Being the long winded person I am here is my Boston story.
I guess it starts with qualifying. I was fortunate to have a couple options here and naturally I used my fastest time which was also my PR from MCM 2002. That's one nice thing about running and qualifying in a marathon that is in the six months preceding Boston; you can use a qualifying time twice. So I had the prestige of a relatively low number (4048).
I flew to Boston on Sunday arriving at about 1 o'clock and headed directly for the Expo. Got my bib number and put it in my carry on bag that I was lugging around. This turned out to be important later. I wandered around the expo for a while. Got my HRM repaired. Was going to buy shoes but they were out of my size. Saw Maureen and Chuck, Leslie and Pat. Picked up a few sample goodies and put them in my red Boston runners bag which they give you to use for checking your stuff on the way to the start. Checking my watch it was time to head over to the finish line for the meet/greet with all the local folks. Got off the shuttle and started walking towards the T stop and realized, oh no!, I didn't have my runners bag. I tried to flag down my bus but the driver wouldn't stop. After a few moments of indecision on how to proceed, I went back to the expo and started asking around if anyone had turned in a bag. No luck. But they did give me a new bag and I had my bib (and my own chip) so it was more annoying than serious. Senior moments, arghhh. In any case I got back on the shuttle knowing I was now too late to expect anyone to be at the finish line. Got to the drop off spot and there was the earlier bus. So I asked the driver about a bag and was told that a bag had been found and turned in. So out of pure compulsiveness, I decided to go back yet a 3rd time to the expo just in case I had stuffed anything really important into that bag. Got over to expo and was told where to ask for the bag (same place I had been before). They said, no bag. I said Huh? I went back to the supv outside who had said they took my bag inside. We went in together and finally was told that upon looking in my lost bag, they found nothing identifiable and so they returned it to be given to another runner. Oh well. Sorry I missed everyone at the finish line.
Time to head for the Hostel. Checked in and promptly left. Dinner time. Got off the T at govt center and started following the line to the end for dinner but I didn't get very far before coming across KevinK and family, JimA and Theo so I shamelessly cut in line with them. Had dinner including 2 glass of Harpoon IPA and headed back to the Hostel stopping at the Westin to try to contact Todd about plans for the morning. Todd didn't answer his phone when I first got there but I hung out in the lobby after being told by a waitress in the bar that I couldn't hang out in there unless I bought something (down right unfriendly I'd say). Chatted briefly with a young lady from the Eastern shore running her 1st Boston and then finally got in touch with Todd and decided to forego our prior plans. So it was finally time to head back to the Hostel but not before stopping at a CVS to get some large bandaids (nipple guards). I was finally all set.
No snorers in my room (I was prepared with earplugs). Got the bus to H'ton in the morning making a new friend on the ride. Met Theo upon disembarking from the bus and found Leslie and everyone else in the tent with no problem. It was actually a little chilly in the tent with the wind whipping through as it was but I had enough warm clothes to be comfortable. 2.5 hours later it was time to head for the start but before that we had gathered a sizable mass of folks from RRers in the tent and had a chance to relax between intervals of waiting in line for a portajohn. Found Anna B at the last moment and then lost most everyone as we departed for the start. Re-found Jim A and Jim B and Dave Wild (from RunWash list) on the way to the start. It was hot. At the village I had tried to drink copiously but not excessively. I wore a singlet and shorts.
Kevin was one corral in front of me, Jim A/B, Nigel, Theo, Doug were one or more corrals behind me. I planned to start slow. From the first water stop on I poured lots of water on my head and drank 1-2 waters, 1-2 gatorade at nearly every stop. I also took one Succeed tablet before starting, 2 more about an hour into the race, one more at 2 hours into the race. Surprisingly, the caps didn't dissolve even though I had only wrapped them in a corner of a baggie. Last year I had made the mistake of not wrapping them up in anything and they were a gooey mess went I went to fish them out of the key pocket of my shorts. Re- the Gatorade, it could have been 20 degrees cooler. Oh well, beggars can't be choosers. At least it wasn't Ultima.
