After all of the great advice Coach Jack Fultz (1976 Boston Marathon winner) gave us, I kept these "Jackisms" in mind the day of the marathon:
1. If you think you think you're running too slow, you're probably running too fast.
2. Think of this as a 17 mile training run, and then a 9 mile race.
3. This is your graduation/celebration, enjoy it!
The marathon started in a few waves... first the wheelchair group, then the elite women, elite men/wave 1 and finally wave 2 (us!). SO, all of the other runners had started, and at 10:30 wave 2 was to begin. Walking to the start line was crowded, but nothing like Chicago or NYC... it felt like i was lining up to run a 5k or 10k. There were probably about 10,000 in wave 2, but that is the typical size for the Cincinnati Thanksgiving day race 10k (2009 is the 100th annual!), or the Reggae Run 5k (also in Cincy). Starting in Hopkinton gave it that smaller race feel... i still didn't feel like i was going to be running the Boston Marathon! At about 10:36 we crossed the start line.... and off we went! The 4 of us started together: Deb, Meg, Beth and myself. It was crowded, but nothing t
oo crazy. We paced ourselves and didn't cut in and out of the runners (which can waste energy), we kept is steady. It felt hilly... lots of down hill.. TONS of downhill, and a bit up hill here and there.. next thing ya know we hit mile 1, mile 2, 3, 5K... we were trucking along nicely through slapping hands of the fans as we ran through Ashland... and into Framingham passing where i had dinner that Thursday before. Framingham to me felt like the biggest crowd thus far. Karen P was possibly going to be there on her lunch break around mile 7, i looked and looked and missed her.... these first 10 miles are a bit blurry for me. not being familiar with these towns and this part of the course, it just felt like alot of up and down and windy roads. Continuing with Deb, we bumped into some other runners i was very happy to see- Steve B, Shifter, Tania (and her two friends) and lots of other fellow DFMCers.
Next, I was looking forward to seeing my parents at mile 10 in Natick (pronounced NATE-ICK unlike my parents pronouncing it NAT- ICK all weekend which is actually how it is spelled- typcial for towns all around Boston to pronounce something easy and make it different/difficult!). Natick was very crowded... just past the waterstop up to the left i saw Mom and Dad! Just after i thought i had missed them somehow, i saw them there cheering! Next, off to Wellesley and the notorious Wellesley girl screaming fans! At this point i'm thinking now i'm familiar with the next 16 miles, i have run these miles before. Wellesley seems like a long stretch. As we made it through the wooded parts Deb says " I thought we're supposed to hear the Wellesley girls a mile away". I said, "yah, why can't we hear them yet?" Steve B says..." you will, you will, don't worry!". Just a few minutes later we could hear it off in the distance. Constant screams, as if you're at a NKOTB concert or something... all girls screaming nonstop. As we approach the college the girls are lined up on the right side on the road, lots of signs that say "Kiss a First Year" or "Kiss me I'm Asian" So funny.... there is alot of history with the male runners running up and kissing the girls... you can read more about it here at this Wellesley College article. After Wellesley College and seeing Deb's parents we continue through Wellesley and Wellesley Hills... this seems like a long stretch! I decided I should start looking for a porta-potty. I this point we had been drinking water and Gatorade at almost every stop, i needed to empty my bladder! i just needed to get it taken care of before Newton and the hills. All of them had lines of runners about 8 deep. i didn't want to wait that long... At mile 16 i saw a runner running out of Starbucks! I ran in there... perfect! I think it added on 4 minutes or so... i had to wait for 1 person, but it was worth it- thanks Deb for waiting! Feeling much better, we continued into Newton, passing the Newton Wellesley Hospital and Woodland T stop- where we had many times taken the T on our training runs of last 9 miles back into Boston... WOW, we were almost at Comm Ave!! 9 to go! The 9 i was most familiar with.
