First Time Around
When I found out I was going to be running the Boston Marathon this year, I knew I needed to get my butt in gear. So naturally, I signed up for a bunch of long races. I ran this race back in 2014 as well, for my first Boston Marathon buildup. It was also my first 20 mile race and I had little to no expectations going in. Although it was five years ago, what I remember most about that day were the frigid temps at the start, and that it was one of my best runs of all time. Not truly knowing my fitness or what I was capable of, I wanted to take the conservative approach and start out at 7 min pace and work my way down as I saw fit. The course is two, 10-mile loops, with a turnaround at five miles, so you are running in the opposite direction of other racers most of the time. I was the first female fairly quickly and the cheering I received from other runners yelling, "First female!" "you go girl!" "you're doing awesome!" was definitely a huge motivation. I remember looking down at my watch with five or so miles to go seeing splits like 6:20, 6:17, 6:15. I couldn't believe how fast I was running so far into the race. I didn't think I was capable of that and it felt surreal. I finished in 2:11:18, three minutes ahead of second place. After only ever underperforming in the marathon, this was the first time I really believed I had the ability to run fast over a long distance.
A New Race Tactic
Back in 2014, I started out conservative and finished fast. I do believe this is the best way to feel strong running a long race, but I'm less convinced this is the best way to run as fast as you can. This year, I went into the 20 mile race with a completely different mindset than I did five years prior. The main difference between then and now is not necessarily my fitness, but my confidence. I have many more marathons, long runs, races, and most importantly... 36 hours of labor underneath my belt now. I know I can handle pain for a long period of time and I know I can endure. I went into this race thinking first off, I want to win again, and secondly, I'm not going to go out easy, but rather a pace that I think I will be able to hold for twenty miles, even when it get's uncomfortable.
First Five Miles
Splits: 6:27, 6:27, 6:29, 6:27, 6:20
As it should be with the first part of any long race, these were easy and comfortable. I was with a few other runners including one other woman, for the first couple miles, but our little group dispersed pretty quickly. A couple of guys were running right around 6:20 pace, which I felt was a little too fast for me, so I relaxed into a long, lonely run, at my own pace.
Second Five Miles
Splits: 6:20, 6:24, 6:28, 6:21, 6:23
While I was running, I broke the race into four parts of five miles each, but I did not have auto lap turned on so was unable to see mile splits during the race, just the real time pace. I made the conscious decision after the first five that I was going to relax for the middle ten miles so I could feel strong finishing. There must have been a tailwind coming back because these were actually my fastest splits even though I made the mental note to slow it down. The ten mile female winner passed me at mile nine, (they started ten minutes after the 20-milers,) and I had the thought that it would be nice to just stop and finish at ten. I wasn't hurting, but I wasn't super comfortable and the idea of ten more miles was as annoying as an alarm clock going off after four hours of sleep.
Third Five Miles
Splits: 6:30, 6:26, 6:27, 6:28, 6:25
The mental note I made for the previous five miles also applied to these. I remember going through the half in 1:24 something and thinking that it felt harder than a 1:24 half should. In retrospect, I know this feeling was purely because I had seven more miles to go. Getting to the turnaround point really gave me a nice little adrenaline boost, knowing I was 3/4 done and all I had to do was not completely die and I would have the win and a solid time.
Final Five Miles
Splits: 6:25, 6:27, 6:36, 6:28, 6:32
The final five miles were definitely uncomfortable! I had taken half of a Honey Stinger gel at Mile 7 and then again at Mile 16 and was still feeling a huge energy blow. As I said earlier, I couldn't see my mile splits, but thought for sure I was running 6:45's or slower. Mile 18 was the roughest with what felt like a long, gradual uphill, which cannot be confirmed with the elevation profile! The final two miles were much better, mainly because of the mental games I play with myself during a race. The majority of my runs end with two miles to go in one of two locations. No matter how long or hard of a run I've had, I know I can always make it when I see these landmarks. When I hit the mile 18 mark, I envisioned the Mass Ave Bridge in Boston, my regular two mile to go spot, and thought, I could do this in my sleep.
Final Result: First Female, 2:09:46.