Boston Marathon 2006

I took the Delaware Sports Club bus to Boston for the 2nd straight year.
Everything came together for an awesome race. The Wellesley girls were loud, winds died down and crowds cheered! Ray knew this could be something special when he still had legs after cresting Heartbreak Hill. He maintained speed, growing more and more optimistic about hitting his 3:30 goal.

Patriots Day 4/17/06: 110th Boston Marathon

Hopkinton – starting area
I walked the .7 miles up to the crowded athletes’ village to grab a bagel, Gatorade (like I really needed more of that), and a couple Power Bars. Potty stops on the way up and on the way back! By the time I got back to the bus, it was pretty cold, with dark clouds and blustery winds. But when the sun came out from behind the clouds, it warmed up quickly. Weather conditions became the major topic of conversation on and around the bus, as we tried to decide what to wear for the race. At least it took our minds off of the Newton Hills!

Delaware Sports Club bus

More trips across the street to the big Porta-Potty filled parking lot helped me finalize plans to wear my singlet and gloves. This turned out to be a good decision, as some people were warm in long sleeve shirts. As the time clicked closer to 11:30, I sat in the bus chewing a Power Bar (Cookies & Cream), sipping Gatorade, taking one Advil, and downing a 2 ounce bottle of “5-hour Energy” (8333% vitamin B12, 2000% vitamin B6).

Final gear check (2 Power Gels and plenty of tissues in my Race Ready shorts), photos, and of course, that final trip to the potty! I arrived in my corral at 11:45, wearing lucky bib #7774.  The National Anthem was  funny, with the singer and the mighty Hopkinton HS band totally out of sync with each other. But a fly-by of 2 fighter jets re-instilled our feeling of pride.

Everyone knows that the key to Boston is to not go out too quickly on the initial several miles of downhill. My pace was controlled as I tried to keep it a reasonable amount under 8:00 per mile. It was cool, but the morning wind had died down and the remaining cloud cover shielded us from the midday sun. I did the usual high-fiving of kids and sometimes a wave to acknowledge the many men, women and children who called out my name. If you ask me, wearing your name on your shirt is worth at least a few minutes of your final time from the constant support from the crowd.

Good pace!
By the halfway split, I was pleased to be right on target (1:37:38 chip time) and feeling good. From that point on, things actually went better than expected, starting with the Wellesley girls sounding evenlouder than last year. After getting a whole lotta love there (slapping about 200 hands), I braced myself for the Newton Hills.

Ray runs Boston

Taking a Power Gel at mile 14 was a good idea, and getting a few gulps of Gatorade at each station helped my legs feel strong through the hills. By the time I crested Heartbreak, I was optimistic about shooting for 3:30, my goal for the past year. It only took the first 100 yards of downhill near mile 21 for me to smile. I still had legs! In 2005, this was the point where I found my legs to be stiff, preventing me from maintaining proper form. Then, I could only finish. this time, I could run!

Victory lap?
With the Citgo sign in my rear view mirror, the home stretch on Boylston Street was triumphant! The walk back to the bus was more enjoyable than last year.  Yogurt drink, chips, banana, water, energy bar, and finally a beer from the bus cooler. Yeah! Congratulate and be congratulated. Stretch, walk, sit. It had been warm and sunny at the finish, but the bus seemed to be parked in the coolest, windiest spot in town.

Marathon Man

The next day, I knew that I’d want to grab a Wilmington News Journal on the way home from the airport, but I was totally shocked to see myself front-and-center in an AP photo on the front page of the Sports section!