125th Boston Marathon

The 125th Boston Marathon. 🦄💛💙

I had decided I wanted to run this Boston several years ago because I knew it would be special. But, little did I know it would be THAT special! Not only did it mark a significant milestone in the race’s storied history, but it also marked the first time the race happened in more than 900 days since the Covid pandemic. And it was the first, and likely only, Boston Marathon to be run in October as the race is always held on the third Monday of April each year.

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For those who had been following along during my twelve week training cycle on Instagram or Strava, you know that I was quite pleased with my training through the summer. Being able to complete track sessions, tempo runs, and long runs with friends (@l.tay , @wambot , @raelgy , and the rest of the @iguanarf crew) made it way more enjoyable and successful training cycle. I also managed my training fueling and nutrition quite well using my @iloendurance as my “go-to” fuel source.

Having run the Boston course twice before (2017, 2018), I had a very tactical plan to try and hit my target time of 2:55. I broke the course into four sections:

Miles 1-6: I planned to run controlled at my target marathon pace or just slightly faster. I would let the hills do the work and not give in to the desire to go more quickly, which is a common mistake that can be done at Boston. Many, including me before, will want to go out fast on the downhill, though they will essentially pay for it by the time they reach the hills of Newton. My target paces were 6:35-6:40 min/mile, and I averaged a 6:35 min/mile. (Grade: A)

Miles 7-16: My plan for this course section was to run at a marathon pace as it is the flattest section. Here I tried to enjoy the crowds, especially in Wellesley, and take it all in. If my training fitness had prepared me, my target pace of 6:40 min/mile for this section should feel pretty easy. I averaged a 6:39 min/mile. (Grade: A)

Miles 16-21: Next up were the Newton hills. Known to be the spot in the race where the four significant hills and rolling hills section of the course usually punishes those who go out too fast early in the race. I was ready for this section based on the hard work of running our local hilly long routes in Vancouver would pay off, and for the most part, it did. I ran very solid throughout this section, expecting to give back even a little more than I did. My target pace was 6:50 min/mile for this section, and I averaged a 6:57 min/mile (Final grade: B-)

Miles 21-finish: In the last section, I was planning to empty the tank with everything I had left. Though I ran reasonably well in this section, I had a little less gas in the tank than I would have hoped. I think the deceptively warm day zapped some of that energy I was hoping to have. In the end, though, I ran pretty well and got a boost seeing @cherprieve at the 23-mile mark. My target pace was a speedy 6:35 min/mile, and I ended up with a 6:56 min/mile. (Final grade: C+)

As it turns out, I ran a solid race, and according to both Garmin and Strava, I had set a new PR of 2:57:12. That said, I overran the course by more than a kilometre and would realize this when I hit the 40km mark on my watch and was still more than a kilometre from the 40k mile marker on the course. It was that moment I realized I would not achieve a new PR, but instead finish likely 4+mins off my time. So, while disappointing, I was pleased with the execution of my race plan.

I had told myself this would be last Boston for a few years, so I wanted this to be a memorable one, and did not disappoint. Until next time!

By the numbers:

Chip time 3:01:46
BQ -18:14
Overall: 1,686/15,374
Gender: 1,531/7,941
Age group (M45-49): 165/1,260