Sunday, April 24, 2011

Boston Marathon 2011

Here's our race recap from Monday! I know we've been a little slow with things lately, but we've got a lot going on! With the wedding planning, honeymoon planning, Ryan finishing up another semester of his Masters, and keeping busy at work and all, the blogging has definitely been lax lately. But here we go . . . 

So we got to Boston Common around 6:30am or so, before the big crowds hit. There was a line, but nothing too long. Tall Mom (HERE), Ryan and I waited in line together and got on a bus around 7am. The ride seemed reallllly long, and after getting off the bus and strolling around the Athletes Village to find a good Port-a-Potty, we hunkered down by a Gatorade tent to wait. We ran into Steph (HERE) and we all waited together. As all the Wave 2 people were getting called, we said goodbye to Ryan and took off towards the start line. Ryan and Wave 3 followed shortly after. 

Bethany:
After making a quick pit stop on the way to the start line, Tall Mom and I got into our corral with 13 seconds to spare. The run started, I felt great, and I was figuring I'd finish somewhere between 3:40 and 3:45, I knew I wasn't in shape for anything faster than 3:40, so I settled in around 8:25 pace. I did not wear my Garmin, and I didn't even pay attention to the mile markers, pretty much running based on how I felt. The sun felt warm, but it felt good. Everything went pretty smoothly, I kissed two girls in Wellesley (making sure to kiss only the girls with the 'I'm Gay' signs, not wanting to make anyone feel uncomfortable). Then at mile 15, I sat down, took my shoes off, put some Vaseline on my feet, and then I just kept running til the end. That was the only point where I stopped running. I did have the OneGoodEarBud music going in my left ear. If you haven't checked out OneGoodEarBud, you should check them out (HERE). For the last three miles, I kept replaying the same song over and over again (Lupe Fiasco 'The Show Goes On'), not sure why, I just liked the beat, and it felt right for the moment. I saw some of my friends spectating on the course at mile 25. My favorite part about the race was my "I <3 Ryan" sharpie-tattoo on my right arm. I crossed the finish line in 3:42:22, and felt fabulous. It was one of the most fun marathons I've run in a while, and definitely the most spectators I've ever seen along the Boston course. 

Ryan:
So I didn't really have much expectation going into this race. I had been dealing with some calf issues leading up to it, so I wasn't putting too much pressure on myself. I just wanted to finish with no calf pain. That's all. So I started out pretty conservatively, not trying to push the calf too hard. The first thing I noticed on the course was the MASSIVE amount of spectators. Definitely the most I've ever seen. The first few miles were really nerve-wracking for me, because I kept expecting my calf to start bothering me. It definitely became a real mental thing for me. Even though I hadn't really had calf pain in like a month, I kept EXPECTING it, and it was playing games with my brain. Anyway, as the miles ticked away, I had no calf pain, but still kept going just nice and easy, not pushing it, even walking some uphills so as to not overstress the calf. Things were going great, I kept getting more and more confident with each mile. I started REALLY having fun with things at mile 13. I stopped and kissed four lovely Wellesley girls. That was fun :). I think that's a new record amongst our track club. I met a friend at about mile 16, and she ran with me for about 2 miles. She's great, and she's also my massage therapist, who helped me work out some of my calf issues before, so seeing her and running with her for a bit was fun. She had just run a 7-hr ultra the day before, so she's crazy for coming out and running with me.

Then I got to my favorite part of the race. I had known there would be a beer stop somewhere around mile 20. I was running along, when I had heard a yell from behind me "Who's going to have the 31st beer of the Boston Marathon?" So I stopped in my tracks, and immediately turned around and ran back and snagged not one, but two beers. YUM! I loved it, and the spectators got a kick out of it too. So I toasted to the spectators, pounded my beers, and took off running up Heartbreak. The rest of the race felt like a victory lap, I took it all in, high-fiving all the crazy BC kids. I would encourage their craziness and give them the hardest high-fives I possibly could. It was great. I loved it. Coming down Boylston, I saw my old apartment (right at mile 26), and my old roommate who still lives there, so that was cool too. I then saw my brother who was waiting at like mile 26.1, and he was going crazy too. I then crossed the finish line in 4:35:49, and feeling like a million bucks. While my marathon times have definitely gotten much slower, I've definitely switched to an ultra-mindset. 26.2 miles just doesn't seem that far, and the whole day I was just thinking, hopefully if I'm lucky, in the next couple years, I'll be running 4 times this far. Puts things in perspective. 

