The End is Near

Miles to date: 372

I have been awful about updating, so for those of you still reading, thanks for sticking with us.

I have not had much access to the home computer lately as Meghan has been studying for a big test, so I have let this fall to the side a bit. Luckily, my training has been a little more consistent.

Last weekend was the final long run of my training schedule. While the last 20 was originally scheduled for Columbus Day weekend, we made the call to move it back because we all wanted to run the BAA half marathon on 10/10/10.

For the last long run we (Roger, Steff and I) tackled the first 20 miles of the Boston Marathon Course. Meghan was kind enough to drive us out to Hopkinton and we embarked on our journey. The Boston marathon follows a beautiful course starting in Hopkinton and winds through Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley and Newton.


(Notice the statue with the starting gun right behind us)

The first thirteen miles of the run felt great and we held a really strong pace. We stopped for some refreshments in Wellesley center just after the thirteen mile point and that was the beginning of the end for me.

I was able to hold it together for the next few miles but there is a very underrated hill on Route 16, just going over 95 by the Newton/Wellesley Hospital that took an awful lot out of me. Roger and Steff were holding strong and we all managed to keep it together pretty well.

Then came Commonwealth Avenue. As you turn right onto Comm. Ave. from Route 16 you hit the first of the Newton hills (the last being the infamous Heartbreak Hill, which we did not quite get to as it is between miles 20 and 21). I abandoned all hope about halfway up the first hill and took a bit of a walking break. The last two to three miles were absolutely torturous, and took me much longer than I had hoped. Steff, on the other hand, dropped an 8:30 for her last mile, which was MUCH faster than I did.

Regardless, we finished our 20 mile run and it was pretty rewarding. The course was awesome and the weather was great with temperatures in the low to mid 60's and a nice breeze. I imagine the course is a little different on race day with thousands and thousands of people lining the way. I also tend to think I'd have been a little more inspired going through the Wellesley Campus if the legendary Wellesley Scream had been going on. It's something to aspire to.

On a down note, my knee was really hurting me towards the end of the run which gave me some cause for concern.

Last week brought a new pair of shoes into my life, which is always an exciting day. The weather mid-week was fairly awful though as it rained from Monday until Wednesday afternoon. I put in 5 miles on Tuesday morning and a strong 7 on Wednesday despite the damp conditions. Running in the rain did have some negative affects as I ended up with a nasty headcold for the latter portion of the week, leading me to take Thursday and Friday off.

Yesterday was the 10th Annual BAA Half Marathon which is a great race put on by the same people who host the Boston Marathon every year. Needless to say it was an extremely welll organized race and a beautiful day for it. The weather was downright chilly in the morning (about 40 degrees when I left my house to meet Roger at 6:30) and warmed to the low 60's by the end of the race. The temps combined with a beautiful sunny day and a slight breeze created ideal race conditions.

The course has changed since the last time I ran it in 2008, which was my first half marathon ever. The course used to begin near Fenway park and loop out to the Franklin Park Zoo in Jamaica Plain through the Emerald Necklace, which is a series of parks created by Frederick Olmstead in the late 1800's. These parks include the fens, the riverway, the Jamaica Way, the Arnold Arboreatum and the Franklin Park Zoo. The course has been altered to begin in the Zoo and took out the loop around the fens, adding an out and back spur around miles 10-12.

The course was much more challenging then I recall with rolling hills for it's entirety that never allowed you to get fully comfortable. The turnout was incredible with nearly 6,000 people running and an awful lot of runners being part of the Dana-Farber charity which is one of the best causes around.

Roger, Steff and I were joined by some friends and we all ran great times.

I felt good throughout the majority of the race and was on pace to shatter my personal best half time. I struggled to find a good pace early on and bounced from an 8:45 to a 10:00 before finally settling in a little under 9 minute miles for the majority of the race. Around the six mile mark I picked it up quite a bit and was running 8:20 - 8:30 miles, which is just about as fast as I care to go. At the ten mile mark, my knee really started to bother me again (shades of last weeks run) so I eased off quite a bit and dropped closer to a ten minute mile. As much as I would have loved to really put up a great time, I can't take the chance on injuring myself at this point and putting the marathon in jeopardy.

I finished in 1:58, which is still my best by about three minutes. All in all, a great race and a great day (the kick-ass shirt given out post-race certainly didn't hurt).

The team headed over to the Dogwood Cafe in JP for some post-race pizza and beer. Many thanks to them for their hospitality and excellent food.

We are entering the tapering phase now. I get to throttle down quite a bit and let my body recuperate from the past few months. It's three weeks until D-Day. Get excited.