This morning the 113th Boston Marathon took place. Congratulations to the winners, Deriba Merga of Ethopia who finished in 2:08:42 and Salina Kosgei of Kenia who finished in 2:32:16. Our very own Kara Goucher and Ryan Hall came in 3rd with a finish time of 2:32:25 and 2:09:40 respectively.

It has been three years since I ran Boston and to this day it remains my most favorite race. Of all the marathons I have run this is the only one I can remember mile by mile. Anyone who has run with me knows that I totally zone out on long runs. I have been known to pass water stops that I myself had put out before a long run. While training for Pier to Peak one year my friends who were responsible to put out the water that morning placed a brightly dressed up bowling pin on the side of the road to mark the water stop for me. I ran right by it…

But when I came to Boston I was determined to take in the race. It had taken me three marathons to get there and I was not going to just let it pass me by. Boston is a happening place during marathon weekend and the atmosphere alone is something every runner should experience at some point in their life. The air is literally charged with excitement. Three of my best friends, including my coach, had also qualified and we all had our families with us. Our pre race dinner took place in restaurant in North End, Boston’s Italian Quarter, where the owner served us a family style feast that prepped us well for next day’s event. 

The next morning Hubby drove us all out to the start in Hopkinton. It was definitely a special feeling being in the presence of runners who we knew had to have run a previous race fast enough to qualify. And all of us knew what that entailed. According to a recent article in Runner’s World only 10% of American marathoners qualify for Boston and as any serious marathoner can tell you, it is a sought after goal. So yes, we did feel special.

Boston is a mostly downhill course and if you think that this would make running 26.2 miles easier you are quite mistaken. Training in Santa Barbara we are used to hilly terrain and at first the downhill seems to be favorable. By mile 14 I had changed my mind however when I had a felling that my quads were separating from my femurs. Any time you read about the Boston Marathon, the Newton Hills are being mentioned. Well, I could not wait to hit some uphill stretches!!! At Heartbreak Hill I wanted to lean down and kiss the road but I had gone over it before I could fully enjoy it. 

Turning the corner onto Boylston Street and seeing the finish line in the distance was one of the most breathtaking moments of my life. Thousands of people were lining those last few yards to the finish line, cheering and waving their flags and it was absolutely mesmerizing. My goal had been to run finish in a time that would qualify me again and I had made it.

I have not run Boston since mainly because of all the other races I would like to run, but in spirit I will always be in Beantown on this third Monday in April, and one day I will be back!

Today’s Running Tip: Qualifying for Boston!

According to Runner’s World the following races had the highest number of qualifying times: 

Bay State, Lowell, Mass. (34.1%), Oct. 18 
Mohawk-Hudson River, Albany, N. Y. (33.4%), Oct. 11 
Inland Trail, Elyria, Oh. (29.7%), Nov. 1 
Last Chance for Boston, Columbus, Oh. (27.8%), Feb. 14, 2010 
California International, Sacramento (26.6%), Dec. 6 
Tucson (26.2%), Dec. 13 
Newport, Ore. (24.8%), June 5, 2010 
Tallahassee, Fla. (24.6%), Feb. 7, 2010 
Run for the Red, Poconos, Penn. (24.5%), May 16, 2010 
Wineglass, Corning, N. Y. (24.2%), Oct. 4 

(source: Runner’s World May 2009)