This weekend, I finally had the opportunity to run with my DFMC Teammates on the last group run organized by the DFMC. I always seemed to have a conflict on the group run dates. So, I was really glad to be able to make this one. The route was from the Mount Auburn Athletic Club in Watertown out through Brighton Center and up onto the marathon route near Boston College and to the Newton Hills. This would give us all one last chance to run Heartbreak Hill.
Since I was able to run Heartbreak Hill both going down it and back up, I thought I would try to get a little deeper understanding of the famous hill. But, first let me give you one fact that may surprise you about the Boston Marathon -- only 17% of the course climbs at a rate of greater than 1%. According to Marc Chalufour (http://marcchalufour.com/writing-samples/steeped-in-tradition-everything-you-thought-you-knew-and-more-about-the-hills-of-boston/), “Much of it (the Boston Marathon Course) is nearly flat, to be sure—about 61 percent of the Boston course has a slope of less than 1 percent (most of that of the gradual-downhill variety)—but a whopping 22 percent descends at rate greater than 1 percent, and 17 percent climbs at a greater rate. So, it really isn’t Heartbreak Hill that we should be worried about. It is the early downhills that need to be respected.”
Heartbreak Hill is the fourth of the Newton Hills. It is a relatively short hill at only 0.37 miles long. It begins at about the 20.5 mile mark. Its average grade is 4.5% and at its steepest is 4.7%. Surprisingly, the first Newton Hill is actually much steeper but slightly shorter. If you have done your hill training during the weeks leading up to the race, Heartbreak Hill will be a challenge. But, nothing you can’t handle.
According to legend, it got its name with an event during the 1936 Boston Marathon. “On this stretch, defending champion John A. Kelley caught race leader Ellison "Tarzan" Brown, giving Brown a consolatory pat on the shoulder as he passed. His competitive drive apparently stoked by this gesture, Tarzan Brown rallied, pulled away from Kelley, and went on to win—in the words of Boston Globe reporter Jerry Nason, "breaking Kelley's heart."” (From The ultimate guide to the Boston marathon Blog). There is a statue of Johnny Kelley called “Young at Heart” as you approach Heartbreak Hill. Look for it on your left. Then pull it together and tackle the famous hill because once you crest it you can see the Prudential Center and know you only have a short distance to the turn onto Boylston and the finish line.
There is one other thing I learned this weekend from my favorite running podcast (Phedippidations). I learned a mnemonic that will help those of you coming to run Boston from out of town. It is a way to remember the 7 towns you will run through before arriving in the city of Boston. The towns are Hopkinton, Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, Brookline and Boston. The mnemonic is “Head Away From Nature West Near Ballpark Boston”. As Steve Runner said it describes your journey from the bucolic towns west of Boston past Fenway Park and finally to the finish line in Boston.
I have asked so many runners who have participated in the Boston Marathon what they consider to be the best words of advice to help me finish strong in the race. Everyone has said the same thing – start slow and be conservative on the downhills and pace yourself on the uphills. I can’t wait for race day to see if I can follow those words of wisdom.
Here are my training totals for this week. :
Mar. 29 – 18.20 miles (2:40:22, 8:48 pace)
Mar. 30 – 6.10 miles (53:30, 8:46 pace)
Mar. 31 – 9.50 miles (1:29:09, 9:23 pace) – 6 x 1 Mile Repeats w/1/2 mi recovery between
Apr. 2 – 10.10 miles (1:26:13, 8:32 pace) – Tempo
Since I was able to run Heartbreak Hill both going down it and back up, I thought I would try to get a little deeper understanding of the famous hill. But, first let me give you one fact that may surprise you about the Boston Marathon -- only 17% of the course climbs at a rate of greater than 1%. According to Marc Chalufour (http://marcchalufour.com/writing-samples/steeped-in-tradition-everything-you-thought-you-knew-and-more-about-the-hills-of-boston/), “Much of it (the Boston Marathon Course) is nearly flat, to be sure—about 61 percent of the Boston course has a slope of less than 1 percent (most of that of the gradual-downhill variety)—but a whopping 22 percent descends at rate greater than 1 percent, and 17 percent climbs at a greater rate. So, it really isn’t Heartbreak Hill that we should be worried about. It is the early downhills that need to be respected.”
