're looking really strong too!". Definitely a confidence booster.
But just before the half way I was starting to really struggle. I had just taken my third gel (around 1:20), and already drank all the Nuun flavoured water in my fuel belt. I wasn't feeling great, and I knew my pace was starting to slip.

20 - 25km (21:07, 4:13)

I didn't know it at the time, but these last 20km were remarkably consistent. My pace varied from 4:00 to 4:23, but somehow each 5km was the same time. It sure didn't feel that way!
My plan had been to drop off the fuel belt as soon as I finished the water and carry the remaining 3 gels in my hand. As I approached the aid station at the half way point I was really unhappy. I felt like crap and was very disappointed that the time was already 1 hour and 29 minutes - a full 2 minutes slower than my game plan. The guys at the aid station were busy yelling at me to keep going "you're looking great, keep it up" etc. Ha. Yeah. Right. As I ran by I asked if I could drop off my belt and collect it at the finish line, and they said yes. So I stopped for 5 seconds as I dropped the belt, grabbed the remaining gels from the pouch, handed the belt to the volunteer and sprinted off yelling out my name and race number as I went on. I wondered if I'd ever see the belt again but didn't really care. I was just glad to be feeling a little lighter and less constricted around my waist. The next few kilometers were much better and I was able to get my pace back down under the magical 4:16 pace that I needed to break the 3 hour mark.

25 - 30km (21:58, 4:23)

Right at 25km I had a short but painful calf cramp in my right leg. I stopped for 2 seconds and gave it a quick stretch fearing the worse. The prospect of running the last 17km with a cramp was scary.
I knew that the first really tough hill section was at the 17 mile mark (27km). So with that in mind I pushed the first few kilometers to try and gain a few seconds and hoping my calf would not be an issue. At 27km the trail dropped down into Sieberts Creek and back up again. I had jogged this section the day before to prepare myself, and boy was I glad I did! It is very steep, but also very short. And knowing that my wife and mother-in-law would be there cheering me at the top of the hill I flew down into the valley, and pushed really hard up the hill, making sure to give them a winning smile to give the illusion that I was still feeling strong and confident! Even though I knew at the point that it was going to be almost impossible to break 3 hours now. But still, having just seem some friendly faces my confidence grew, and I kept pushing through the tough undulating hills. At some point near the 30km marker my left calf had the same sharp cramping feeling, but it also didn't last and so I kept going without stopping.

30 - 35km (22:11, 4:26)

This was always going to be the toughest section because it is so far into the race and it features the hardest hills. It was exactly at this point when I knew my pace was slowing and my sub 3 hour goal gone that my mind started to try and trick me. I kept thinking thoughts like "if I just slow down here a little bit, then it will be impossible for me to break 3 hours, and then I won't have to keep pushing". This is what makes the marathon so tough. Of course the physical aspect is tough, but that is the "easy" part to train. I think it's the mental aspect that is what makes the marathon so tough. At this point I was already seeing myself slowing slightly and finishing in 3 hours and 2 minutes again. My mind trying to justify that it was still a good result.

But then I got lucky. Up ahead I suddenly saw the lead girl (pink shirt, called Tanaya Gallagher), who was obviously slowing. And even more of a surprise I saw the 2nd place guy (gray shirt, called Kurt Warwick who I later learned had ran an impressive 2:47 at Boston this year) who I hadn't seen since the start. Hmm. So maybe even if I can't break 3 hours I could pass them, and come in second! I was spurred on to catch them, and also knowing that the toughest hill section was right at 20 miles (32km), and after that it was all down hill! Almost.
Around 31km I easily passed the guy in gray who was hardly moving, and voiced some encouragement, and then flew up a short hill and passed the girl in pink. Saying something nice too. I made sure to keep pushing it for the next 500m to get away from them and leave them feeling a little disheartened by my pace even if I knew I couldn't keep it up for long!

Then came the famous Bagely Creek hill. I quickly inhaled my second to last gel (mmm Vanilla) and descended a nasty switchback downhill followed by a very steep 33m hill climb over 400m. I had also scoped out this section the day before so I knew it was steep. I do admit to stopping for a few seconds at the top here to catch my breath, but only for a couple seconds. A guy standing at the 20 mile marker yelled out my time of 2 hours and 17 minutes. This was again 2 minutes slower than the 2:15 I had hoped for, leaving me 43 minutes to run the last 10.2km. Still possible, but it was not going to be easy. After my slowest kilometer through Bagely Creek of 4:58 I reached the highest point of the marathon (77m, 250 feet). It was almost all downhill now. Yeah! I quickly sped up to a pace of 4:05 down the hill.

