i want adventure in the great wide somewhere - running journal! (comments welcome)

[xjillianpaige]

I always regret not upsizing my "Right on Hereford..." T shirt cause it was just too small (but no trying things on when I got it). I would still wear it today if I hadn't given up on it.

Weirdly, I do not wear the finishers jacket or sweater that I bought in 2019 (and don't get me started on 2011--it was a year they decided NOT to embroider the logo on the front of the jacket and just print it on. The flak was so great, I don't think they ever did that again!) I should have worn it this past weekend. I saw others, but I always feel self-conscious with it on, and it has a big-a$$ logo on the back.

Get the shirt next time you're in town!

The past 2 years also have not been embroidered. Between that and the Bank of America logo, I thought people's heads were going to combust. I say wear the gear!!

 

[xjillianpaige]

Boston Marathon Race Recap
Part 1.5: The Gear​

Before I dive into the recap, here's the gear round up I promised! The only things not pictured are a few of the things I purchased before the weekend started. They were already packed in my post-race gear bag. I'll post those eventually, I just haven't had the time yet to take photos of them.

First up is the glass tumbler and a shot glass. The glass was a decision, the shot glass was an impulse buy at check out. But worth it! I missed out on a travel mug but I'm hoping some stuff pops up at outlets or online. Or I could find something on Etsy if I want to.

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Next up is my Marathon Sports haul. We have thee spike and the three t-shirts. A lot of blue, I'm realizing. They had a shirt with the names of some of Boston's great women (Bobbi, Katherine, Des, Shalane, etc.) but didn't get that... this year. Maybe next year I'll get it.

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Third is the some of the official gear from Adidas I got at the expo, the gray sweatshirt with the cities and towns and landmarks on the back, blue sweatpants/joggers, and the white hat which I've worn too many times.

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This is the most of official gear I ordered before hand, almost all on sale. I got the backpack, beanie, pink light weight joggers, and a cream quarter zip. The other things I got but don't have photos of yet are the celebration jacket, leggings, sneakers, and the blue shirt with the same design on the back as the gray sweatshirt above.

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And finally this is the free shirt from the BAA. I don't mind the blue and yellow, but it matches the volunteer jacket and totally clashes with the rest of the gear.

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[dis_or_dat]

I got the grey sweatshirt, shot glass, and Spike too! Were you able to get the 26.2 glass from Sam Adams? I got one on Friday and went back on Saturday but they were sold out.

 

[xjillianpaige]

I got the grey sweatshirt, shot glass, and Spike too! Were you able to get the 26.2 glass from Sam Adams? I got one on Friday and went back on Saturday but they were sold out.

I love the gray sweatshirt! It's so cozy. And it was never on the adidas app!

I didn't get the Sam Adams glass or the bottle opener. For someone who has lived in and currently works in the city... I've never been to Sam Adams. What a scam that they switched the opener for a patch that I'm gonna stick in a drawer, btw.

 

[xjillianpaige]

Boston Marathon Race Recap
Part 1.75: The Gear Again​

I know, I know, I know. Another merch post. You want the miles. I'm working on it.

Here's those last few items I mentioned that were in my checked bag. First up is the celebration jacket, the leggings, and the t-shirt. In this photo I showed the back so you could see the design I mentioned this shirt and the gray crew neck having.

And next up are the sneakers. These are the Adidas adizero sneakers. They are not for running (for me) but make a cute sneaker to wear with jeans or marathon gear or for short walks. The men's sneakers are blue so I'll stalk the website and if/when these go on major sale before next year's marathon, I might scoop up a men's pair in my size since I love blue and it matches everything.​

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[xjillianpaige]

Boston Marathon Race Recap
Part 2: Miles 1-13.1​

This is pretty unusual for me, but I'm going to be doing this race recap in multiple parts! I mean, I know that the expo was its own part as was the merch, but usually I can keep the entire race contained to one post. Not this time! Here is the first half along with some photos, and then I'll post more photos since I believe there's a photo limit to posts.

So let's dive in.

Race Morning​

I was up EARLY. My alarm went off at 5:00 am. Most runners have an assigned time that they have to arrive in downtown Boston to catch a school bus that transports them to Hopkinton/the Athletes Village. But since I was running with my club, we chartered a private bus with a bathroom.