Anyway, the day was great, hanging with Tall Mom and Bethany, two of the coolest bloggers I know, was a blast. We got our celebratory milkshakes after the race, some random dude on the street gave me pizza (yes, I ate pizza from a stranger), and then we all celebrated with pad thai and beer (except Bethany, who dislikes beer).

Here are some pics from the day:
Engagement Re-enactment in Hopkinton :)

Finish Line Photo (day before the race)

Post-Race Reunion

Ryan and Josh Cox (American Record Holder in the 50k, 2:43:45)

Next post, we'll recap the day that Ryan met and ran with his running idol!


28 comments:

Karen Seal said...

Awesome job! Loved the recap and can't wait for more! Your beer at mile 20 made me laugh! :0)

Jen said...

Love it... awesome! I am dreaming of Boston... not sure I will ever make it though.

Anonymous said...

congrats to the both of you! @ ryan: i took a beer stop too, although i think mine was later? those bc kids were the best!

Zaneta @ Runner's Luck said...

awesome recap!! Sounds like you both had a blast running Boston! :D

Stacie said...

Congrats!!!! You guys are awesome. It's so great that you share this together.

Kerrie said...

You two are so fun! Love reading the recap from both perspectives!

Rose said...

Congrats guys! Love the pics!

Teamarcia said...

Awww congrats you two! Sounds like you both had a relaxed, fun race. Perfect!

Jennifer said...

Yea! You guys look fabulous and what super great races for both of you. There really is something to just relaxing and keeping the mind easy, when that happens the body will follow! Congrats and a great race report!

Denise said...

great job, guys! so nice meeting you, too. i'm sure i'll be back there some day, it was so much fun!

fancy nancy said...

Great job guys!!! I love your recaps!! It shows how much fun you both had!!!

Mary Nevin said...

love that you both kissed the wellesley girls!!! you both truly embody the joy that running brings! my fellow and i are training for our first race together and your blog is just wonderful, such inspiration in the process!! hope you guys had a great weekend and i look forward to following your adventures!

Laura said...

Thanks for sharing...I have loved reading all of the Boston recaps!

Marlene said...

You guys are the CUTEST! I can't wait to meet you one of these days.

Congratulations to you both! I love that you had so much fun with it - best way to do it!

Jen Feeny said...

Helluva race for both of you knowing how crazy busy you've both been. Can I please have even one of your less than perfect training races?!?!? Please?!?!? Love the engagement reenactment, you're too cute!

Running and living said...

Congrats to both! And Bethany, looks like little training is agreeing with you:)

Richelle said...

Congrats you guys! Good luck with all the last-minute wedding stuff!

Amanda said...

You are both absolutely amazing! It sounds like you both had some absolutely fabulous moments during this race and thoroughly enjoyed yourselves...something I highly recommend - smiling during a race :)!

GREAT JOB!!!

Suzy said...

It sounds like you both had a great race. Thanks for the link to One Good Earbud...I passed it on to my hubby because he always runs with only one bud in and has troubles with the other. Congrats again!

Aron said...

Congrats to you both on GREAT marathon finishes!!!

It was so fun to meet you on the street randomly :)

N.D. said...

I love the pictures, esp the re-enactment. Congratulations!!!

Jim ... 50after40 said...

AWESOME JOB GUYS!!! I can't wait to hear more ... what a wonderful day in Boston! Great pics too!

Unknown said...

FUN report, I loved reading this. OMG, one month and you're married!!! I bet you can't wait!! I'll see you in June for sure!!

Emz said...

awesome.
love
the photos!!

Boston is amazing.

GREAT JOB!

Jess @ Blonde Ponytail said...

Great pictures!!! What an amazing experience!!! I love reading about all of the Boston runners--so inspirational!!

Johann said...

Well done both of you! You did great! You both ran the marathon the way I like to run races. Just relax and have fun! You just ran faster than I do currently. That’s what happens if you do run 4 times longer than this at times…:) Happy wedding planning! Oh yes, the flag of friendship has started its journey. Updates very soon.

Lisa said...

Hi - thanks for your comment on my blog. How cute is your blog and are you and your hubby? Seriously adorable!!! I'm glad you checked out my blog, I hope you'll continue to stop by.
-Wells L
mystorychapter2.blogspot.com

Zaneta @ Runner's Luck said...

hey bethany!
I just wanted to leave you a quick comment... I sent you an email... but i dont know if it went thru or not lol... i got your post :) So excited to post it next week! :D Also....
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Less than 1 month?! eek!! so exciting!! Can't wait to see pictures!! You're going to be a beautiful bride!! :) Are you and Ryan going to run down the aisle since your love is on the run? ;) haha... ok, lame joke... ;)