120TH BOSTON MARATHON WEEKEND

FRIDAY - FLORIDA TO BOSTON 

Packed and ready to head to the airport

The day arrived! I was heading to Boston, MA with my family and I was going to run the 120th Boston Marathon. The race I had never imagined I'd ever qualify for only a few years ago.

I wasn't exactly 100% for this race as I was dealing with foot issues (Plantar Fasciitis) that kept me from finishing up my training in the last couple months, but I sure wasn't going to keep it from holding me back. I wanted to experience running the Boston Marathon and I was going to make it to the starting line of the race I worked my butt off to get to. Who knows when I'll ever have the chance to make it back. This is a dream come true!



We were in Boston the Friday before race day on April 15th. On our way to the expo for my bib pick up we walked by the famous Boston Marathon Finish Line. It was the first time I had ever seen it all set up for race day. A mix of emotions ran through me being near it this day. So much excitement for me but also sadness at the sight of what was supposed to be an amazing day for so many three years ago. Later that day we stood in silence at the Marathon Expo at exacty 2:49pm in observance of the April 15, 2013 tragedy. #BOSTONSTRONG

Finish line behind me

One of the memorials

GETTING MY BOSTON BIB# :-)

EXPO FUN

SATURDAY - BAA EVENTS

With Juan

Saturday morning my goal was to make it over to Boston Common with my husband to cheer for my Beast Mode teammate Juan who was participating in the BAA 5K. The race started at 8:00am and we didn't get on the 'T' until 7:30am. We were coming from Cambridge and I was starting to panic. I didn't want to miss him. It was important to me to be there supporting my friend! 

We arrived late. The coolest thing was he was actually in a later wave and as soon as we saw the elites flash by to the Finish, I caught the sight of my friend Juan running from the Start! I ran along the crowds yelling "Beast Mode" hoping he'd hear me! 

Finish Line photo op

My husband's plan was to do a solo run of his own around Boston, so I joined Juan on a walk down Boylston after the 5K to head over to the BAA Invitational Mile and Scholastic 1K scheduled for 10:30am. We arrived early and were able to get some photos at the famous Finish Line since the streets were blocked off. Very exciting stuff! 

Boys Middle School 1000m

It was amazing to watch all the young kids run! They were from the eight cities and towns of the Boston Marathon course.  There were also some top milers from around the world there. It was a windy cold morning but we sat in the bleachers shivering and cheering all the races that morning. 

I overheard that Henry Richard from Boston would be running in the Boys Middle School 1000 Meter Run. I confirmed it was Henry's younger brother, Martin Richard, that was the one who lost his life at the Boston bombings three years ago. His Mom was critically injured that day and his sister lost one of her legs. A very tragic day for the Richard family. He placed 4th out of the 16 boys running. Way to go Henry! 

Back with my husband in Cambridge. Thankful for so many things!

SUNDAY - MORE FRIENDS ARRIVE

My husband took our boys to a Red Sox Game Sunday and I met up with my friends back at the Marathon expo. It was such a great day spent with all of them! Probably spent way too much time on my feet with the Marathon being the next day, but I've always been one not to want to miss out on anything. 

Mishele and Robyn are my good friends and teammates from Beast Mode Running that came to Boston to cheer for not only me, but for many of the runners we know from South Florida. Marc is a good friend I've known since Disney's 2011 Marathon who also came to run Boston. Both of our families met celebrating our first marathon - and here we are both now running the Boston Marathon!

Mishele & "Meb's best friend" Robyn 

Robyn, Meb, Mishele and Me

The first highlight of our day was when my friend Robyn introduced us to her "Best Friend" Meb. (look what he wrote to Robyn on the left)

I had tried and failed a couple times the day before to see him, but we just happened to be at the right place at the right time now!

Meb signed my Boston Marathon 2016 hat!

My "no meat athlete" friend Mishele who qualified for Boston last November to run 2017 caught the attention of fellow plant based runner Scott Jurek. He was talking with a group of people in a hallway while we were admiring him just hoping he'd turn around... to our surprise he did! He was the nicest guy agreeing to getting in a photo with us! :-)

He's a well known Ultramarathoner who has traveled the world running Ultra distances and breaking records along with being a bestselling author and public speaker. I've read his book "Eat & Run". If you have not read it yet? I recommend you do! He's a pretty amazing guy that runs on plants!

