My magical unicorn day

I ran my first marathon 15 years ago (1999 San Diego Rock-N-Roll, 4 hr 14 min). I cried as I crossed the finish line and have since been hooked on this crazy long-distance running thing. I've also wanted to run Boston since then. I've been close several times, but it wasn't until the 2013 Denver Rock-N-Roll Marathon that I set a PR and got my first Boston Qualifier. A bit surprisingly, I made it in through the lottery, so this winter, I set my sights on training to have a good, fast Boston Marathon.

The training was going pretty well until February, when my 'normal' aches and pains turned into persistent, throbbing pain in my right hip. When a few weeks of primarily cross-training didn't take care of things, I headed into the Physical Therapist. I feel like I lucked out with my PT (Scott at Alta Physical Therapy if any Boulderites are looking for a recommendation  =). Turns out I was over-striding - something I'm not able to do when running on the trails, but is easy to do when running on the roads. What I had started to do (somewhat unintentionally) to be more 'efficient' was actually now putting me at risk of not being prepared for one of my 'bucket list' items. Thanks to Scott's treatments and analysis and Meghan's great coaching, I ended up getting back to marathon training pretty quickly (with a new, improved sense of what form is best for me). My volume didn't get as high as it has before some previous marathons, but I got in some quality long runs and speed work and felt like I was reasonably prepared for race day.

With Brad (wearing his press jacket from covering the race last year)

Physically, at least. Mentally, I was a bit of a mess. I fully admit I tend to get a bit anxious before races - especially ones that are important to me. Normally this starts a day or so before a race. This time, it started over a week before the race. I started obsessing over all sorts of little details - I was seriously annoying myself with it. Luckily, my travel to Boston was smooth this last Saturday - smooth enough that I got to my hotel early enough to run to the Expo, pick up my number, buy a few things, and get cleaned up before meeting up with my Missoula Friends, Marc and Anne for dinner.

Coach Meghan's Boston girls - with Martha Staples.

Sunday I took it easy - met up with a friend with whom I'd grown up and his girlfriend, then had dinner with another woman that Meghan is coaching. Those things alone made for a great weekend - getting to see some good, old friends that I hadn't seen in a long time and meeting some new ones. But, really, I wouldn't have been here to see them in the first place if it hadn't been for the marathon. 


Boston starts mid-morning, so for once I didn't have to worry about needing to wake up super early to eat enough calories before the start.  I was up early anyway, and had plenty of time to drink my tea, get dressed, and watch the latest weather forecast. They were calling for a cold, rainy day - though the worst of it wasn't supposed to hit until after 1 in the afternoon.

The morning went by as if in a dream. My hotel provided a free shuttle to the Boston Common where we loaded buses that drove us up to the staging area in Hopkington. On one level, it felt like just another pre-race morning, trying to focus on getting in the right amount of calories and fluids, and finding the shortest line for the porta-potties. On another, you couldn't escape that this was something BIG - from the huge number of runners in the staging area to the ever-present police (including armed cops on top of the buildings). 

Soon enough, they called for my wave to start walking down to our corrals. Tears welled up behind my eyes for the first of many times that day as it hit me that I was about to start what had been a dream for so long. 

Once in my coral, I stripped off the last of my warm layers (to be donated to local charities), and as if on cue, light rain started. 

Then the count down and we were off. Slowly. I was about 1/3 of the way back in a pack of about 7,000 people - and it took quite awhile before I felt like I could run at a comfortable pace. I tried to embrace the slow start and minimize the amount of effort I put into dodging around other people. 

I had printed out a customized pace chart to wear around my wrist and quickly realized that it was going to be a bit useless. Besides generally being a bit off pace, it was nearly impossible to run the recommended pace for the first several miles. That said, I happily had a relatively fast pace that also felt pretty easy. 

The first 5 miles of Boston are downhill, followed by 11 miles of rolling hills and flat terrain. Throughout these first 16 miles, I tried to keep my pace quick, but in control. I focused on keeping my form intact and enjoying the experience. ...and what an experience!  There were people lining the race course almost continuously for the entire 26.2 miles. In the cold, wind, and rain.  Handing out their own food and water. It was amazing. I felt like I was in a gigantic parade - and, in fact, I saw several people holding up signs that said "worst parade ever".  I felt like I was grinning ear-to-ear nearly the entire time (though I'm grimacing in every race photo that was taken that day).

The girls from Wellesley College

Every time I felt my energy start to flag, something new would renew my spirit. As we ran on an overpass over the highway, people in the cars below honked their horns and waved out their car windows. Then as we approached Wellesley College, you could hear the girls screaming for over 1/4 mile away. I didn't see any of them get the requested kisses, but was more than amused by their somewhat inappropriate signs, and gave several of them high-5s. Then there were the alter-able runners who were inspirational just by being out there - including little people and people on crutches who I had no doubt would finish the race; in my hotel room that night, I saw coverage of the woman who lost a leg in the 2012 bombing as she crossed the finish line; and the next morning, the man with muscular dystrophy who crossed the finish line after almost 20 hours.

At mile 16, I started the Newton Hills, which finish with Heartbreak Hill, which crests at about mile 21. The uphill segments were a welcome relief to my fatigued quads. I let out a 'whoop' at the top or Heartbreak and started the final 5 mile, downhill push to the finish.

My quads were screaming at me for those last 5 miles. More than once I thought back to 
Waldo - if I could push it to the finish then, I could push it to the finish now. The crowd support certainly helped. The crowds got thicker and thicker as we got closer and closer to the finish line. Then there it was - the giant Citgo sign at mile 25, and the yelling and screaming was so loud, it was overwhelming. I made the left-hand turn onto Boylston Street and ran as hard as I could down those last, long 3 blocks. 

I crossed the finish line in 3 hours and 27 minutes. A marathon PR (by 10 minutes!), and happily, a qualifying time for next year's Boston Marathon. HUGE thanks to Coach Meghan for helping me get to Boston and for my family and friends for all of the support.

(And if you're wondering about the title of this post, the symbol of the marathon is a unicorn, so it really was a magical unicorn day.)

Nutrition:
Before the race - 1 large scone with peanut butter & honey, tea
Cliff shots or Gu @ 45, 1:30, 2:15, and 2:45
Handheld bottle - 16 oz of Skartch labs green tea and lime

Gear:
Shoes:  Scott T2 Evo
Socks:  the thicker Injiji toe-socks - love these!
running skirt
long-sleeve tech shirt
light weight gloves
Western States visor (thanks, Meghan)

participant

Name	Thorpe, Andrea (USA)
age group	Female 18-39
bib number	19795
State/ Province	CO
team
My Runner

totals

place (M/W)	1936
place (ag)	1562
place (total)	9123
time total (net)	03:27:06
time total (gun)	03:29:18

splits

Split	time of day	time	diff	min/mile	miles/h
5K	11:16:58AM	00:24:45	24:45	07:58	7.53
10K	11:41:57AM	00:49:44	24:59	08:03	7.46
15K	12:05:55PM	01:13:42	23:58	07:43	7.78
20K	12:30:15PM	01:38:02	24:20	07:50	7.67
HALF	12:35:29PM	01:43:16	05:14	07:41	7.81
25K	12:54:33PM	02:02:20	19:04	07:52	7.64
30K	01:19:27PM	02:27:14	24:54	08:01	7.49
35K	01:44:29PM	02:52:16	25:02	08:04	7.45
40K	02:08:50PM	03:16:37	24:21	07:51	7.66
Finish Net	02:19:19PM	03:27:06	10:29	07:42	7.8