Instead of sleeping in a little bit (because yes, I slept mostly great. Only woke up around 4:30 am feeling hungry since I failed to eat protein with dinner the night before, but I did fall back asleep), I was meeting the 13 other girls from my club at 6:15 am. Five hours before my start time. My mom was kind enough to wake up at 6 am to drive me to the bus so I wouldn't have to worry about getting my car later that night.

Before leaving, though, I got dressed, gathered my packed bags, and went downstairs to have a small breakfast of an English muffin with peanut butter and jelly and half a latte. I somehow managed to eat the whole thing even though I am notoriously unable to eat that early.

I was the last to arrive at the bus at EXACTLY 6:15. We're not told when the bus is actually leaving so that we don't miss it. We all gathered our things and took some pictures then got on the bus.

It's about a 45 minute drive to Hopkinton, and we filled the time chatting. I had brought a charger so I could use my phone. I also brought food to snack on.

I was roughly following the Featherstone Nutrition guidance of breakfast at 7:15 (more like 5:30 for me) and then a snack around 9:15, plus a sports drink. I nursed my massive gatorade throughout the bus ride and waiting time, finishing it when I had my snack at 9:15.

While we sat and waited, we all had a specific time that we could leave the Athletes Village for the start, so based on our waves, we all left at different times. I was in the yellow group and there were 6 of us in that group. Three got a bit antsy and left the bus a little early. The other three of us stayed behind and used the bathroom one final time.

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At 10:25, we went outside for our final pre-race photos and the short walk from our buses to the Athlete's Village. Then we went directly to our corrals. Michelle and I were in 4 and Kayla was in 5, so we were separated as we walked to the start.

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It's about 3/4 of a mile from Athlete's Village to the start line. Along this walk, we realized how warm it was. It was sunnier than expected, and in the mid to low 60s. The weather was not forecasted to get warmer than that, but to be safe I stopped at a pre-start line water stop to take a salt tablet.

Michelle and I stopped at a portapotty stop for one last bathroom break, also, then began walking to our corral. When we stopped at the bathroom all the corrals got mixed together after being released from the village at different times, but as we got closer to the start, they reorganized us and only let us into our corral, sort of like at Disney. They check your bib and let you in or direct you to the right place.

Soon enough... we were starting!

128th Boston Marathon​

Mile 1 - 12:02

The first mile of this race is a fairly steep downhill. According to strava it's -115 ft. I was expecting this, having run this part of the course before, so I really slowed down, trying to maintain a 12:00 pace. I was successful, running it in 12:02. A ton of people were passing me, but I remembered what I've heard from experienced Boston marathoners: let them pass you on the downhill, you'll catch them on the hills.

My overall plan was to do a workout that my coach had entered into my Garmin to the best of my ability. The first mile was a warm up.

Mile 2 - 12:12

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We leave Hopkinton and enter Ashland during the second mile! Two miles & two towns. The second mile of my workout was an easy mile (11:25-12:30). As you can see, I kept it easy with a 12:12 pace. This is another downhill, less steep than the first at -56. On the right hand side is the Spencer statue and the new puppies training to hold flags for future marathons. I skipped this since I can take a drive anytime for a photo (and I can bring my medal). The second mile marker is a party with a big crowd outside a restaurant.

Mile 3 - 12:25

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After my easy mile, I take my first 1-minute walk break. My workout was 13 repeats of a mile easy, a 1-minute walk break, and .25 at 9:55. With the heat, I decided to try to speed up a little but not to worry about hitting the paces and burning out too fast. This mile is also downhill (-57) and the support from folks along the route is still great. According to my chip, I cross the 5k mark at 38:10 for a 12:18 pace. So far, I'm going out much more conservatively than Chicago and Vermont, so I'm happy with that. I take a maple syrup here.

Mile 4 - 12:12

Another downhill. The last one before it starts to level out in Framingham. It's a -69 elevation. I don't really have much to report about mile 4. I'm happy with my relatively steady forward movement and while I'm warm, I'm not dying. It's definitely warmer than expected which is frustrating but out of my - or anyone's - control. I think this is roughly where I see Kayla has passed me, but by the time I see the back of her singlet she's too far to call out to and she's got a faster pace than me so I wave goodbye to her back.