Marc and I had the opportunity to catch up with our old friend Bart Yasso. We always get the chance to see him at the separate races we participate in, but I think this is the first time we actually got to see him together... so we captured the moment. He's pretty sharp. Claims he remembers us... hmmmm.

If you've read Runners World Magazine you know him as the Chief running officer. He's also a coach for The Runner's World Challenge, known for Yasso 800's, and an author. I enjoyed his book "My Life On The Run". Another good one for your runner's book shelf.

I had to get back to my hotel room to rest. My foot was bothering me and the marathon was tomorrow! I joined everyone for the pasta dinner and headed back.

It was great to feel the energy of Boston and spend such a great day with friends. The energy was going to feed me all the way to the Boston Finish Line! My only thoughts now are positive!

Ready for the 120th Boston Marathon

RACE DAY

 

This is how I started every day and ended every evening this weekend. My foot in the sink for an Epsom salt soak. It's also how I started my morning on Race Day too. Woke up early enough to soak for at least 10 minutes after some stretching before putting on my race gear. It really sucks to have this foot issue on such an important day! 

It was a little sore as it has been for weeks, but I knew I'd feel okay once I got moving. I was getting used to the routine. Very thankful to the man at the front desk of our hotel for freezing a water bottle for me early yesterday. I was able to ice my foot before I had gone to bed. My only worry now was how much I'd be able to tolerate once I got into the later miles. I lacked the miles in my training when this started weeks ago. 

First text 6:49am:  "See you soon!!! I'm on the shuttle heading to Tremont" 

It was Kellie! My new friend from Michigan. (I grew up in MI) I met Kellie through an FB group we're both a part of. It all started with a mutual running friend. I actually got a chance to meet her in person briefly when she was in Fort Lauderdale this winter. We ran the same race last February. The A1A Half Marathon. We both got a PR that day. Same age group. She was a couple minutes faster than me and I'm still her friend. :-) We've kept in touch through messages and we were thrilled to find out that we were going to be able to keep each other company at Athletes Village since we were in the same wave and corral, 4/1.

The plan was to meet up with both Kellie and Marc for the buses at 7:30am. I got dressed after a couple changes... changed the calf sleeves because they seemed too tight and changed the shorts because of pocket placement at the last minute too. This made me feel so unorganized for today! I usually have it all figured out by now. Ugh! I was nervous indeed! Why? It's BOSTON!!!!

Wave 4 was to board buses between 8:35-8:59am. A one gallon clear plastic bag for extra stuff including food/drink was allowed on the bus and in Athletes Village so I stuffed everything I thought I could possibly need into this small bag. The weather was cooler than I'm used to in Florida but it was to get warmer in the early morning hours before our start time. I folded up an old Disney space blanket to sit on, a small bottle of suntan lotion, a few snacks that we got from the pasta party, a black marker and bubble gum. (got to have my gum!)  I needed to stop off at the CVS I saw that's on the way to the buses to buy myself some more water, powerade and chap stick. Our wave start was not until 11:15am. I put on my extra throw away (donation) layer of clothing, kissed my family good bye and headed out the door.

I texted Kellie 7:11am: "I'm on the train" and called Marc to tell him too that I was on my way. 

I made it to the buses with everything I needed by 7:30am. Kellie was already there waiting and Marc was still on his way to the bag check. I boarded a bus early with my new friend and told Marc we'd try to find him and his friends at the Village. I was a bit nervous and just wanted to get where we needed to be! 

Ends up our line of buses didn't exactly know where we needed to be... we were on a lost bus! The bus driver made an announcement when they all had to follow each other to turn around!! Quite funny actually and we were now happy we boarded a little earlier than we were actually supposed to. I believe we made it to Athletes Village just after 9:00am

By the time we reached the village they were already calling people to start their walk down to the start line for wave 2. The weather had already started to warm so we took off our extra clothing and put them in a donation bag.

Now that we were here I realized how tough it was going to be to find Marc. He was putting his phone in his gear check bag. I wasn't too worried about it because he was not alone. He was running with a big group of people he knew from Mass Eye & Ear. If only I could find their tent! I didn't realize until after we exited Athletes Village how big an area it really was!

Kellie and I decided the first thing we would do was wait in one of the many long porta john lines. Even if we didn't need to use one now, we were sure to possibly need to use it by the time we got to the front of the line. It was a great plan. While we waited we chatted with other runners. Come to find out, there were a lot of first time Boston Marathoners.