Started relatively slow for me with a couple miles in the 7:45-7:50 range and finishing 4 miles in a little over 31 minutes. It was hot and I knew better than to push the pace. Also, the week before I had gone back over my Boston splits from previous years and discovered that my fastest Boston was the one with the slowest first half. A philosophy to run by! Did I mention it was hot?
So the miles rolled by albeit slowly. Ashland, Coburnville, Framingham, Natick and on to Wellesley which I always look forward to. For those who have never run Boston and heard about the crowds, this is a part of the race where the crowds are sporadic. They are boisterous and numerous in the towns but sparse in the country side between the towns; until about Wellesley at the halfway point. Wellesley is amazing. I don't know what the size of the student body at Wellesley is but they are incredibly enthusiastic and loud. So I dawdled running past the college and got some Wellesley love stopping for a hug once or twice or 3x. It was just before this that I briefly encountered Jimmy B. He had gone past me starting from behind and I surged briefly to catch him. We didn't stick together too long as it turned out as I compulsively run apex to apex and he did not. He was holding form just ahead of me for a while and somewhere after Wellesley I lost him and figured he was ahead of me (wrong). Did the half in about 1:44 which is a little slower than I would have expected on a normal day but did I mention it was hot? It was hot. After Wellesley comes the last "easy" part of the race. Just before mile 16 you run down a long hill and begin the hard part. In the next 5 miles are 4 significant climbs the last one of which is Heartbreak Hill just before mile 21. It's almost all downhill or flat after that. I tried to be steady but I had definitely slowed down. I wanted to avoid 9 minute miles but a few of those snuck in and at 24 miles I walked briefly resulting in a 10 min mile. A glance at my watch told me I was in for another personal worst, the second marathon in a row that would happen. That didn't bother me too much. There was going to be a big asterisk by this time in the record book. Did I mention it was hot? In Brookline while running past a bank, the temp flashed 85 degrees. Ouch. A personal worst was inevitable but there was one number I wanted to beat, W's 3:43.xx in Houston. I didn't have much time to spare. There was a young lady named Tracy that had been surging off and on throughout the race. You hear these names over and over as the crowds pay close attention to any writing such as names that people put on the clothing and call for you. Tracy slowed up and I went by her. I said, "come on, you're strong". Minutes later she passed me. Later she slowed again. I passed her repeating my previous message. We were past the Citgo sign, less than a mile. My pace improved, dramatically. Just enough in fact to run a very low 3:43. I had beaten W's time on a tough day. I saw Tracy at the finish and congratulated her on finishing. I waited for a few minutes to see if any other RRers were about to finish. I didn't wait quite long enough. Todd wasn't too far behind. The other Jims were a bit further back. I didn't know it yet but I had Team Jim braggin rights in spite of my advanced age and (self imposed) weight handicap. Kevin had whupped me again as had Dave Wild and Chuck and about 3400 other people. But I was happy. 6 Bostons in a row! I got my medal and some water and tried to avoid being thrown up on by any runners suffering at the finish. Got my bag, got out my birkenstocks. Saw Todd and Doug, walked to the T and got back to the Hostel for a shower and my (big) bag. Kevin had mentioned at dinner the night before about a Thai place that was just around the corner from the Hostel so since I had a little extra time, I got some Pud Thai. Yum. Back to the T and on the airport. It was crowded and I had to stand with my bags. But at least the T is free on Race Day for runners. Got to the airport stop and got a shuttle to my terminal. The shuttle was not crowded, just a few runners and one or two other folks on the bus. A couple of the runners were still in running clothes presumably having come straight from the race. Someone remarked to one runner that he didn't look good, offered him some water which he reluctantly accepted. And then he threw up several times. Good thing the bus wasn't crowded. I felt bad for him especially since he said his plane was due to leave in 10 minutes. He wasn't likely to make it. Did I mention it was hot that day?
Uneventful flight home and a nice rest, such as a sore-bodied rest after a marathon (or ultra) is. Good to be home in my own bed.