The long run

A lot of people have been asking me about the Boston Marathon, and so I suppose now would be a good a time as any (actually a month ago might have been better) to post something.

Boston was awesome. Not the first time I'd been there. I lived there for almost a year. Lynn and I had done the tourist thing already and we wanted to move on to what the locals do, which is to dine around town. And that we did. Ate very well at nice restaurants, which all cost a ton. If you're in Beantown, make sure to get the 5 day subway pass. We didn't read the fine print on how to get one until the last day and we were the poorer for it. Anyway, that's the non-race stuff.

The weather for the race was as close to perfect as you could hope for. The temp was around 55-65, which is great for running. The rain held off. The wind wasn't a factor. Boston, unlike most marathons, is a straight shot from west to east. The wind usually blows off the ocean in your face. This year it did, but not much. My health was great. I'd been getting leg pains all spring, and there was that back pain from last fall. Neither made an appearance before, during or after the race. I ran a pretty consistent pace until around the upper teens, then I started to slow down. I did all 26.2 without stopping for a walk, which is a first for me. I got my 2nd best time overall. Not too bad.

I can't say enough great things about the fans in Boston. They were totally into it the whole way through. At Wellesley, there were 3000 screaming co-eds with signs like "Kiss me, I'm a senior!" "Kiss me, I'm Asian!" "Kiss me, I'm an Engineering major!"

Let me fill you in on the trip. We went with two other couples. The three guys were running, and the wives were the cheering section. After the race, one of the guys admitted to taking one of the Wellesley girls up on her offer and gave a kiss. The other admitted to "a few". So suddenly everyone's eyes are on me. "What? I didn't want to break my stride." Plausible deniability is awesome.

As wild as Wellesley was, Boston College was even crazier. The guys were all looking to give me 5 as I passed by. And after 3000 ladies, I noticed how much rougher guys like the high five. I just about broke my wrist.

With each marathon that I do (this is #5, and 3 halfs), I recover faster. So I sat down for a few minutes afterwards, and then I was able to walk - with only minor difficulty - around town. I was eager to get to the nearest bar. Other marathons start early in the morning so that traffic can get back on the road as fast as possible. Not Boston. It starts late morning and goes through the afternoon. This is a big, main event for the city. They shut down the schools. We stole their schoolbusses anyway. We usurp the streets. We shut down businesses. It's a whole honkin' big deal. So when I finished and we re-assembled the team, it was around 3:00. And I hadn't had a drink since New Year's Eve. So yeah, I was eager.

One thing that I noticed about Boston. They had a lot of bars, but NO liquor stores. What's up with that?? We searched the town, and came up empty. On mile 23, I saw one, but I wasn't carrying cash, y'know? And, of course, I wouldn't break my stride. But, I really could have used a bottle of cheap champagne right after I crossed.

Anyway, future plans? I'm doing local 10ks and 5ks. I'm getting in only 50mi/week, but I'm faster than when I was doing long distance training. Lynn says no more marathons and definitely not Boston. I'm taking at least a year off. Maybe I'll do the Lexington half and/or Louisville half. I can make another try in 2012 for a full marathon, but that's a long way off.Well, that's about all I have to say on the race. Thanks for following along.