While waiting in line I took the opportunity to get my black marker out. I asked Kellie if she'd write my name on my arm. I wanted to do this because Boston does not put your name on your bib. It's always nice for those spectating and cheering to know your name so they can scream it for you to hear. First time I did this was at the Chicago Marathon in 2013 when a friend had recommended it. I was so glad I did and I wanted to do it again for Boston. We took turns writing our names on our arms. I feel bad for Kellie though... her name is spelled wrong and it takes up so much room on her arm! hahahaha :-)

Kelly and Kellie

At about 10:30am we heard the announcement that all runners in wave 4 could start their exit from Athletes Village to head to the starting line!

As we walked forward I kept asking everyone "Where's the Hopkinton sign?" I couldn't believe nobody knew! Come to find out there were even more Boston Newbies. I kept looking for it as we moved along.

There were 8 different corrals in our wave and we were in corral 1. The crowd of runners slowly began to exit left to their different corrals as we moved forward. The area began to narrow and we squeezed into the back of corral 1. We stood right in front of the Hopkinton sign!  There it was on the right side of the road!! :-)

I looked around with amazement. I was about to run the race of my dreams... Kellie's first Boston too! We gave each other a big squeeze and wished each other the best race experience. It was time to run the Boston Marathon!!!

THE RACE

After crossing the starting line it was downhill running. The adrenaline and the excitement of seeing the crowd of runners in front of me certainly kept my mind off my foot. That didn't matter to me at this point, what mattered to me most was to keep my pace in check. I was feeling fantastic, but I knew better. I had my coach on my shoulder telling me to take it easy because I still had a long way to go and I lacked the training these last couple months. It was not to burn too much energy in the early miles because it was important to save it for the Newton Hills. It was actually the plan if I felt 100% and it was my plan now. The course is tough regardless of your fitness and I just wanted to finish today. Take it easy and "Enjoy your victory lap!!!" is what coach said. That's what I was going to do. 

After leaving Hopkinton I ran through the towns of Ashland, Framingham and Natick. I could feel my pace starting to fade before reaching the town of Wellesley. After I hit the the 15K mark I decided I wasn't going to fight it, but I certainly was not going to stop moving forward. Looking around at all the people cheering reminded me to do exactly what I was going to do. Enjoy the race! "GO KELLY", "LOOKING GOOD BEAST MODE" was a lot of what I could hear. I'm sure I was smiling no matter how tired I was feeling.  

I knew I was either almost to Wellesley or about to get to Wellesley College when I heard all the screaming. I've heard and read about the Wellesley College girls but to experience it was absolutely a blast! I kept to the left of the course but kept my eyes to the right reading all their signs asking for kisses. I wish I would have pulled my camera out at this point to just capture it all, but there's nothing like actually hearing and seeing it all as I ran by. "Kiss me or I'll vote for Trump" one of the signs read. I wonder how many kisses she tallied? 

I managed to get myself to the half mark in 2:04:04. Not bad, but I knew I wasn't going to be able to keep up my pace. My right foot actually wasn't bothering me too much, it was my left foot that I could feel was forming a blister on the bottom of it! Probably from all the downhill running that I had done so far. I was so happy at this point anyway. I felt like I got to the point that I knew for sure I was going to finish this thing. I was not at my strongest, but I was going to finish without a medical tent no matter how slow. I was enjoying this! The people and cheers were incredible!

I remembered my family and friends were waiting for me around the 25K mark. I couldn't wait to get there! When I was around mile 14 there was a woman passing out twizzler sticks. I asked for two to carry with me to give to my kids... their favorite. I'm sure they wouldn't expect me to have a little something for them. I carried them for the next mile and a half. I couldn't wait to hand them over! 

Just after mile 14 I also finally saw my friend Marc that I missed seeing earlier. He caught up with me after starting in corral 8! I've joined him for races in the past (Disney, MCM) and have always enjoyed having someone to run with but Marc was definitely having a great race. I could see he was running strong. It was great to see him and sweet of him to ask me to join him for some miles, but I wasn't even going to try to keep up with him and I certainly wasn't going to have him slow down for me! "You have way too much energy Marc, see you at the finish!"

25K - My favorite stop at the Boston Marathon! My husband Sean, my boys and my friends Robyn, Mishele and Juan were there cheering! It was so great to see them. Robyn had her megaphone out and they had three BIG HEADS OF ME ON A STICK!!! It was fantastic! Of course I was gong to stop for hugs and pictures. I was in no hurry, especially for the number one people that have supported me for so long! Everyone certainly made me feel pretty special! 

