Running • Page 104

Pretty much. As long as nothing major tore (which I don’t think it did), it’s just a “let it heal with help” minor injury. I’m just already itching to be moving again.

 

I've been bad about this myself in the past, but taking at least a week off after a marathon is a smart thing to do in any situation. Your legs take such a beating and they need time to heal. I'm trying to remind myself of this right now for my post-Boston week, since I'm sure I'm going to want to get back out there and start training toward my next marathon. Sometimes, rest is just better for your fitness than miles.

 

Yup. This week I've done three very slow walks on the treadmill for blood flow/"flushing" and two days of gentle stretching with nothing else. I can feel it paying dividends.

 

I've been trying to nail this feeling down, so asking y'all if you've felt this way.

After my first marathon, I crossed the finish line and was like "wait, that's it?" This time, I crossed the finish line and it was "THAT'S IT!" Does that make sense? I feel like I crossed joyfully (despite looking angry, haha) this time. I didn't feel an ounce of pride after my first... I can't like shut up about how great I feel about this one this week.

 

I was so wiped out after my first one, and pretty disappointed at how much I fell apart in the last eight miles, so I know exactly what you mean. The second one, I felt like a totally different runner. Still completely drained when I crossed the finish line, but way more elated by the entire experience.

 

Based on your recent posts, it seems like you achieved a difficult personal goal and paid the physical price of being tired/sore. Just seems like you are a more confident marathoner and knew what to push and when, compared to a first marathon that may have been dialed back or more reserved. So the feeling seems like accomplishment to me. Congrats btw.

 

Down to the mile, this is it, haha. I cramped so hard at mile 18 on the first one that I had to run/walk the rest of the way. Besides one 40 second hamstring stretch on this one, I ran the whole time.

Yeah. I went out way too hard on my first, too. Ran a 2:02 first half followed by a 2:46 second as opposed to this time it was a 1:55 and a 2:03. Maybe I can evenly split my next! Thanks.


I think I'm also in a wildly different headspace than I was back in Nov. 2021 because of *gestures at the world*. Never really thought running would be the thing that kinda allowed my brain to process and make sense of the world. But here we are.

 

Good luck, Craig! Looking great so far!

 

Looks like he should be finishing in 20 minutes

 

The other guy I know running Boston is about four minutes ahead of Craig. They were nearly identical through the first half. Would’ve been nuts if by chance they finished together.

 

Really nice race, Craig!

 

Thanks guys! It was brutal out there today; felt way hotter than I expected from the jump, and just about everyone I talked to suffered greatly in the last 6-8 miles. I wasn't sure I was going to make it to the finish line, but I'm glad I did. Even a slower Boston Marathon than I wanted is still the Boston Marathon.

 

1st - congrats!

Absolutely no rush on doing this, you’ve got a lot going on, but would be very curious to hear your thoughts on all the logistics of the event. Reading about how much time people are stuck in corrals and/or how you have to get to the corrals sooooo many hours in advance for the major races sounds so terrible and anxiety filled.

 

The logistics of it definitely did not help me. I was in corral 1 of wave 1 and still started at 10am, so it was already plenty hot by then. Later waves would have been even tougher. The long wait between wakeup (I got up at 5:30 to get on the bus) and go time is also really challenging. Hard to conserve energy, keep yourself from crashing because you lose that race day excitement/adrenaline, eat enough, drink enough, etc. I had some wicked stomach issues that I attribute to the odd timeline.

I tried to just rest as much as possible throughout the morning. Wasn't super talkative on the bus, then basically made myself a campsite at the athletes' village and dozed for an hour or so. As far as being stuck in corrals goes, that part actually flew by. My wave left the athletes' village at 9:15, then it's almost a mile to the start. There are some restrooms along the way, and places to dump your extra clothes that you wore to stay warm that morning. I was probably lined up at the start around 9:35. More time than I'd like to be standing in one place before the run, but I don't think that's what broke me today. (Though, that was when it dawned on me how hot the sun was feeling this morning...)

Anyway, definitely something where I think there's a learning curve of figuring out your own do's and don'ts. That's true of any pre-race situation, but this was unlike anything I've ever experienced, so I didn't have a baseline to go off of.

 

Yeah… some of the stories I’ve heard of the NYC corral waiting times is nuts. Not even having started and the winner is already done/watching the sun set as you’re finishing. Can’t even imagine that sort of mind trap on a day.

 

It's totally a hazard of racing the majors. There are just so. many. f-ing. people! Today would have been a totally different story for so many runners if the race started at 7 or 8 instead of 10, but then you're trying to bus 30,000+ people out to the start at like 4 in the morning...

 

The one I’m doing in DC apparently has 50k runners so… I’ll report back on that one in October. I should start investigating more before agreeing to do something with a buddy.

 

It’s probably changed a lot since he last ran it, but my dad has enjoyed his Marine Corps experiences.

 

Despite the despair I felt at many points in this race, at least I look fucking ripped in the pictures.

 

hell yeah

 

I didn't share this one in here, but it's pretty much the only race photo I've ever not instantly hated. New goal: get as lean-ripped as Craig.

 

This is such a great photo and you look way happier than I think I have ever looked during a race.

 

I saw it and I was like “where’s my Oscar because the joy on my face is… 300% not what I was feeling here”

 

LOL, that's often the case. Where in the race was this?

 

25.3. Just after I had to come to a complete stop and stretch my quads. I was in full panic "I'm extremely close to losing sub-4" here.