At the bottom of Comm ave & the firehouse there were TONS of people! D eb was expecting Matt here to jump in, but before that we saw Ronde with Michelle (Deb's dog and neighbor!). As Matt jumped in to run with us and i said.. "i'm going to get started up this first hill".... and started on up hill #1 (of 3). This was probably the longest hill and most gradual of the 3. I turned back to look and i didn't see them, so i decided to look for Bette and Kelly in the crowd on the left - and there they were, right where they said they would be! A quick hello to them, and another turn looking back and no Deb and Matt... i was hoping all was OK, and figured i just needed to push through these hills/last 9 miles. I had my name on my shirt, so lots of fans were y
elling "Go Anne" and "Thank you Dana Farber!" I always looked over and waived and said thank you! At this point it was getting tough to do that... i had to focus on getting up the hill. But all of these words helped tremendously! The nice thing about these hills is that there is always a downhill that is equal. Thank goodness! I can coast on downhills... just then on the first downhill i saw Stephanie, another DFMC runner. We chatted for a bit and talked about our possible finish times... at this point i realized i was right on target to finish about the same as my PR of 4:27. So that became my goal at around mile 18, to run it at 4:27 or as close to it as possible. Up hill #2 and down again...i began to think about seeing my parents at mile 20- the bottom of heartbreak hill. This is where my Dad planned to jump in and run up the hill with me. Again, just after a waterstop,there they were on the left. I saw my dad take off his jacket and he jumped in! We ran up the hill together. I don't know if it's because my dad distracted me or all of the training on this hill, but heartbreak hill was NOT bad for me! I passed runners and weaved in and out of walkers, i wanted to get up that hill and feel good, and i did it! Even with a bit of talking to my dad... although i preferred not to talk and just listen, i got some words out as i cranked up the hill. Up at the top we coasted down, and just before the Boston College T stop he stopped to meet back with Mom, and he left me to finish the last 6 on my own. However, it wasn't really on my own, i had these fantastic people helping me get there... the cheering spectators! From the bottom of heartbreak hill until the end the course was lined with screaming fans yelling MY name on my shirt... and yelling Go Dana Farber! Plus, I was looking forward to mile 23 and mile 25 where i was to see some friends. Finishing off Comm ave i started to really feel these headwinds they were talking about... the wind whipped through my as I made my turn through Cleveland Circle and onto Beacon St. This is where i was last year cheering on my cousin and friends... which is when i decided i needed to run the Boston Marathon. I came upon the CVS and scanned the crowd the right side... there was Kat, Steve and Ashley screaming my name. it really gives me a burst of energy and excitement... puts a big smile on my face when i see friends! I kept on trucking.... and next Mile 25 is when i needed to see more familiar faces. I started to feel a blister on my right big toe... and thought forget the blister, this is it, i can still make my goal. I pushed and pushed... looking for the address 921 Beacon... and saw Jen, Danielle, Dave and Tom!! They cheered for me too :) giving me the push to get through!! Next thing i know, i'm in Kenmore Square. It felt so OPEN in the middle of this 5 way intersection running through... this was it. I hardly even paid any attention to that darn Citgo si
gn that apparently haunts you those last 2 miles into Kenmore Sq. I was already there! 1.2 miles to go! Finishing Comm Ave, going under that bridge all i could hear was myself and the other runners breathing and our tired feet hitting the pavement. I looked down at my watch. I knew i had about a half mile to go and the final .2 ... i had been running for 4:20 something minutes. This was it, just a few minutes and i would be finished! Running up that little hill and down to the turn onto Hereford... the crowd screaming... it was an amazing experience. Then the final turn onto Boylston... and there it is.. the finish line .2 miles away. I pushed it in there, I surprised myself at how i pushed it.. trying to keep /beat my PR. Finishing at 4:28:11. :) I was a happy girl!!
I completed the 2009 Boston Marathon!
1. If you think you think you're running too slow, you're probably running too fast.
2. Think of this as a 17 mile training run, and then a 9 mile race.
3. This is your graduation/celebration, enjoy it!
The marathon started in a few waves... first the wheelchair group, then the elite women, elite men/wave 1 and finally wave 2 (us!). SO, all of the other runners had started, and at 10:30 wave 2 was to begin. Walking to the start line was crowded, but nothing like Chicago or NYC... it felt like i was lining up to run a 5k or 10k. There were probably about 10,000 in wave 2, but that is the typical size for the Cincinnati Thanksgiving day race 10k (2009 is the 100th annual!), or the Reggae Run 5k (also in Cincy). Starting in Hopkinton gave it that smaller race feel... i still didn't feel like i was going to be running the Boston Marathon! At about 10:36 we crossed the start line.... and off we went! The 4 of us started together: Deb, Meg, Beth and myself. It was crowded, but nothing t
oo crazy. We paced ourselves and didn't cut in and out of the runners (which can waste energy), we kept is steady. It felt hilly... lots of down hill.. TONS of downhill, and a bit up hill here and there.. next thing ya know we hit mile 1, mile 2, 3, 5K... we were trucking along nicely through slapping hands of the fans as we ran through Ashland... and into Framingham passing where i had dinner that Thursday before. Framingham to me felt like the biggest crowd thus far. Karen P was possibly going to be there on her lunch break around mile 7, i looked and looked and missed her.... these first 10 miles are a bit blurry for me. not being familiar with these towns and this part of the course, it just felt like alot of up and down and windy roads. Continuing with Deb, we bumped into some other runners i was very happy to see- Steve B, Shifter, Tania (and her two friends) and lots of other fellow DFMCers.Next, I was looking forward to seeing my parents at mile 10 in Natick (pronounced NATE-ICK unlike my parents pronouncing it NAT- ICK all weekend which is actually how it is spelled- typcial for towns all around Boston to pronounce something easy and make it different/difficult!). Natick was very crowded... just past the waterstop up to the left i saw Mom and Dad! Just after i thought i had missed them somehow, i saw them there cheering! Next, off to Wellesley and the notorious Wellesley girl screaming fans! At this point i'm thinking now i'm familiar with the next 16 miles, i have run these miles before. Wellesley seems like a long stretch. As we made it through the wooded parts Deb says " I thought we're supposed to hear the Wellesley girls a mile away". I said, "yah, why can't we hear them yet?" Steve B says..." you will, you will, don't worry!". Just a few minutes later we could hear it off in the distance. Constant screams, as if you're at a NKOTB concert or something... all girls screaming nonstop. As we approach the college the girls are lined up on the right side on the road, lots of signs that say "Kiss a First Year" or "Kiss me I'm Asian" So funny.... there is alot of history with the male runners running up and kissing the girls... you can read more about it here at this Wellesley College article. After Wellesley College and seeing Deb's parents we continue through Wellesley and Wellesley Hills... this seems like a long stretch! I decided I should start looking for a porta-potty. I this point we had been drinking water and Gatorade at almost every stop, i needed to empty my bladder! i just needed to get it taken care of before Newton and the hills. All of them had lines of runners about 8 deep. i didn't want to wait that long... At mile 16 i saw a runner running out of Starbucks! I ran in there... perfect! I think it added on 4 minutes or so... i had to wait for 1 person, but it was worth it- thanks Deb for waiting! Feeling much better, we continued into Newton, passing the Newton Wellesley Hospital and Woodland T stop- where we had many times taken the T on our training runs of last 9 miles back into Boston... WOW, we were almost at Comm Ave!! 9 to go! The 9 i was most familiar with.