My cheering squad above - family and friends - Incredible!!

I left my cheer squad with a little bit of added energy. Not to run fast, but to continue pushing through  what I knew was ahead of me... the Newton Hills! My great friend and teammate in training Mishele joined me (running in her jeans!) for almost half a mile to the Newton Hills. She's one of my long run training partners that helped push me to my limits while I was training to qualify for Boston at Grandmas Marathon last summer. It was great to share a bit of the experience and I reminded her that this time next year we will be doing this again! Except for next year she'll be the one running the Boston Marathon! She qualified for 2017.

What I remember through miles 16 - 21 was a lot of encouragement. The crowds were great! I did my best to keep running but unfortunately I stopped a lot. I kept hearing my name being called and then all of a sudden I heard it followed by my last name... "Cassidy!!" I turned around to see it was my friend Liz! Liz is Marc's wife. Of course I turned and ran back to give her a big hug! I had not seen her since last January during Disney Marathon weekend! I got a little bit more power!

Up until the area of Newton there seemed to be a lot of downhill which can really burn up your quads. My legs were feeling heavy and my energy level was fading. I was heading uphill more than I was running downhill now. People tried to encourage you by telling you "you're looking strong Kelly" or "Your looking great Kelly" and I believe it was around here there was someone standing on the side with a huge mirror and sign attached stating "THIS IS WHAT YOU REALLY LOOK LIKE". That gave me a big chuckle!

When I realized I was finally on Heartbreak Hill I did my best to move a little faster knowing that I'd be happy to finally reach the top with only a 10K left to the finish. I kept my head down but realized just in front of me was a man running with not one, but two blades! He had lost both of his legs. I suddenly didn't have to dig so deep to find my strength. I was amazed and inspired by this man in front of me.

I made it to the top of Heartbreak Hill! How did I know? The lady on the left of the road was holding the sign that said so! Who knows if I'll ever run Boston again... I got out my camera and asked someone to record this memory for me with a picture!  In fact, unlike most marathons where you're happy to be almost finished? I had mixed emotions. Of course I wanted to finish, but part of me didn't want it to end! I started to ask myself if I really had it in me to run a qualifying time ever again? 

Finishing through Newton and on to Brookline passing Boston College I continued to enjoy the race hearing people yell my name. It was great to give high fives and slap the hands of those reaching out to give you a little power... especially the kids! I'd slap one kids hand and just like a set of dominos you'd see every kids hand down the line throw their hand out if you were willing to slap it. They got so excited as if they were keeping score for how many hits they would each receive! 

Then I saw the CITGO sign and became incredibly emotional. I've been reading and viewing all things Boston Marathon and I almost forgot about this iconic sign! The point where the sign is means you only have a little over a mile to go. It is at the 25 mile point of the race. I started to tear up and hyperventilate! Oh my goodness! I slowed down to breathe. Then I got out my camera again and took this picture.

It wasn't going to be much longer before I can officially call myself a unicorn!

New to the course this year was the Blue and Yellow tribute under this overpass heading down Commonwealth Ave on the way through the last mile of the Boston Marathon. Definitely a point of inspiration.

It wasn't long after this I was running the famous right onto Hereford St. then left onto Boylston heading down to the finish line. 

I remember that turn onto Boylston and spotting the finish. I took one good look and for the first time had thoughts of possibly returning again one year. That would mean I'd have to work my butt off to qualify once again! This race took me a long time to finish compared to that Boston Qualifying time. I definitely got my moneys worth! Seriously not sure if I could do that again.

I crossed the finish while looking up at the photographers hoping they'd catch this moment of my complete joy as a first time Boston Marathon finisher! After crossing the line I broke down into tears. I really just did what I had set out to do! This was it. My Journey to Run Boston is complete. There was a man sitting high on a tall chair with a megaphone. He pointed it at me and said "Kelly, Kelly, no tears here... Beast." I smiled. That's right! Beast Mode!

April 18th, 2016 I crossed the Boston Marathon finish line and became a unicorn! 

I had a few tears of joy as my dream to run Boston finally came true.

If you made it this far reading my story... thank you!









