Boston Marathon Course Miles 1 - 6

When I ran the Boston Marathon in 2009, I did several training runs on the actual course.  Since I live so close to the starting line, I have the advantage of being able to run on the course and get a feel for the route and its elevation variations.  To train properly for any road race you should do some training runs on terrain similar to what you will encounter during the race.  You  should look for routes that have similar elevation gains and declines.  With that in mind, what better way to train for the race than to run on the course itself.  I am going to break the course into 6 mile segments over several different entries.  If you are planning to run Boston, perhaps this will help you better prepare if you can't run on the actual course.

Starting Line to Mile 1

The starting line for the Boston Marathon is at the Hopkinton Town Green.  When you arrive on race day you might be overwhelmed by the crowds here in Hopkinton in and around the starting line.  Main Street in Hopkinton is a typical New England street - 4 lanes and narrow.  So imagine it filled with several thousand people all trying to get to their corrals or finding a spot where they can cheer their runners on as they head out on their way to Boston.  It is quite a frenzied environment.  I can remember getting into my corral and feeling the adrenaline and nerves and emotions well up inside me.  You will feel the same.  All I can say is embrace it and absorb the energy.

The first mile is so crowded you need to not focus on pace.  Don't try to zig zag your way around all of the runners.  Save your energy for the later miles of the race.  The large amount of runners might be a bit smothering but it should save you from going out too fast.  There is a steep drop just past the start.  I remember it well.  I just let the hill pull me down and tried to stay at a steady pace.  At the 1K mark there is a slight uphill.  Keep in mind that over the first mile you are dropping 130 feet.  Stay within yourself and as the crowds start to thin lock into your pace and get ready for the most fun race you will ever experience.

Mile 1 to Mile 2

When you see the Weston Nursery on your left, you will be crossing the 1 mile marker and you will notice that the crowds start to thin.  There are still people lining the route cheering.  But, there is really not much of a shoulder to stand on safely here which keeps the crowds away.  You will also notice that it starts to flatten out a little bit here.  You are still running downhill.  This was the point that I was able to really lock into my pace.  The runners are really starting to stretch out in front of you and you can find a space to run in.

Mile 2 to Mile 3

Mile 3 is where you finally leave Hopkinton in your rearview mirror and cross into Ashland.  It should be noted here that if you ran in the very first Boston Marathon, you would have started your race right here in Ashland at Pleasant Street.  In 1924, the B.A.A. moved the start to its present location in Hopkinton.  There is usually a big crowd at TJ’s Food and Spirits.  They should get your juices pumping as you run by them.  The crowds pick up a bit in this stretch and you can expect to hear loud music along with the cheers.

I was already in a good zone when I reached Ashland.  All of my early jitters were gone and I was starting to really enjoy the crowd support.  At this point in the race, you should have found your running rhythm and started to smile.  You are running in one of the premiere marathons in the world.  But, keep in mind that there are some rolling hills through this mile.  It is still a net descent.  Don't be fooled by these early miles.  The Boston Marathon course has a lot more hills along its route than the famous ones in Newton.

Mile 3 to Mile 4

The mile marker for mile 3 is easy to find because you will see two logos that are so familiar to Boston residents - Dunkin Donuts and the circled "T" which stands for the commuter rail system here in Boston.  It is the way many people who live out in my neck of the woods and work in the city travel to work and avoid the MassPike.  You are now crossing into a commercial section of Ashland.  So, if you want to stop off for a coffee or donut or any other nourishment, you will find it along this stretch.

Ashland is known as Clock Town.  It got its name from the fact that it is the site of Henry Warren's invention of the electric clock which was later manufactured here under the Telechron name.  One of the more famous landmarks along the course is the large clock tower located that the intersection of Union and Chestnut Street.  It is on your left as you come up to the local Dairy Queen.  This section of the route is flat.  Don't be fooled by the relative ease of the course at this point.  Stay on your target pace and you will be fine in the latter miles of the race.

Mile 4 to Mile 5

As you pass the Dairy Queen, the course starts to go uphill for about a half mile.  It is nothing too difficult.  If you have been staying on your pace and did not go out too fast, this stretch won't give you any trouble.  Over this 1 mile stretch you are only gaining 25 feet of elevation.  You are running the last portion of the course in Ashland and cross into Framingham at about 4.8 miles.

Mile 5 to Mile 6

The Welcome to Framingham sign sits almost right on the 5 mile marker.  This stretch of the marathon is not a very exciting portion of the route.  I don't recall huge throngs of spectators in this stretch.  Over the course of this mile, you’ll find yourself going up and over three rolling hills.  Even so, this mile is a net descent.  I noticed that by this point in the race the pack of other runners had really thinned out.  I was able to stay on pace with relative ease at this point.  You hit the 6 mile marker at Bridge Street.

If you are lucky enough to run the Boston Marathon, this is what you can expect to find over the first 6 miles of the course.  When you pass the 10K marker you will have completed only 25% of the course.  The key to success in running this course is to respect the distance and know that there are several hills throughout the course.  I also would encourage you to draw energy from the crowds.  There are very few spots along the route that don't have huge enthusiastic crowds cheering you on.  My goal for Helen and I is to hit the 6 mile marker at 1:08:42.   We will be drawing our energy from the crowds and feeling strong.  At this point, we will have only 20.2 miles to go until we cross the finish line and get Helen her % hour marathon!