At the bottom of Comm ave & the firehouse there were TONS of people! D eb was expecting Matt here to jump in, but before that we saw Ronde with Michelle (Deb's dog and neighbor!). As Matt jumped in to run with us and i said.. "i'm going to get started up this first hill".... and started on up hill #1 (of 3). This was probably the longest hill and most gradual of the 3. I turned back to look and i didn't see them, so i decided to look for Bette and Kelly in the crowd on the left - and there they were, right where they said they would be! A quick hello to them, and another turn looking back and no Deb and Matt... i was hoping all was OK, and figured i just needed to push through these hills/last 9 miles. I had my name on my shirt, so lots of fans were y
elling "Go Anne" and "Thank you Dana Farber!" I always looked over and waived and said thank you! At this point it was getting tough to do that... i had to focus on getting up the hill. But all of these words helped tremendously! The nice thing about these hills is that there is always a downhill that is equal. Thank goodness! I can coast on downhills... just then on the first downhill i saw Stephanie, another DFMC runner. We chatted for a bit and talked about our possible finish times... at this point i realized i was right on target to finish about the same as my PR of 4:27. So that became my goal at around mile 18, to run it at 4:27 or as close to it as possible. Up hill #2 and down again...i began to think about seeing my parents at mile 20- the bottom of heartbreak hill. This is where my Dad planned to jump in and run up the hill with me. Again, just after a waterstop,there they were on the left. I saw my dad take off his jacket and he jumped in! We ran up the hill together. I don't know if it's because my dad distracted me or all of the training on this hill, but heartbreak hill was NOT bad for me! I passed runners and weaved in and out of walkers, i wanted to get up that hill and feel good, and i did it! Even with a bit of talking to my dad... although i preferred not to talk and just listen, i got some words out as i cranked up the hill. Up at the top we coasted down, and just before the Boston College T stop he stopped to meet back with Mom, and he left me to finish the last 6 on my own. However, it wasn't really on my own, i had these fantastic people helping me get there... the cheering spectators! From the bottom of heartbreak hill until the end the course was lined with screaming fans yelling MY name on my shirt... and yelling Go Dana Farber! Plus, I was looking forward to mile 23 and mile 25 where i was to see some friends. Finishing off Comm ave i started to really feel these headwinds they were talking about... the wind whipped through my as I made my turn through Cleveland Circle and onto Beacon St. This is where i was last year cheering on my cousin and friends... which is when i decided i needed to run the Boston Marathon. I came upon the CVS and scanned the crowd the right side... there was Kat, Steve and Ashley screaming my name. it really gives me a burst of energy and excitement... puts a big smile on my face when i see friends! I kept on trucking.... and next Mile 25 is when i needed to see more familiar faces. I started to feel a blister on my right big toe... and thought forget the blister, this is it, i can still make my goal. I pushed and pushed... looking for the address 921 Beacon... and saw Jen, Danielle, Dave and Tom!! They cheered for me too :) giving me the push to get through!! Next thing i know, i'm in Kenmore Square. It felt so OPEN in the middle of this 5 way intersection running through... this was it. I hardly even paid any attention to that darn Citgo si
gn that apparently haunts you those last 2 miles into Kenmore Sq. I was already there! 1.2 miles to go! Finishing Comm Ave, going under that bridge all i could hear was myself and the other runners breathing and our tired feet hitting the pavement. I looked down at my watch. I knew i had about a half mile to go and the final .2 ... i had been running for 4:20 something minutes. This was it, just a few minutes and i would be finished! Running up that little hill and down to the turn onto Hereford... the crowd screaming... it was an amazing experience. Then the final turn onto Boylston... and there it is.. the finish line .2 miles away. I pushed it in there, I surprised myself at how i pushed it.. trying to keep /beat my PR. Finishing at 4:28:11. :) I was a happy girl!!I completed the 2009 Boston Marathon!