My victory lap Splits - 5K 28:12, 10K 56:09 15K 1:24:32, 20K 1:57:20, HALF 2:04:04, 25K 2:30:35, 30K 3:08:03, 35K 3:45:15, 40K 4:19:54, Official Finish Time 4:33:55 Pace 10:27

Huge thanks to my family, my coach and my amazing friends and teammates! :-)

"Always be yourself unless you can be a unicorn, then always be a unicorn" - unknown

TRAINING FOR BOSTON

RACE COMMITMENTS 

18 weeks of Boston Marathon training started the week of December 14th.  I know my coach would have preferred me starting fresh with just base mileage, but I already had a schedule of races I had committed to prior to my training. My base mileage included the Marine Corps Marathon October 25th and the Space Coast Marathon November 29th. The first two weeks of December included days of rest and easy running.  Of course I had one more commitment during my training cycle... another marathon.  I ran the Disney Marathon on January 10th (family tradition since 2011). It was the end of my 15th training week. I had to rest and recover during week 14, so now I only had 13 weeks to get serious about training for Boston. Not only was I running Boston. I wanted to run it well.

Disney Marathon Celebration Beers with my sister-in-law Megan

GAINING CONFIDENCE

I struggled through some long runs, hills and sessions at the track over the next weeks but I did my best to focus on the good days! At the end of the 10th week I had a huge confidence booster and ran my best half marathon to date! (1:51:11 an 8:30 pace). I then started to run up hills with more confidence and by the middle of the 7th week I ran 8 x 800's between 3:33 - 3:42 at track! Have you ever heard of Bart Yasso and his theory of running 800's? He thinks there is a correlation with your marathon time. Not really sure about that. That would be something if I could run my qualifying marathon time ever again (3:52:05) let alone a 3:33 - 3:42!!

MY HEEL HURTS

By the end of the 7th week I become frustrated. The heel of my right foot was bothering me. Not enough to stop running, but what the heck? I diagnosed myself with Plantar Fasciitis as it bothered me most in the morning. I continued my training which included a fun filled weekend with my teammates at the Gate River Run. A 15K which included a monster hill.

5 weeks to go. My foot was really sore and Boston was too important of a race for me to continue running on a sore foot. Lots of ice therapy, Epsom salt soaks, and rest.

4 weeks to go. I had a full week of no running with a couple days of aqua jogging and laser therapy to my heel for the pain along with the ice therapy.

3 weeks to go. I ran every other day no more that 4 miles with continued therapy.

10 days to go. I decided to keep my commitment to run the 7 mile bridge run in Marathon, FL.  I'm glad I did. It gave me confidence that I would make it to the Boston starting line. The pain in my foot was tolerable. Actually okay in the run. Just limping the next morning. More therapy.

Gate River Run 15K

READY FOR MY VICTORY LAP

Days before leaving for Boston and I was an emotional wreck. I knew I was going to make it to the starting line, but my fears were that I was not going to be able to finish. What if I had to head over to the medical tent and call it quits just miles in? If this was any other marathon I may have decided to not run. But this was Boston and I worked my butt off to qualify and get there. Any thoughts of running goals I had thrown out the window weeks ago. I had to focus on all the positive. My coach, friends and family reminded me that I am no stranger to marathon running. I know I can complete the distance... now my only goal was to finish! This was going to be my victory lap! 

MY FRIENDS AT BEAST MODE GAVE ME A SEND OFF CELEBRATION

I may have overdone it in 2015. How many marathons have you run in one year?

Experience has now taught me how important rest is between marathon cycles. How many days/weeks/months do you rest before training again?

Have you ever run a race regardless of injury? 

MY MOST REWARDING FINISH LINE

GRANDMA'S MARATHON 

So I hop on a plane to Duluth, MN, solo, to go run a marathon over 1800 miles away from home.  Why?  Because I was on a mission!  I chose this marathon because it's known as one of the top Great Boston Qualifying Races. The town of Duluth is up on the shore of Lake Superior and race day conditions are usually fantastic in June.  Solo?  Because my husband has been totally supportive of me, but only to the point of it not breaking the bank. (Which would be the case if our whole family went.)  I love him dearly, and I'm so grateful for his support sending me up to conquer my dream!  (Talk about added pressure!)