Here is where I got lucky again. I saw my wife at 33km and got a surge of energy after she yelled out "the lead runner is not far ahead, you're totally gaining on him!". What?!? No way. Well, maybe even if I don't break 3 hours I might be able to win this race. Inconceivable! Anyways, down I went and at each aid station and many walkers that I passed all said the same thing: "You can catch him!". I passed one couple on this section who yelled out "showoff!". Um, sorry?

35 - 40km (21:35, 4:19)

By now the route was taking me out to the coast, down to about 10m of elevation (having dropped over 60m in just over a kilometer). And what had I gained from that nice downhill? 11 seconds. Oh well, I was still gaining on the lead running (blue shirt, Adam Read). Ahead of him I could see the official cyclist who was keeping the trail clear for him. For the next 2km I slowly reeled him in despite putting up slow kms of 4:26. I gulped back my final gel. As I got closer and closer to him the walkers that I passed would yell like crazy for me to catch him. Part of me wanted them to be quiet so that the lead runner didn't hear them and start to speed up! But luckily for me he was toast. Nice. I came up along side him at around the 37km marker (3 miles/5km to go) and shouted some encouragement and again picked up my pace making sure to look really strong. The official cyclist pacer looked very surprised to see me, and we quickly left blue shirt guy behind. The cyclist then radio'd in: "Guess what, we had a new leader! Bib number 66, Chris Callendar". I envisioned hearing the announcer at the finish line saying just that. At this point I realized that unless something terrible happens, I was going to win this race! Passing the 3 runners had really taken my mind off the pain and allowed me to run at a really decent pace without my mind interfering.

At this point I remember looking at my watch and saw it read 37.2km, and 2 hours and 39 minutes flat - exactly 5km to go. I realized that if I wanted to break 3 hours I could still do it, but I had to run the last 5km in under 21 minutes. It was possible, but that meant I had to run my second fastest 5km of the day. It really helped having the bicyclist in front of me, he'd honk his bell and all the walkers would move aside and start cheering for me. It was great encouragement. About all I could do was put my thumb up as a way of saying thanks.

40 - 42.2km

Just before 40km there is a nasty little gravel hill around a sharp 150 degree turn. I flew up it anyway despite feeling rather unsteady. There is a less than pleasant horse-shoe shaped loop around an old mill that is all gravel. My pace slowed very slightly. My watch read exactly 2:51 at the 40km mark. 2.2km in 9 minutes. That meant I still had to run faster than the 4:15 pace and hope for enough energy to sprint the final 200m to squeak under 3 hours. Once I got back onto the seaside paved trail I knew I could do it, but didn't dare let myself think too far ahead or slow down. As I rounded the final curve and finally saw the finish line in the distance I knew I had done it. I sprinted the final 200m in 30 seconds and crossed the line in a time of 2:59:47. The clock unfortunately read 3:00:35 when I crossed, but it must have been started early for the other races.

After I crossed the line everything gets a little blurry, but I definitely remember doing a lot of screaming and fist pumps, and then gave my wife a big delirious hug. And there was an awesome woman there who helped keep me from falling over as I wobbled through the finishing area. She said "What took you so long? I've been waiting for you for ages!", but she was laughing so I replied "I did my best to get here sooner, sorry to have kept you waiting".
Then got "mobbed" by the media. One guy from a local newspaper and one from the local radio station interviewed me. It was great. I was on a huge high of course, and got to spurt out all the usual cliches that professional athletes say. I was amused that they both asked me how many marathons I've won. At first I said 2, and then realized that they asked how many I'd "won", not "run". Oops.

Anyway, it was a great day and remarkable race. Especially learning afterwards how many other runners suffered in the heat. I'm not sure if I can top this one. I was awarded a really nice piece of art (see photo on the right) for coming in first, and a plaque for being first in my 30-34 age group. Huge thanks to my wife and mother-in-law for the support along the course (and during my training), and to my father-in-law for the inspiration to run marathons. And also to Angela and Roger who were the only other Vancouver Island runners that I knew at the race.

My Garmin Connect Activity