Heartbreak Hill is the fourth of the Newton Hills. It is a relatively short hill at only 0.37 miles long. It begins at about the 20.5 mile mark. Its average grade is 4.5% and at its steepest is 4.7%. Surprisingly, the first Newton Hill is actually much steeper but slightly shorter. If you have done your hill training during the weeks leading up to the race, Heartbreak Hill will be a challenge. But, nothing you can’t handle.
According to legend, it got its name with an event during the 1936 Boston Marathon. “On this stretch, defending champion John A. Kelley caught race leader Ellison "Tarzan" Brown, giving Brown a consolatory pat on the shoulder as he passed. His competitive drive apparently stoked by this gesture, Tarzan Brown rallied, pulled away from Kelley, and went on to win—in the words of Boston Globe reporter Jerry Nason, "breaking Kelley's heart."” (From The ultimate guide to the Boston marathon Blog). There is a statue of Johnny Kelley called “Young at Heart” as you approach Heartbreak Hill. Look for it on your left. Then pull it together and tackle the famous hill because once you crest it you can see the Prudential Center and know you only have a short distance to the turn onto Boylston and the finish line.There is one other thing I learned this weekend from my favorite running podcast (Phedippidations). I learned a mnemonic that will help those of you coming to run Boston from out of town. It is a way to remember the 7 towns you will run through before arriving in the city of Boston. The towns are Hopkinton, Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, Brookline and Boston. The mnemonic is “Head Away From Nature West Near Ballpark Boston”. As Steve Runner said it describes your journey from the bucolic towns west of Boston past Fenway Park and finally to the finish line in Boston.
I have asked so many runners who have participated in the Boston Marathon what they consider to be the best words of advice to help me finish strong in the race. Everyone has said the same thing – start slow and be conservative on the downhills and pace yourself on the uphills. I can’t wait for race day to see if I can follow those words of wisdom.
Here are my training totals for this week. :
Mar. 29 – 18.20 miles (2:40:22, 8:48 pace)
Mar. 30 – 6.10 miles (53:30, 8:46 pace)
Mar. 31 – 9.50 miles (1:29:09, 9:23 pace) – 6 x 1 Mile Repeats w/1/2 mi recovery between
Apr. 2 – 10.10 miles (1:26:13, 8:32 pace) – Tempo
Apr. 3 – 6.00 miles (52:13, 8:42 pace)
Apr. 4 – 10.30 miles (1:28:44, 8:37 pace) – DFMC Group Run
Apr. 4 – 10.30 miles (1:28:44, 8:37 pace) – DFMC Group Run
Total Miles: 60.20 miles
2009 YTD Miles: 635.30 miles
2 comments:
Hi Ted - I'm blown away by the mileage you are able to sustain weekly; I know that over 40 miles/week often results in injuries for less experienced runners. Just curious - how long did it take you to build up the ability to sustain high mileage weeks and what suggestions might you have for me post-marathon? I have found a lot of joy in this experience and want to continue it; following the Boston Marathon I'd like to focus more on form and on safely increasing weekly mileage, as appropriate. Thanks! Helen
Great question. As you know, I have been running for 20+ years. I didn't start out at these milage totals. I had to build up to them over time. The key is never increasing your weekly mileage or long run by more than 10% in any given week. This will typically prevent injury.
My other advice is to take it down a notch immediately after the marathon. The week after all of my marathons, I typically take 2 days off and start running on the 3rd day. I typically only do a 3 or 4 mile run at a slow pace. Then I take another day off. Then I run 4-6 miles on Sat. and no more than 8 on Sunday. After that I go back to my maintenance schedule until I decide what my next race will be.
I hope that helps. I will be happy to send you any information you need to help you train in the future. See you soon!
Ted
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