I arrived on Thursday, the race was on Saturday.  Had a nice chat with the taxi driver about Grandmas Marathon (of course!) on the way to my hotel.  The most amusing thing? While helping me with my bags he said, "I hope you win!"  I giggled a little, but was polite and just said, "Thank you. Wouldn't that be nice?" Made my night!  I could not have picked a better place to stay in downtown Duluth!  I was right in Canal Park just blocks from the finish line, party festivities, and Grandmas Restaurant! 

Friday came and it was wonderful to get a good nights sleep alone in my room.  Didn't have to worry about anyone but myself (which was strange, but kinda cool actually).  I woke up to the most beautiful view from my window just before sunrise on Lake Superior.  I got out of bed, took this amazing photo, and went right back to sleep.  I knew that with the race the next day there was no way I was going to be able to sleep that night!  When I finally did wake, I got dressed to do a short run along lake Superior.  Quite a beautiful place to run and the weather was fantastic!  (All good signs of wonderful things to come!) 

I headed over to the Expo as soon as I could, which was just a short stroll from the hotel. (great, right?)  They had a spaghetti dinner that was 'all you can eat' running from 11am - 9pm.  That was to be my fuel for the day.  I had a small plate for brunch, lunch and for dinner! (yes, small plates)   It came with a slice of bread and a small chocolate milk!  I wish more races had something like this available!  I was alone far from home without my family and friends, but to overcome that I made a few new ones.  The nice family I sat with at lunch actually asked for my race number so they could follow me! :-)  (yep, more pressure!) 

I decided to buy myself a ticket for a bus tour of the course at the Expo.  I highly recommend this option if it's offered.  Especially if you're in an area that you are not familiar with. You'll be able to seek out different landmarks to spot during your race, actually see where the water stops, fuel stops, and porta-jons are.  I was so thankful to see all the porta-jons spread throughout the course! (you never know what can happen on race day)  I was also able to see and be able to visualize the last turns before the finish when running into downtown Duluth just after reaching the infamous lemon drop hill at mile 22.  On that note, I saw that lemon drop hill was not all that bad!  It certainly helped me mentally. 

RunningOnTheFly & BubbleGumRunner (our FB pages)

My original plan for the weekend was to race the William A Irvin 5K on Friday as my shake out with Kim, aka RunningOnTheFly (we met through pages on FB) and her friend Barb.  When Coach found out it was at 6:00pm that evening?  He 'recommended' that I should be off my feet at that time.  Of course I took Coach's advice about staying out of the race, but I was still on my feet cheering for Kim and Barb (that's what friends are for).  It was great to finally meet Kim and we were able to meet up one more time just before dinner that evening.  

I had been thinking about this day for a long time, but now was the time to confirm all the small details back at my hotel room.  My race outfit was out, my bib# was pinned to it, my watch was charged, my phone was charged and next to my ear buds, I had new socks to wear with my shoes (my thing is new socks for race day), I knew I could get my PB and bagel with coffee downstairs in the hotel before heading to the start, I had a big bottle of powerade to start drinking in the morning that would be enough until I reached the start line, my 'Nathan' water bottle was ready to be filled with fresh water and it had my fuel that was six Root Beer GU's stuffed in it's zip pocket.  (wow, sorry for the 'run on' sentence... LOL, a pun!)

My original homemade pace band 

Now for the BIG details.  My race strategy!  I made three goals.  Plan A - Boston Qualify, Plan B - Sub 4 hours, Plan C - PR (run a personal record).  Why three goals?  I didn't want to set myself up for disappointment, but I was going to concentrate on the A goal!  A female 45-49 needs 3:55:00 or less to qualify for Boston.  I planned out what the approximate elapsed time I should be at each 5 mile interval to finish between 3:50 - 3:53.  I wanted to give myself a little cushion as I know I could be off on running the tangents of the course and end up running longer than 26.2!  I then wrote it down on the backside of a 3:45 marathon pace bracelet that I got from the expo! (I just turned it inside out to wear)  I'm so glad I thought of that because I started out writing it on my arm in pen! (it was not workin' for me).  I actually had 3:45 in mind too, but I wasn't very confident and wanted to be sure I didn't start out the first half too fast.  I wanted to stick with a more comfortable pace I was sure I could hold, I know from experience that it's not a good idea to bank miles.  I had the first 5 mile interval on there, which was 38:00 - 44:00, but I had to tear if off to make the pace band fit.  Of course I memorized it.  I would plan to fuel every 5 miles as well, so it would work out perfectly!

