Am I ready to talk about Boston? Probably not. But if I don’t do it now, then it will get more difficult to rehash the run as time passes.
It wasn’t my best run. In fact, dare I say, it was my worst, and one that I’d like to put on the back burner. I should have done much better for this marathon. Some might call me an ingrate for even talking about the Boston Marathon in such terms. I mean, I did run the Boston Marathon, after all. I know that there are so many runners out there who spend a lifetime just working to qualify for the race. Perhaps then, I am an ingrate.
But, I have, and I always will, judge myself harshly when I don’t perform the way I want to perform. I could blame it on the weather, or, I could blame it on the fact that I wasn’t smart about the weather. In either case, this race should have been another qualifying marathon for me. I missed it by minutes, and if I hadn’t have done all of the walking that I did, it would have been.
I knew by mile 8 that I was screwed.
Let’s start at the beginning of the voyage.
It was a stressful event to begin with, as we had some timing issues at home that played into whether I’d be going alone or with my husband. Plus, in order to get the free companion ticket on Delta, we’d have to fly in on Sunday, the day before the marathon, rather than Saturday. But in hindsight, I prefered this. It gave me less time to stew about the run beforehand, as we aimlessly wandered the city finding things to do that wouldn’t directly affect my running performance. I added on a few days after the marathon so that we could spend post marathon time enjoying ourselves instead of being stressed beforehand. In that respect, this decision turned out to be a good one. It did mean less time at the expo, but my husband dreads them. And he was a real good egg this year, remembering to snap my photo anytime he could knowing how much they mean to me.
We arrived in Boston with just enough time to figure out the Metro system, get a direct bus to Copley Square, wheel our luggage to the hotel, then backtrack to the Convention Center for my race bib, and the expo events.
Afterward, we searched for a liquor store so my husband could have some beer when we arrived back at the hotel. I also picked up a jug of water so I could mix up my morning concoctions as well as my hydration for the race.
They had a room for us when we arrived, but it was right next to the elevator, and my husband insisted that I change it. Unfortunately, they didn’t have any other rooms available but promised me one when we arrived back from the expo. They had one as promised, and it was a much nicer room, but half of the electrical outlets weren’t working and he couldn’t power up the refrigerator to chill his beer.
We sat around the room and waited for maintenance to arrive, and in the meantime my husband used a garbage pail filled with ice to give his beer a head start. I, on the other hand, began to panic around the weather. The meteorologists in the area just couldn’t come to agreement on the exact timing of anything. It was worrisome and frustrating. I could just tell myself “whatever will be, will be” and that I would adjust, as I always do.
After maintenance came and installed a makeshift substitute in the form of a giant extension cord, we hobbled off for some dinner.
The prices in Boston are insane and this put so much stress on both of us. $15 for an appetizer? $22 for a burger and fries? How would we make it until Wednesday? I suggested we just go to the local Trader Joes and get some sandwiches and salads, but the lines were soooooo long. We ended up hiking back to the hotel and just getting a few appetizers at the bar. This was my first mistake. It was nothing that I ordered, so to speak, it was what I didn’t order. I likely didn’t eat enough before this marathon to begin with. Not so smart.
We headed back upstairs and I got ready for bed, still trying to make last minute clothing decisions. I brought with me every kind of running clothes for every kind of weather. It wasn’t that I didn’t have the right apparel with me, I just couldn’t narrow down what was the correct choice. I did, however, know which sneakers I was running in. And, I attached my custom Charmed Running name strip to my race bib.
BUT, my running group sent along with me a package of inspiration to be opened Sunday night. I am SO blessed to have such wonderful support from my friends! And the messages gave me peace.
Off to bed, and surprisingly for me, a great night’s sleep as well.
We awoke to pouring rain.
Part 2 coming soon…