Boston: Race Morning Warm Up & Walk to the Start

The pro field had a short area of road to warm up on in addition to the church parking lot. Everyone ran back and forth on that ~200 m long stretch of road. I joined in and my run linked with many of theirs on Strava! It was great to see the best in the world running 8:00-9:00 pace, and due to the back and forth nature of the short road, I got to see everyone who was out there. Many people then did drills and strides in the parking lot. I felt weak on my warm up, which didn't inspire confidence, but I've had ugh warm ups before fantastic races before so I didn't give up yet.

The men's pro start was at 9:37 a.m., so I got to see the men's field gathering by the door, dropping their bags, and heading out before it was our turn. I changed into my race shoes, and my left felt like it had something wrong with the insole. I didn't think I had time to take it off, but I noticed most others weren't ready, so I did and found 4 safety pins inside! I was really glad I took the time to check and didn't race on those to add to my problems.

The walk out

The women's pro start was at 9:45 a.m. and we were taken out about 10 minutes before the gun. I ended up walking out right in front of Nell Rojas, who went on to place top American woman in the race. We were able to do a few strides and to take it all in. The crowds were cheering and it was amazing to be a part of that star-studded field. The past winners and Olympic gold medalists were announced, but announcements were kept to a minimum - listing the accomplishments of everyone in that field would have taken all day. We lined up where ever we wanted, which surprised me; I expected to be assigned spots. I got in the back on one side, but it was only 2-3 deep and I was behind some of the top Kenyans, getting me on TV! 

Picture of the television coverage from a friend

I basically just stood there with a huge smile on my face the entire time. Several people told me my two buns hairstyle made it easy to spot me, so I was glad I went with that one!

The story continues here.