Mile 5 - 12:43

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My friend Lisa's daughter is supposed to be somewhere in this area since she goes to Framingham State, but I can't remember which side of the street or exactly what mile marker to expect her at. I know it's somewhere in the 5 mile range. I don't find her but that's okay. Elevation in this mile is 12 - so very flat.

Mile 6 - 12:54

These miles (5 and 6) did have a bit of a slowdown. A lot of sun. I believe I take some fuel here - maybe start adding some salted margarita clif bloks. My 10k split according to BAA is 1:17:38 and a 12:43 pace. Honestly, I have a terrible memory. I have Strava, Garmin, the BAA app, V.O2, and a course map on Google in front of me as I piece it together. We're in Framingham. It's a -14 elevation, but I swear there's a hill somewhere in here. That's the sneaky thing, it's technically a net downhill but it's full of rollers and I was walking up them to conserve energy.

Mile 7 - 12:08

Not much to report in this mile, it's just Framingham. Good crowd support with lots of people out to watch. Some good signs along the way. No reason to stop so I guess I had a speedy mile.

Mile 8 - 13:21

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We're coming to Natick now. My pace really slows to the 13s here. I'd resigned myself to just running easy so I don't burn out from the heat. Turns out that the weather report of low- to mid-60s all day was wrong and the high was low 70s. Not ideal. But I wanted this to be fun and I had so many friends on the course that I wanted to hug them all. It's super flat, too, but there is one hill and at the top is where I stop for a photo with Santa Claus!

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Mile 9 - 13:05

This is my first family stop! I knew my parents and brother were planning on being around mile 9 and as I run through here I see a blue poster board at the bottom of a small hill (-8 elevation on this mile) held up high and the person holding it was my dad. I scan the group and realize that Jenna has flown in from LA after texting me a few weeks ago that she couldn't come out for the race. Liar. I sprinted pretty quick when I realized it was her and maybe cussed a little and got hugs from everyone. I didn't stay long and got right back to the course. Considering the stop I have a slightly quicker mile here and hit the 15k split at 1:58:01 for a 13:00 pace.

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Mile 10 - 13:09

This part of the course is pretty along a pond. Very flat. Still steady in the low 13s. Not much to report.

Mile 11 - 13:29

The final mile in Natick. More gentle rollers but mostly flat. I knew I was expecting to see some other people early in the course but couldn't remember who was where so I decided to just run and if someone knew me they would call my name. I had written "Jill" on my arms so that if people cheered for Jill I knew they weren't family or part of my club since everyone in my family and club call me Jillian.

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Mile 12 - 13:01

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The last mile before the scream tunnel! My friend Melinda saw me right around here and gave me a frozen sponge so I tucked that into my singlet to help cool down. For fuel I was continuing to try to take a maple syrup every 30 minutes/3 miles plus salt. At every water station I was pouring a cup down my back and drinking a cup. In my handheld I had gatorade so I was sipping that throughout the run. In here I hit the 20k split in 2:39:21 and was at a 13:19 pace. This mile is a net downhill of 49 and the first of many miles where I was a metronome in my run:walk pace.

Mile 13 - 13:01

Halfway there! This area is super flat and is where the Wellesley Scream Tunnel is. Gotta be honest, this was sort of underwhelming. Loud and energetic - sure - but not the deafening experience I was expecting. Soon enough I hit 13.1 miles in 2:48:09 and am at a 12:55 pace. This is actually just shy of what I wanted for my first half. My goal was 2:45, so to only be 3 minutes off pace was not bad for the first half. And weirdly another mile at 13:01. I was still feeling good here and excited to be taking it all in. I was chatting with other runners and thanking volunteers and taking tons of photos.

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[The Expert]

Loving your recap so far! I had to comment on this:

I take a maple syrup here.

I am curious if you DIY or if you're using Untapped? I just discovered Untapped when I moved to Vermont this past year as they are based in Richmond, which is about 5 minutes from me! I'm not finding them readily available outside the area (yet).