Qualifying for Boston: My Marathon Story
As of today at 10:24am, I officially became a Boston-qualified marathoner. I’ve talked about my journey in running a lot (click here or here for more), so today I’m focusing on exactly what it was like to run the One City Marathon and do it under my goal pace of 3:30. If you want a behind-the-scenes look at running a marathon, I’m breaking it down mile by mile - with all the before and after, too!
The week before the race was taper week, which meant I still ran every day but cut way back on mileage and intensity. All my runs were easy/slow pace, as much as I could hold back. The day before was mostly rest after a 3-mile shakeout run. By the end of the week, I felt completely out of shape, like I had lost all my fitness during this time. I knew this wasn’t true, so I had to fight against it mentally, but for months I’ve been pushing and running hard and increasing mileage, so to cut all that back right before the race was not my favorite feeling. Saturday felt incredibly long, and I just wanted the race to hurry up and start.
Sunday morning my alarm went off at 4:30am. My night was not the smoothest - it started with a rat in our attic that kept me awake, and I woke up in the middle of the night for no reason. Regardless, I gave myself plenty of time to eat, get ready, and double check my gear before heading out to the finish area, where I took a shuttle to the start since it was a point-to-point race.
We arrived at the start line about an hour early, and I basically went to the bathroom as many times as I possibly could, because one of my biggest fears was having to stop mid-race and throwing off my pace! Before I knew it, we were in the corral listening to the National Anthem, and the gun went off to officially start the One City Marathon.
A week beforehand, I found a running buddy via Facebook whose goal pace was similar to mine, so we planned to run together as long as we could keep up with each other. This helped so much. I had originally planned to run with the 3:30 pace group, but after realizing I could run faster, I didn’t want to hold myself back for too long. Amber and I ended up staying together for 16 miles, which went by way more quickly than I could have hoped.
The first few miles felt tougher than I was hoping to maintain my 7:50/mile pace, and I wasn’t sure if it was a bad sign for the future. My marathon experience is so limited that I just couldn’t tell if I was pushing too much or not. I don’t know when the pace started feeling easier, but at some point it just did. The first few miles were pretty uneventful, and mostly involved checking my watch a lot to make sure I was staying on target. While I was nowhere near the front, the crowd was pretty thin beside me, which I enjoyed a lot.
Along the way, I saw SO many people I knew, both cheering specifically for me and for runners in general. This is the absolute biggest boost to my motivation. I even had one group of friends visit me around miles 12, 21, and again at the finish with hilarious signs - and a hotdog costume! Nathan brought Willow around mile 22, and while it broke her heart that mommy ran right past, seeing my family and remembering all their sacrifices was exactly what I needed to make it through the last few miles.
Logistically, I drank a ton of water - way more than last year - and I ate a gel at miles 10 and 17.5. This strategy seemed to work really well for me, although I guess I don’t have much to compare it to! I kept waiting for the dreaded “wall” to hit at mile 20…and it just never came. I don’t know if it was caffeine (from the gels), adrenaline, or really good training (probably a combo of all three!), but I never felt terrible. My last two miles started to be somewhat more painful than the first 24, but I also sped up to a 7:20ish pace then, so that probably contributed as well.
For the last 1.5 miles I was just smiling as an idiot. By this point I fully embraced the realization that I would qualify for Boston, and I was giddy with disbelief in joy. My favorite part of the One City Marathon is rounding the corner with 0.1 miles left, seeing the finish line and the Victory Arch, and pushing all the way to the end. Soon I was hugging my dear friend who works for the race as she put a medal around my neck and I got to see everyone who came to celebrate at the finish line.
For me, this race was perfect. I truly cannot imagine it having gone better. It may be the best marathon I ever have, because how could I top all of that?! The start was a little cold (felt like 22 degrees!), and I faced a strong headwind the last 4-5 miles, but I barely noticed that with everything else going on. I just felt so thankful to not be injured, so strong in my final kick (it helped that I was pumping some Taylor Swift by then), and so loved by the people who supported me not just on that day, but for the months leading up to this point.
What a day. What a marathon. What a feeling. Boston 2021, here I come!!!