Marathon Recap

The Marathon weekend has come and gone with spectacular highs and some challenging moments. My son was home sick on Friday with a stomach virus (yes, you can guess where this is going and be fairly accurate). I spent the first half of the day with him before heading to Hynes Convention Center to pick up my race number and bag.

On Sunday, I had the pleasure of photographing the BAA Invitational mile. What a fantastic set of races from the middle school 1000 meters through the professional mile! Absolutely inspiring performances! I was also happy to get great shots of many of the races and of Sara Hall.

Sunday evening was spent eating the traditional pre-race pasta and sauce with Carolyn, Speedy and Lydia, my fantastic mother-in-law. I had forgotten just how long it takes to prep your bag for race morning - shorts, singlet, timing chip, food for the bus, IPOD, Bodyglide, band aids and the list goes on.

Monday's wake up time was 4:30am so that I could be at the bus to Hopkinton by 5:40. I rode out with my running club, the Somerville Road Runners so that I could have a seat that was more comfortable than a school bus and a bathroom! That bathroom was key.

Race morning is fairly boring. We sat on the bus in Hopkinton all feeling fairly nervous from 7am until around 9:45. Our wave kicked off at 10:30 on the nose. The first miles are always slow as the pack is so close together. Things don't loosen up until mile 5 or so.

At mile 7 it began to dawn on me that the digestive problems I had on the bus were only the beginning and that Speedy had given me the "gift" of his stomach virus and that, yes, it was hitting on race day. I will spare you the details except to say that I barfed at mile 7, waved the medical personnel off (who looked at me like I was nuts) and kept running. My stomach was at war with my goals the entire day but I kept moving toward Boston.

After Heartbreak Hill, it became clear that taking fluids in was the wrong choice. I knew I was dehydrated but the gatorade and water were making my stomach problems worse. I managed to see family and friends at Mile 22 and then another set of friends just before entering Kenmore Square. I so badly wanted to curl up on the sidewalk in a sunbeam but kept reeling in the Citco sign instead knowing that MBHP staff would give me hell if I dropped out (not to mention what clients who found out would say!)

The race ended well - off pace considerably (4hrs 25 minutes) but a 28 minute personal record despite the "gift". With the support of a fantastic community I raised just over $12,000 for Metropolitan Boston Housing Partnership which beats setting a new marathon PR any day of the week!

Thanks to everyone for reading, giving, hosting events, and following along with the marathon on race day. I have already registered for the Marine Corps Marathon this fall in Washington, DC so check back in later to find out how training is going. In the meantime, I'm going to step back, rest and celebrate the moment!

Jesse