Boston 2008 - Race Report

The start of the Boston Marathon is pretty cool. It's about 1/2 mile walk from the Athlete's Village to the starting corrals. Along the way we dropped off our clothing bags at the school buses that corresponded to our bib numbers. Everybody seemed really excited. Duane and I chatted with a guy from Austin that happened to be in the crowd with us.

Here's some pictures showing the big crowd headed for the start of Wave 1. It seemed like there were 100 buses lined up collecting all the bags.

Once we reached the starting area, Duane and I ran into Murray and chatted about the race. I had to use the restroom one more time, but the porta-potty lines were too long. A bunch of guys were peeing on the side of the library building in Hopkinton, which didn't seem to amuse the guy next door. I ended up going over there too, but used a bottle so that I wasn't leaving anything behind.

Once we got into the starting corral (#3), we met up with Ken and Thomas and got ready to go. After the national anthem and a flyover that was partially hidden by the clouds, they shot off the gun and we were off. I was finally running the Boston Marathon.

My race plan was to have as much fun as possible. I thought I could run around 8:00/mile and feel comfortable. Duane and I were planning to take it easy, hit the beer stops, take some picture and try to enjoy the race.

I knew the the start was going to be downhill, but I had no idea it was going to be so steep. We cruised along letting everyone go by as much as possible, but it's really impossible to run slow when there are thousands of people around you running fast. The first mile was between 7:30-8:00/mile including a stop to use the restroom again.

Here's a couple picture's of Mile 1. Travis us passed when we stopped to let Duane use the woods. I got some weird looks from some people when I started walking and taking pictures.

After that we settled in to a good pace for the next several miles. As much as we tried to slow down we alway seemed to be running between 7:30 - 7:44. Around Mile 6 I started feeling my Gu belt loosening. I reached down and it came completely off. It took some time to get it put back together while I was running. We stopped in Framingham to use the restroom again and I was able to secure it.

We started looking for Sadie and Jennifer because we knew they would be out there somewhere. We finally spotted them in Natick in Mile 10. It was kind of fitting because that's where I waiting for Sadie when she ran in 2006. As soon as we saw them we cut across the runners behind us to give our wives some big hugs.

Here's what it looked like.

After that we took off into the hills. It was cool running through Natick and seeing the same things I saw in 2006, but from the runner's perspective. In 2006, there was an Elvis impersonator singing in the back of a truck. This year he was Johnny Cash.

After Natick the hills began and my pace started to slow. We went from mostly sub-8:00 miles to 8:12 & 8:43. Pretty soon though we started into Wellesley and started hearing the girls. You can't help but run faster when enter that wall of noise. Check it out.

We didn't stop for any kisses, but I did manage to high-five as many as I could while running and taking pictures.

Pretty soon afterward I really started to feel my lack of training. By Mile 15 I started to notice Duane pulling away and then slowing down to let me catch up. I finally told him to stop waiting for me and to keep going. From here I was in survival mode, trying to just finish. I kept on running but really slowed down. The sun was out and I felt really hot. We were approaching the Newton Hills and I was determined to run through them. I did take the time for a video.

I knew my mom and Jim would be in here somewhere and I was really looking for them. I needed and excuse to take a break and I wanted to give them my camera because it felt like it weighed 20 pounds at this point. My back hurt, my hamstrings were tight and it felt like I was crawling. The crowds were getting huge and were really loud so I was starting to worry that I would miss them. I finally saw them between 19 and 20, ran over to see them and ditched my camera. I was so glad to see them. While I was talking to them, John from training group ran by and said hi. It surprised me because I expected him to be way down the road. I ran to catch up with and he wasn't having a great day. After a little while he started walking and I went on.

I managed to run through the big hills and make it over Heartbreak Hill. Kate was on the side of the road with a big yellow sign so I ran over to say hi. I wanted to stop for a little bit but they kept yelling at me to run. Kate joked that Lance Armstrong was just ahead of me.

The last 6 miles became a run/walk-athon. I should have kept my camera because I was moving so slowly. I started walking through water stops and trying to drink as much as possible. I could feel my legs cramping all over whenever I pushed too hard. Despite all of this I was still enjoying myself. I just tried to soak in the atmosphere and check out the runners and the crowds. I stopped to stretch occasionally. People in the crowd would urge me on and make me start running again. A lot of people would see my hat and yell "Go Texas" or "Hook em Horns". They all helped keep me going.

I had known for some time now that 3:30 was out of the question, but it never dawned on me until about Mile 22 that I wasn't going to beat 3:37, Sadie's 2006 Boston time. I did some quick calculations and realized I had no chance at that. I felt good about it though. She worked her butt of that year training for Boston and gave it a whole lot more effort than I did. She deserves to be the fastest Boston marathoner in our family.

The last few miles were tough and a lot of it was a blur. I remember seeing Mac on the sidelines and stopping to talk to him for a few seconds. I remember passing Fenway where my Rangers were getting kicked around by the Red Sox again. I remember thinking I needed to hustle to beat 3:50.

With a mile to go I was walking along, trying to keep from cramping up, when I looked over and saw a guy sitting against the fence with an oxygen mask on being attended to by the EMS. I said to myself, "At least I feel better than him" and figured I ought to be running. From there I ran all the way to the finish.

When I made the final turn onto Boylston I could finally see the finish. It seemed like a million people were lining the streets. I just ran and smiled. As I neared the finish line, I actually felt myself tear up a little. I had just run the Boston Marathon. 3:48.

