My goal to go to Boston started in 2013. I'm not sure I was aware of it when I signed up for my first California International Marathon, but I was well aware of it at the end of that race. Boston qualifying for my age group that year was 3:55:00. I ran a 3:55:04. I was pretty bummed realizing that I missed it by four seconds. I didn't realize that the actual time needed was probably even faster due to the sliding scale.
"If the total amount of submissions surpasses the allotted field size for qualified athletes, then those who are the fastest among the pool of applicants in their age and gender group will be accepted."
I ran CIM again in 2014, 2015, and 2016 with the crystalized goal of qualifying to go to Boston. Unfortunately, the only thing I accomplished on these attempts, was adding to my time. Each year was a bit slower than the year before.
In 2017, three months before CIM, I was involved in a hit and run while riding my bike. I resumed training as soon I was cleared by my doctor to run again. With a fear of cars and a desire to be close to home in case I needed to stop running, the rest of my training was done on my treadmill...a ProForm "Boston Marathon". The treadmill had videos of the race course as a built in feature so you could actually see the course as you ran.
That year, I finally reached my goal. It didn't hurt that I aged up and entered a new, slower age group either. I finished with a time of 3:58:39, just below the 4:00:00 qualifying time. When registration opened in 2018, I applied and crossed my fingers. That year, 30,458 runners applied and 23,074 were accepted. Qualifiers needed to be 4 minutes and 52 seconds faster than the qualifying time. My time wasn't fast enough.
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| Ringing the BQ bell 2017 |
I didn't sign up for CIM again for four years. When I ran it again in 2021, my finish time was 4:24:29. The following year my time was even slower at 4:26:06. I cut myself some slack and blamed my slow time on IRONMAN California a month earlier. I was beginning to wonder if I had missed my opportunity to ever qualify for Boston.
In 2023 I found myself in a new location. I signed up with a local training group (Thank you, Karyn) and once again prepared for CIM. I'm not sure if I was even considering Boston at this point. My confidence was at a low point but I stuck with the program. Even though I was a bit banged up by the start of the race, I finished with a time of 3:56:47. Boston qualifying that year for me was 4:05:00. When registration opened in September 2024, I applied and crossed my fingers again,
For the 2025 Boston Marathon, your qualifying time needed to be 6 minutes and 51 seconds faster than the posted qualifying time for your age group. I made the cut...I was in...finally!
Training for Boston
After I was officially accepted into the race, my focus returned to training for the 2024 IRONMAN California. I finished with my best long course time ever. I followed that up with a PR at CIM and another Boston qualifying time. I was on top of the world. After CIM, I took three weeks off for rest and recovery before starting a new training program geared specifically for Boston titled "McMillan: Boston Marathon Level 4 (Intermediate/Advanced)". The description of the program said it was for runners who could run 50-60 minutes for regular runs and 90 minutes for a long run so I purchased it and started my training on Sunday, December 29, 2024.
On February 1, 2025, I ran the Jed Smith 30k. It fit in nicely with my training plan and provided me a supported long run. I didn't have any expectations for this race, I merely wanted the miles. I noted afterwards that my legs felt tired but chalked it up to a 50 mile week. It dawned on me that I had logged a lot of weekly miles, more than normal for being early into the training plan. Things did not begin to improve. So, a few weeks later, I pulled the plug on the Boston specific plan and loaded up a tried and true plan. While the new training plan gave me some relief, I still wasn't feeling "normal". My legs were always tired and I couldn't run at my normal training pace.
A month later, after expecting to bounce back, I was still feeling slow. I stuck with the plan and expected that eventually things would normalize. I had moments where I seemed to be back to my normal running self, but the two 20 milers on the schedule were awful. My first one was cut short at 18 miles and that was after walking the last few. My second one was a little better, but nowhere near what it should have been. I was starting to get worried.