Elevation Chart for Miles 1 - 6

Jan. 9 – 6.10 miles (54:27; 8:56 pace)
Jan. 10 – 3.10 miles (23:50, 7:41 pace) – Speed Work
Jan. 12 – 6.00 miles (49:36, 8:00 pace) – Tempo Run
Jan. 14 – 7.10 miles (1:03:05; 8:53 pace)
Jan. 15 – 12.10 miles (1:50:48, 9:10 pace)
Jan. 16 – 6.30 miles (58:33, 9:18 pace)
Jan. 17 – 3.20 miles (24:42, 7:43 pace) – Speed Work
Jan. 19 – 7.10 miles (56:59, 8:02 pace) – Tempo Run
Jan. 20 – 6.20 miles (58:44, 9:28 pace)
Jan. 21 – 10.10 miles (1:43:18, 10:14 pace)
Jan. 22 – 8.10 miles (1:17:28, 9:34 pace)

Total Miles: 75.4 miles
2012 YTD Miles: 123.9 miles

Don't Dread the Treadmill

Some of my followers and fellow runners have wondered what I thought was the biggest change in my training that allowed me to run a 3:59 marathon in Boston.  I attributed it mostly to my finding and using the Brooks-Hanson training program (see blog post dated 6/14/09).  I still believe that to be true.  But, it may be more attributable to the fact that I did my Tuesday speed work (5K pace runs and mile repeats) and Thursday tempo runs on the treadmill at my local YMCA.  I know what you are all thinking - I would rather die than log miles indoors on a treadmill.  In the past, I would have agreed with you.  Not anymore.

One of the best things about doing some of my training runs on a treadmill is that I do not have to worry about the weather.  Living in New England has its challenges if you want to train year round or are trying to train for a spring marathon like Boston.  Sub-zero weather, snow, ice, rain are not comfortable nor conducive to good training runs especially if you are trying to hit a certain pace during a tempo run.  Why fight it?  The treadmill is an excellent tool to use whether you are training for a fast 5K time or to improve your marathon time.  And besides it is a good way to combat those winter time blues.

There are a few things to think about if you decide to add treadmill runs to your training regimen.  The first is that your running form changes when you run on a treadmill.  According to Matt Barbosa, coach for Chicago Endurance Sports and Fleet Feet Chicago, "The confined area alters your proprioception, or the sense of your body in space. You tense up, shorten your stride, and react to the belt's movement by picking up and putting down your feet rather than pushing off as you would outdoors. To encourage proper push-off and compensate for the lack of wind resistance, raise the incline to two or three percent and lean slightly forward from the ankles."  He is absolutely right.  I can watch my feet in the reflection on the glass when I am running at the YMCA.  My stride is much shorter on the treadmill than when I run outdoors and Barbosa's recommendation to compensate for that has really helped me maintain my stride while running on the treadmill.

Another benefit to using the treadmill for my speed work and tempo runs is that the treadmill's pace once it is set never alters.  Plus the treadmill belt itself assists leg turnover allowing me to run faster. Therefore it is much easier for me to maintain the faster training pace I am shooting for in any given work out.  I find that when I am running outdoors my pace varies along the way.  Sometimes I am running faster than I should and sometimes slower.  Running on a treadmill eliminates that variation.  I have also found that my body now knows what an 8:00 minute per mile pace feels like and it is easier to hit that pace when I take it to the streets.  Thus when I was running Boston in 2009, I knew what 9:00 minutes per mile felt like and was able to run a basically steady pace the entire route.

Finally, I use the treadmill hill programs to help simulate the marathon course I will be running.  So since Boston is a hilly course, I use the random hill settings on the treadmill to gradually increase and decrease the incline to simulate a hilly course.  I can control the grade of the hills by what level setting I program into the treadmill.  Since the treadmills at the YMCA don't have a downhill setting, I don't have to burn up my quads like I would running outside.  Instead, the treadmill flattens for a few minutes of recovery before going back up to a tougher incline.  Best of all, I can stick to my per mile pace on a tempo run no matter how hard the hill is I am tackling.  When I got to the Newton Hills, my legs were well trained to handle those pesky little speed bumps.

Many runners I speak to are shocked when I tell them I run at least twice a week on the treadmill all year.  They tell me how boring it is or that it can't really be as good as running on the roads.  I am here to tell you they are dead wrong.  By incorporating the treadmill into my running routine I have been able to gradually improve my speed despite the fact that I am getting older.  And more importantly, it was one  of the key reasons I was able to break four hours in the 2009 Boston Marathon.  Don't avoid the treadmill.  Embrace it and you will find that it can help you reach your running goals in 2012.

Dec. 26 – 6.30 miles (57:57; 9:12 pace)

Dec. 27 – 3.20 miles (24:30, 7:39 pace) – Speed Work

Dec. 29 – 6.20 miles (49:36, 8:00 pace) – Tempo Run

Dec. 30 – 7.10 miles (1:03:48; 8:59 pace)

Dec. 31 – 6.20 miles (58:23, 9:25 pace)

Jan. 1 – 10.20 miles (1:31:34, 8:59 pace)

Jan. 2 – 6.20 miles (58:20, 9:24 pace)

Jan. 3 – 3.20 miles (24:48, 7:45 pace) – Speed Work

Jan. 5 – 6.20 miles (49:36, 8:00 pace) – Tempo Run

Jan. 6 – 6.20 miles (57:33, 9:17 pace)

Jan. 7 – 8.20 miles (1:13:41, 8:59 pace)

Jan. 8 – 8.30 miles (1:13:43, 8:53 pace)

Total Miles: 77.5 miles

2011 YTD Miles: 1,645.7 miles

2012 YTD Miles: 48.5 miles