Boston 2008 - Almost to my Race Report

Monday was a day I had been thinking about for 4 years. Every time I tried and failed to qualify for Boston made me want it even more. My Boston Marathon race day was finally here and I was ready to soak it all in.

I knew when I signed up that this wouldn't be a fast race for me. There were too many missed workouts and long runs due to our wedding and honeymoon, along with a foot injury, to put me in peak shape for a hard race. Of course, I wouldn't trade our wedding and honeymoon experience for anything, so it didn't bother me at all. Duane's training was about the same as mine because of his work, so we decided to run Boston as an easy long run and to try and have as much fun as possible.

I woke up at 5:30 AM so that we could catch the charter bus at 6:45AM for the trip to Hopkinton. There were a lot of other Austin runners there including Travis, Ken, Chris and several members of my Rogue group. We all got to talk about our plans for the race and give each other a little grief.

In Hopkinton, they take you to the Athlete's Village where everyone waits for the start. I got out to get some fresh air, use the restroom and take some pictures.

About 50 minutes before the start they called Wave 1 to head toward the start. Along the way we dropped our bags at the school buses and walked in a huge mass of runners to the starting corrals.

(To Be Continued. I want to go to bed)

Boston 2008 - The Expo

After the Olympic Trials, Sadie and I had some breakfast and headed to the Expo at the Hynes Convention Center. On the way we stopped by the marathon finish line for a few pictures.

It's kind of similar to this pic from 2006.

The Boston Marathon Expo is huge. It seems like any company that has anything to do with running is there. The first stop was to pick up my race packet and number.

It seems like I've seen this one before too.

After we got my packet, we made our way through the crowds to see all the booths. First stop was the Adidas booth to see all the official clothing. I ended up buying a jacket, a sleeveless shirt, a short sleeve shirt and new cap. My favorite hat for the last two years has been my red 2006 Boston Marathon cap that I bought at the expo when Sadie ran Boston. It was a cool feeling to get a new cap, this time in black, that had my Boston year on it.

The expo was extemely crowded, so we basically pushed our way down each aisle getting free samples and tasting food. I was glad that I wouldn't be racing hard the next day because we spent a lot of time there and used up some energy. We both love Nike clothes and bought a few hats and a shirt at their booth. Kate had called earlier to see if we would get her a Red Sox cap that they only sell at the expo. Sadie and I both got them in 2006. It's Nike's featherlight running cap styled like the Red Sox cap. We managed to get her one of the last 3 that they had.

At the New Balance booth, we ran into one of Sadie's friends, Jill, and her husband Dick Beardsley, who had the famous duel with Alberto Salazar in the 1982 Boston Marathon. They were both extremely nice, congratulated us on our wedding, and wished me luck in my 1st Boston Marathon.

Pretty soon we were tired of the expo and ready for lunch. We met up with Duane and Jennifer in the lobby and went to lunch across the street. At lunch, we all made our plans to meet up the next morning for our big race.

Boston 2008 - U.S. Women's Olympic Trials

On Sunday, the day before the marathon, we woke up a little early to watch the U.S. Women's Olympic Marathon Trials. As luck would have it, the course actually ran right below our hotel room window. Here's a picture of the leader coming by on the 1st lap.

After we got dressed, we went outside to watch the rest of it. We found Ken & Kate and were able to cheer on the 4 Austin runners. They had the course set up so that you could stay in one spot and see them all go by about 8 times. Deena Kastor ended up winning after holding back for the 1st part of the race. It was cool to see the difference after she picked up the pace. Here are some more pics:

It was a lot more fun to watch then I had expected.

2008 Boston Marathon: Pre-Race Report

Today I, Chad Jones, ran the Boston Marathon. And it hurt really bad.

I figured out that even if you run slowly, it is still 26.2 miles to the finish.

List: New Things I Ate in France

We had a great time on our honeymoon in France. I'm sure most of you have read about it on Sadie's blog . She has all the pictures.

Here's a list of things I ate in France that I had never had before.

1. Pork Terrine - I didn't order this, but the waiter brought it to me anyway. I ate it because it was easier than trying to explain it to a French guy. It kind of looked like canned cat food.
2. Pain au chocolate - the French sure now how to cook pastries.
3. Coq au vin - apparently this is an old rooster cooked in wine broth. It was really good.
4. Beef jaw - I ate this at one of our nicest meals in a small restaurant in Saignon. I knew it was beef, but didn't know exactly what it was until Sadie told me. Of course, she knew what I was eating all along.
5. Duck - this was served in a sort of pastry and was probably the best thing I ate.
6. A pizza with an egg on it.
7. Crepes - I had a couple with Nutella and one sucre citron crepe. And no, they're not little bitty pancakes.
8. Nougat - "Nu-gah" - our hotel had a basket of these little candies in the lobby along with jars of marshmallows and gummy candies.
9. Club Sandwich
10. Pomme frites - "real" French fries. mmmmmm!

Off to Boston

Well tomorrow we're off to Boston. I'm looking forward to having a good time with this race. Since I basically took a month off for the wedding/honeymoon/work as we peaked in our training, my race plan is to run an easy pace and to just try and soak up the whole Boston Marathon experience. Duane has the same plan, so we should be running together. Murray may join us too.

It's kind of nice not having a goal time. I would kind of like to keep it under 3:30, but I really have no idea how I'm going to feel at Mile 20. I just want to keep a nice steady easy pace, cross the finish line and get that medal.

We're starting in Corral 3, so we should see Ken at the start and then see a lot of the other Austin runners as they pass us by. Hopefully, for their sake, we won't see them until the end.