Summary: Ran close to reduced plan, suffered a few cramps, and enjoyed the day.

Background: I pulled a hamstring February 15. I lost a couple of weeks to that and the ensuing calf problems from stride changes. I never got training totally back on track though managed most of the distance – just no speed.  I entered the race expecting to be a “Gapper” – starting at the back of Wave 1 and running slower than my qualifying pace. I therefore had nightmare visions of the bulk of Wave 1 pulling out in front of me, the divided sea of spectators closing in from both sides as I approached, kids and strollers and pedestrians all crossing in front of me as I ran in the no-man’s land between waves until the Wave 2 rabbits came through, probably at Heartbreak Hill, demoralizing me with their passing speed, and finally being swept up by the bulk of Wave 2 for the final miles. Nonetheless, the mantra was – keep it under four, have fun.

Details: Got up after a good nights sleep (strange!) and had my standard (non-morning run day) bowl of Raisin Bran and bananas. My wife drove my friend Paul and I to meet the MVS club busses in Methuen. We settled in with Liz and Sharon for the ride. We arrived at the Hopkinton High parking lot at 9:00 AM and the four of us took a walk into the Athlete’s Village and met up with a few more friends for a couple of pictures and good luck wishes. We then settled into the bus to stay warm and comfy for a while. What a great deal those club busses are!

We finally moseyed down to coral 10 – the last of Wave 1 – and found a spot near the back. I was doing math – last year I’d run on a 3:19 qualifier and been in coral 7; this year, 3:28 put me in 10: three minutes per coral. Awesome.

I hung with a couple of fast buddies before the start and ran with them to the line.  They were planning a “training” run and had come back coral 3 to 10 to hang with us mid-packers. Their reactions to the 10 minute delay to the start line were amusing. 

I figured I could run something between 8:45’s and 9’s and lit out to do 8:45’s. I was feeling really good early, however, and the gentle downhills sucked me in. The first five miles went by pretty smoothly (8:25, 8:29, 8:44, 8:22, 8:42). I tossed my overshirt and immediately regretted it – it was forecasted to be cold and windy at the end and if I slowed I was going to be cold.

It was eerily quiet at the back of Wave 1. Though it wasn’t quite as dramatic as I’d feared in my dreams, the bulk of the wave did pull away and a few of us, running gently, strung out behind it. A very different experience than previous years – instead of running in the huge Boston pack, it was much more like being at a smaller race someplace. Getting to water stops was a breeze and I got plenty of fluids – but I almost had to look for people to run with. I like company to make the miles go by and, although it took some effort, I was able to find folks. And again, the next five went smoothly (8:29, 8:26, 8:26, 8:33, 8:29).

At this point, I began telling myself I was probably running too fast and would pay for it later. But it still all felt good. The crowds were quieter than in past years – I thought maybe they were smaller because of the cooler weather but, in retrospect, I think they were just a bit more subdued as I came by with the strung out Gappers instead of the fifteen-across mass that I’m used to at Boston. I found myself missing that mass. Got to the high pitched fences of Wellesley and found an advantage to the smaller crowd – my choice of girls!! Took time to take advantage of that! Still running smooth through 15 (8:33, 8:31, 8:38, 8:31, 8:40).

I think it was around 16 that I noticed the first red numbered runners streaking by me. Though their numbers would steadily increase, I never felt "washed over" by Wave 2. There were a lot more folks than usual passing me in the last miles - but my slowing pace certainly contributed.

Cruised through 16 with some encouragement from friends and hit the firehouse turn and got a boost from some more friends on the side. Lowered the head and started up the hills. I think the first one is the worst. It’s short, but it’s the steepest and it just looms. I chugged along, not worrying about slowing a bit, and feeding off the crowd encouragement. Stopped to hug some close friends at 19 and cherished the few second stop before resuming my plodding. As I passed the sign for 20, I felt the first twinge in my calf. Yipes. I altered my stride a bit, still climbing, to try to stretch it out. I found the “Pro from Dover” shortly thereafter with a much welcome bottle of 50/50 Gatorade (8:32, 8:54, 8:59, 8:53, 9:38).

My family was at the 22 mark and I stopped a few seconds to hug my wife and kids and my father who’d come up from Florida. Told them I was cramping a bit but had no doubts I could make it the final four miles home. These five miles seemed the toughest – I was trying to find the sweet pace that was just below the cramp threshold – but I knew it was only a jog from here - and that stupid hill over the Mass Pike just before Kenmore felt HUGE as always! (9:23, 9:22, 9:19, 9:19, 9:43)

It was all over but the crying at this point – jogged my way through the new Mass Ave. underpass and spotted a friend at the turn onto Hereford. I enjoyed the sunny and warmer than expected weather in Boston (didn’t need that shirt after all!) and kept it steady to the finish logging 3:51:31 (8:50 pace) – not my worst Boston (that was the 2004 meltdown), but certainly not my best.

In summary, I didn’t like the wave start. I’m a mid-packer – I missed my mid-pack cradle of fellow runners. I ran close to the plan I had – though it wasn’t the plan I wanted. It probably would have been a bit prettier if I’d taken it out a bit slower. But I got it done.

Big thanks to all the friends who offered encouragement and support! You make it all worthwhile!