On March 26, I donned a pair Adidas Adizero Pro 4's and took them out for a short run test run. They felt OK, albeit a bit softer and squishier than my 3's. A few days later on my last 20-miler I noted a tight achilles and had to stop mid run to take some Aleve. I didn't run again for five days in the hopes that my achilles would start to feel better. I laced up my new yellow shoes and headed out for a 4 mile run. The first two miles were good and then the pain started to set in. I hobbled through mile 3 (probably not a good idea) and then had to walk the last mile. I was starting to get really worried.
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| New shoes for race day |
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| Grok's recommendation |
Pre-Race
Once I knew I was accepted in the race, I booked our hotel room through Marathon Tours & Travel. I should have booked it sooner and just canceled if I didn't make it in. The pickings were slim by the time I tried to find a place. I decided on the Hyatt Regency Cambridge on Boston. It would have been better to have a day or two extra before the race, but they only had Saturday, Sunday and Monday nights available. Lesson learned.
We splurged on first-class airfare thinking that we would be comfortable enough to sleep on our red-eye flight to Boston. Unfortunately, it was a very bumpy flight and even HS, who sleeps through just about anything, found it hard to get some rest. We dropped our bags off at the hotel and went to find breakfast and then head to the Expo to pick up my bib.
The walk felt good at first but we struggled to find a decent place to eat. We walked down Boylston St towards the finish (past the Expo) and then turned around. Eventually we found Tatte Bakery & Cafe and stopped to eat. I had been awake for well over a day and my stomach was in knots probably from the Aleve I had been taking for the last few weeks. I ate what I could.
We headed back to the Expo, which was now open at this point. There was a roped line out front which snaked back and forth. We didn't stop moving until we got inside the building and had to go through security. We took the escalator to the second floor and were ushered into a very large hall/room which had a crazy maze going back and forth across the room. I couldn't imagine how long the wait would be if the line wasn't moving. I think we must have walked a mile just in this room!
The next day, Easter Sunday, we took things easy. The day started with breakfast at the hotel followed by a live stream of our church service (the first time missing Easter in over 25+ years). Eventually, we headed down the road to Trader Joe's to get some snacks before returning to our room. I did a little reading before cracking open my computer and coming up with a race strategy for the next day.
Using the Boston Marathon Pace Calculator on the Runners Connect website, I meticulously programmed my Garmin for a 4 hour and 5 minute finish time. This was roughly 9 minutes slower than my qualifying time, but given the state of my achilles, I didn't want to push it. I figured I would take it easy and just enjoy the run. Besides, it's not like I was trying to qualify for anything. In fact, I checked the results from the last few years just to see how slow I could actually be without coming in last.
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| The plan |
Race Day
The hotel offered a shuttle service to take runners over to Boston Commons to catch the bus to Hoptinkin. As instructed, I arrived in the lobby an hour before my assigned time slot for the start line bus. It was chilly this morning but I opted not to wear anything other than what I was running in. Even though it was a short distance, it took a while to make our way through the city streets to our drop off which seemed to be quite a ways from our destination. I walked through the cool streets shaded by tall buildings over to the commons.
I am always amazed when I see all the buses at CIM and the long line of portapotties. The bus situation in Boston made CIM look small time. Since I had a while before I was allowed in the area to even line up to get on a bus, I decided to use the bathroom one more time. I was a little surprised by the number of portapotties. There was no where near the number in Folsom. I noticed a sign that said something to the affect of last chance bathroom before a long bus ride. I thought it was a joke.
After using the restroom, it was finally time for me to take my place in the que for the bus to the start line. I chatted with a few of the women around me. One lady had just ran a marathon the previous weekend and said she was running Boston just for the experience. I was here for the experience too, but I couldn't imagine not wanting the freshest legs possible.
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| Finally time for the blue bibs |
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| So many buses |
The walk from the bus to the athlete's village wasnt' too far. I immediately joined a porta-potty line and took care of business one more time. A quick glance at my watch told me it was time to find my starting corral. This time the walk was a bit further.
