My Run for the Hoses - 116th Boston Marathon

If you had the choice of a day to run 26 miles, 385 yards, it would not be April 19, 1976.

-- Boston Globe 

36 years ago with temps in the 90s, Georgetown undergrad Jack Fultz ran through a rainbow of garden hoses to win the 1976 Boston Marathon in 2 hours, 20 minutes, 19 seconds.  In that race, Jack ran through numerous hoses to ultimately outgun the hot weather runner Mario Cuevas of Mexico.  When I toed the line in Hopkinton on Monday, April 16, 2012, little did I know I would be running my own run for the hoses as the 1976 race is now known. 

I trained hard for this race.  I wanted to see if my sub-4 hour marathon in 2009 was a fluke or would my training give me the stamina and speed to accomplish it again in 2012.  The last couple of weeks leading up to the race gave me confidence that I could set another PR in Boston.  I had run my last long run (18 miles) at an 8:53 per mile pace.  There was nothing that could stop me from running a sub-4 hour race this time out.  Well almost nothing. 

The week leading up to the race was filled with news reports of the heat we would encounter on race day.  The weather forecasters were saying it was going to be in the 80s and that it was going to be really hard on the runners.  Having lived in New England for 8 years now, I listened to their predictions with a bit of skepticism.  Weather here tends to change rapidly.  So I hoped the heat would not materialize on race day and we would be able to have a nice day to run.  As April 16^th drew closer, my hopes were slowly dashed.  By Saturday April 14^th, I knew I was going to have to run the marathon on an unseasonably hot day. 

I got up the morning of the race and had my usual peanut butter and honey sandwich and a banana.  I had been hydrating the past 4 – 5 days to make sure I was well hydrated for the race.  I checked the temperature and it was already 66 degrees at 6:30 am.  I watched the news to see what they were predicting for the day.  After hearing it would be in the upper 80s, I knew it was going to be a tough day.  My goal of 4 hours had to be adjusted.  I decided to shoot for 4:30:00.  I felt my excellent training would carry me through the race...even in the heat.  At least that was my theory. 

At 7:30 am, Bev drove me down close to the starting line and dropped me off.  She told me to take it slow and focus on finishing.  Time was not something I should worry about she said.  Deep down I knew she was right.  I should take it slow and just focus on finishing the race.  But my “A” type personality and competitive streak was telling me to shoot for 4:30:00.  As I walked up to St. James Parish Center where the Dana Farber Marathon Challenge Team’s Runner’s Refuge was located, I kept telling myself that despite the heat I could still run it and hit my goal.  

I arrived that the Runner’s Refuge and met up with a few of my fellow DFMC Teammates who I have met since running for DFMC in 2009.  The topic of conversation was the weather.  No one was very excited about running in the heat.  But I could still feel the enthusiasm they all had for the race and running for a much bigger purpose.  I found some shade, popped in my earphones and tried to relax and not think about the upcoming race.  In the shade, I actually felt great and my nerves settled down enough to let me focus inward and remind myself that no matter what happened, I had to finish this race to honor those I was running for and the donors who so generously supported me this year. 

I had a chance to meet and speak with Uta Pippig and Jack Fultz.  They advised us all to just take it easy.  Today was not going to be a day to run fast they said.  We needed to take it slow and easy.  We needed to make sure we stayed well hydrated.  Jack advised us to stay wet if we could as it would help to keep our body temperatures in the safe zone.  I definitely decided to take his advice because he had won a marathon in hotter temperatures and had stayed wet.  This meant that we would be running our own race for the hoses along the route.  They both wished us well and told us they would see us at the finish.  Then we headed out to walk over to the starting line and our corrals. 

Me and Uta Pippig

Standing in the corrals waiting for the gun to go off was tortuous.  With all of the runners packed around us, the temperature felt much hotter than the low 70's.  I had decided to run with a fellow DFMC runner Evan Berkley who was running in only his second marathon.  We talked about the pace we wanted to run and felt we would be a good match.  Evan told me that if he was holding me back later in the race, I should feel comfortable taking off and finishing at my pace.  I said OK.  But, something told me that I would not be leaving Evan behind and that he would be a huge help in my finishing the race.   

After what seemed like a lifetime, the gun went off and we headed across the starting line and down the hill.  I told Evan that I would keep him apprised of what was up ahead and share any trivial facts about the towns we were running through.  Evan is from Connecticut and he told me that would be great as it would take his mind off the heat and the effort.  The first 5 miles went very smoothly.  We had locked into a nice 9:45 to 10:00 minute pace.  It was our theory that if we took it slow at the beginning, we might have something in the tank to increase our pace later in the race. 

Evan and I chatted along the route which was really helpful.  The sun was shining brightly and the heat was definitely starting to get to us.  We searched for opportunities to get wet.  Marathon spectators would spray us down with their garden hoses as we went by as long as we signaled them by raising our arms over our heads.  Several Fire Houses had set up canopies with misters in them that you could run through and cool off.  One of my fellow DFMC runners later told me he called them "human car washes".  Staying wet was definitely keeping my body temperature down and making me feel pretty good despite the heat. 

We reached Wellesley and I noticed that we would hit the halfway point around 2:10:00.  This is right on pace to hit my goal of 4:30:00 minutes.  It would mean that we could slow down and run the second half 10 minutes slower and still hit my goal.  I checked in with Evan as we headed up the hill towards the scream tunnel at Wellesley College.  He said he was feeling pretty good.  I warned him about the coeds.  But also told him to get some love from them as we ran by.  He laughed and we continued on. 

When we reached the corrals holding the girls of Wellesley back, I was reading their signs and t-shirts.  There were some really funny ones and Evan and I were getting a kick out of them.  Out of the corner of my eye I spotted a t-shirt that read "Run Old Man Run".  Now that was worth stopping for.  So, I cruised to my right and as I approached her to tell her I liked her shirt, she threw her arms around my neck and gave me a big kiss.  After recovering a bit, I told her I loved her shirt and she just laughed.  I had Evan take my picture with her and we headed on. 

Run Old Man Run

Evan and I crossed the halfway point at 2:10:24.  We both were feeling pretty good.  What we didn't know at the time was how the heat coupled with the hot pavement and lack of wind would ultimately affect us as the race continued.  But, that will have to wait for my next post. 

Apr. 9 – 6.20 miles (56:22; 9:05 pace)

Apr. 10 – 5.10 miles (47:02, 9:14 pace)

Apr. 12 – 6.20 miles (55:50, 9:01 pace)

Apr. 13 – 6.20 miles (54:34, 9:01 pace)

Apr. 14 – 3.10 miles (26:56, 9:03 pace)

Apr. 16 – 26.20 miles (4:49:00, 11:02 pace) - 116th Boston Marathon

Apr. 18 – 3.10 miles (31:21, 10:07 pace)

Apr. 20 – 5.10 miles (47:33, 9:29 pace)

Apr. 21 – 6.30 miles (58:44, 9:20 pace)

Apr. 22 – 6.20 miles (56:25, 9:06 pace)

Total Miles: 103.6 miles

2012 YTD Miles: 565.2 miles