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| Women's Pro Start |
Everything about the professional field experience was unreal: the official uniform and shoe checks where my shoes got a Boston126 stamp, the bottle drop where Olympic bronze medalist Molly Seidel showed up with her bottles in an Easter basket with a stuffed rabbit, the technical meeting where Olympians Des Linden and Jake Riley sat right behind us, the photo with Olympian Jared Ward. The tunnel of screaming fans as we walked to the bus, the bus ride where I sat across from Molly Seidel and her coach Jon Green, the chat with Molly on the way into the indoor staging area (which was televised!), the staging area where I sat right next to Jake Riley, seeing Ababel Yeshaneh fixing her hair in the bathroom, sitting in the warmest room in the pre-race area with Steph and Ben Bruce, Molly Seidel, Malindi Elmore, and many more. Warming up with nearly every other professional in the race back and forth on a 200 m stretch of road (I linked with many on Strava!), seeing top athletes from other countries in person (eventual winner Peres Jepchirchir, Britian's Charlotte Purdue, icon Edna Kipligat), seeing Sarah Vaughn do drills, walking to the starting line right by eventual top American Nell Rojas, feeling the pre-race tension, standing behind several of the top contenders, and smiling at the television cameras.
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| Making my way to the start right in front of Nell Rojas |
The race course was lined with spectators and the whole area came alive with marathon magic before, during, and after the race. Everyone in the city makes each and every marathoner feel like a star. I've never experienced anything quite like this, and I was also blessed to share the trip with two of my local running buddies Amy and Colin, and my pro start BFF Jennifer. In Boston I was able to connect with numerous other runners I know from across the country, and to represent rabbit on an international stage. Colin ran an impeccably paced race and came away with a new PR of 2:48, and Amy nailed her 10th consecutive Boston in 3:32, a time she was happy with - I coach them both so had victories through their performances.
Something I am really good at is having terrible timing! After being 100% healthy all winter and for my entire Boston training cycle I got pretty sick and weak 6 days before the race. These circumstances gave me three choices for the race itself: DNS, DNF, or struggle in for a much slower marathon time than I’d trained for. I chose the latter and made it in in 3:13:01. I have no regrets about my decision, but I was devastated to be unable to show my fitness, to end my sub-3:00 streak at 14 consecutive, and to run 27 minutes slower than my seed time. In general professional runners DNS when they are ill and DNF when they are going to run significantly slower than they are capable of, but those choices weren’t for me. I preferred to fight for my finish, and I did all I could in my weakened state, while at the same time feeling embarrassed it wasn't more.
While I wanted more from the race itself, the trip was priceless with memories that will last a lifetime. Would I remember it all more fondly if I'd run a time in the 2:40s? Definitely. But I suspect that when I'm 90 I will remember the laughs, bonds, and moments with friends more than the time on the clock. That isn't to say I'm not coming back for a faster marathon in the fall!
As I went into the race feeling weak, puny, and doubtful, I mainly kept thinking, "Good thing I love the training process and trust God’s timing, eh?"
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My dad's video of the television coverage of me walking from the pro bus to the indoor staging area is here.
My dad's video of the television footage of the start is here; my parents' commentary is truly priceless.
A women's race recap video with an appearance from me at the start is here - I think I had the biggest smile!
The list of the entire pro field that I got to nerd out seeing is here.
Details:
- Final taper week
- Expo and such
- Professional uniform and shoe checks
- Professional bottle drop
- Professional technical meeting
- Race morning meeting and bus ride
- Race morning staging area
- Race morning warm up and walk to the start
- Race details
- Professional post-race area
- Touristy things, other escapades, and travel
- The aftermath
All of this sounds amazing!
ReplyDeleteI've been listening to podcasts with some of the top pro runners after the race, and hearing them describe things like the technical meeting, pre-race area, uniform checks, etc. has been so exciting..."I was there!" Also one mentioned she wasn't sure where the exact finish line was; it would be confusing if they hadn't explained it and shown multiple slides on it during the technical meeting. I know who wasn't listening, hahaha!
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