I found my corral and joined the other runners with similar qualifying times. Music was playing and the mood was festive. I watched in amazement as runners who were a bit behind schedule ran to find their starting corrals. I don't think I would have expended that energy for a 10:50am start time. No one starting at this time of day would be setting records or winning their age group.
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| Walking to run |
As the rolling start began, the group began a slow shuffle which turned into a jog and finally a run at the official start line. Here goes nothing!
The "Race"
As I mentioned earlier, I had my entire pacing strategy programmed into my Garmin and I planned to stick to it. I would hold back in the early downhill miles and I wouldn't fret when my pace slowed on the uphill portions. Everything started great.
Below is a comparison of my actual pace vs. my programmed pace. Everything was fine through the first six miles and then things slowed down. My achilles started to ache even though the rest of me felt fine.
Mile 10 was the beginning of the end of running. I even stopped to take a photo at mile 10 to send to text to family. My smile is more of a grimace. I sent along the message "I'm dying" which really wasn't accurate. I wasn't dying, I didn't hit the wall, I was just in a tremendous amount of pain.
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| Mixed messaging |
At that point, I started walking and trying to hold back the tears. I couldn't imaging how long the next 16 miles were going to take me. When the thought of several hours of painful walking became to much to think about, I tried running again. Typically I will start off on my left foot, but for whatever reason, I pushed off with my right and was met with a piercing pain in my achilles that shot up my calf. I yelped loud enough to startle the man running next to me. He asked if I was OK. I nodded and resumed my hobbling walk. This time I was unable to rein in the tears.
The miles seemed to tick by so slowly. I had plenty of time to take in the people and scenery but I wanted to move a bit quicker. I tried to run again, well shuffle. I lead with my left foot and began moving in a manner that limited the amount of pushing I had to do with my right foot. It wasn't fast, but it was faster than walking. At least the mile markers were coming a bit more quickly.
I tried to put the pain out of my mind and to focus on the fact that I was actually here...running the Boston Marathon. I tried to take it all in and took time to snap some pics (something I wouldn't normally do in a race). The course was beautiful and I even recognized some of it from the treadmill videos.
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| Heartbreak Hill |
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| Amazingly low gas prices (at least to a Californian) |
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| The "Boston Shuffle" |
As I made my way down Boylston Street, I searched for HS. Every time I saw a white ball cap my hopes were lifted only to be quickly disappointed. There were so many people and so many white hats that I gave up trying to find him. At least I had my phone, something he insisted I carry with me so we could find each other after the race.
I crossed the finish line in 4:51:35. It was by far one of my slowest marathon times ever. In fact, it was 24 minutes SLOWER than my 2024 IRONMAN California marathon split of 4:27:36.
With my medal in hand, my mind went to finding HS so we could get back to the hotel. I followed the signs pointing me to the meet up areas. I found a sign with a P on it and sat down. Eventually HS found me.
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| P Marks the Spot |
For all of the fretting and worrying about the logistics of getting to the start, I really didn't give any consideration to how we were going to get back to the hotel from the finish line. I heard someone mention that the hotel shuttle would give us a ride back, but I had no idea where the pick up point was. We opted for an Uber. It took a while for the driver to make his way through the traffic and people, but we were finally in the car and on our way back in what turned out to be one of the most expensive rides we took all weekend.
Back at the hotel, I showered and iced my ankle for a bit before summoning the energy to get dressed and go down for something to eat. I wore my Boston Marathon shirt but not the medal. Apparently I missed the memo that said all finishers should wear the medals everywhere until they leave Boston. Everyone in the restaurant that night had their medals around their necks. The following day, everyone we saw on the street had their Boston shirts and medals on. Even people at the airport were sporting their medals! Eventually I slipped mine on for a quick pic before tucking it safely away in my purse.
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| Just trying to fit in :-) |
Final Thoughts
I thought crossing the finish line would feel different than it did. At best it was bittersweet. I hated not being able to run like I wanted. Now I've got that little voice in the back of my head reminding me that I'm qualified for next year. I'm going to ignore it for now and just enjoy the fact that I faced my fears, got on that plane and made it through the race.
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