I slept in my Boston t-shirt and the very last thing I did was put my Boston hat in my gear check bag. I was going to run on Saturday with the goal of Boston Qualifying!  I could actually visualize it!  I wanted to be able to put that hat on at the end of my race to signify a BQ when I achieved my goal.

Race morning!  Everything went as planned leading up to the start line.  I was able to take the bus that arrived first to the starting line and was able to sit on a hill, relax, finish my powerade and check out the selection of porta-jons that were waiting for me when I needed them.  No lines yet.  (that never happens to me) The one last minute item I was thankful to pack on my trip and throw into my gear check bag?  An umbrella and my space blanket from a previous Disney race!!

The race starts in Two Harbors and runs south down the shore of Lake Superior to Duluth.  There was a huge storm and we were right on the edge of it!  We got a downpour of rain just before the start of the race.  We were told we wouldn't be out of it when the race starts.  Pouring rain isn't exactly ideal for a good race day, but I did my best to stay dry.  I was shaking from being wet and cold (it was in the high 50's, low 60's) so I joined a few runners under the gear check truck sitting near the inside of the tires.  I was really happy to have joined the ladies that were huddled there.  Everyone was so positive regardless of the rain!  There were a few of us hoping to BQ and one of the ladies didn't hesitate to say "you'll qualify, don't worry about the rain".  I wanted to believe her, so I decided I would.  We were called to the starting line and I lined up just behind the 3:45 pacer and in front of the 4:00 pacer.  One thing I wasn't going to let happen was let the 4 hour guy past me!  I tossed my umbrella to a volunteer, discarded my space blanket, and we were off running in the rain!

When I ran I started to think of all the people, friends and family, back home that were supporting me.  Many knew what my goal was and they all told me they'd be tracking me (there's that pressure again!).  It was great for me to break my race down into 5 mile intervals (I kept my eye on my watch and was right on it), but I was also aiming for those timing matts!  Knowing I had that support truly helped!

The few times during the race I remember slowing down? First- the beginning of the first half where I actually had to stop for a porta-jon (thanks to the course bus tour I was able to time it right).  Second- still in the first half when a man commented on me passing him he said, "don't worry, we'll be passing you later in the course".  Thank you sir!  Reminded me to slow down.  With all the shorter hills up and the long hills down it actually felt like I was being pulled to the finish line like a magnet!  The rain had become more of a mist and by the time I reached the second half the sun came out.  My intervals were right on target!  Third time slowing down- the 16 mile mark when I needed to refill my water bottle and take a good guzzle of it.  I also took some 1/4 slices of banana.  The last- reaching the top of Lemon drop Hill (mile 22) and stopping for the most refreshing slice of orange, a big swig of water, taking a deep breath, and knowing that if I just kept going without stopping?  I was going to reach my goal!  There's no stopping now! (and seriously, would I want to try this again?)  I wanted to put that Boston hat on that was in my gear check bag!

I was finally winding around the streets of downtown Duluth heading to the finish line.  I had to talk myself out of getting emotional because it can actually cause me to get what I call an athletic asthma.  I crossed the finish line with just under three minutes to spare!  Even running the best I could to stay close to the tangents actually covering 26.32 miles!  Yay!  Almost certain to be accepted to Boston in 2016!

My 13th Marathon and Most Rewarding Finish Line... Grandma's Marathon 2015 

Have you ever raced in the rain?
Do you break up your races into intervals?
What was one of your most rewarding finish lines?
  

   

I HIRED A RUNNING COACH!

My running coach!  It's kinda funny actually.  I met coach through facebook running pages!  I'm that running person that not only loves to run, talk about running, read about running, but also follows run pages for fun.  I started following Nathan with Beast Mode Running because I took note it was close to home in Fort Lauderdale.  I had the chance to meet coach Nathan and his family running a local 5K Memorial Day weekend in 2014.  It was my last race before heading up to Michigan before that BQ bust at the Charlevoix Marathon in June.  (refer to previous post)  

After trying a few different marathon training plans on my own, and making up my own schedules, I decided it was time to hire a coach.  I hired Nathan! It was in October 2014.  I told him I wanted him to train me to qualify for the Boston Marathon.  The reason I decided to hire Nathan?  It wasn't just because he was willing to take on the challenge.  He's a family guy, an amazing runner, passionate about running and he knew how special it would be to qualify for Boston as he had just qualified for the first time himself that year!  (I still love asking him all about it)

I loved how encouraging and supportive coach was.  He lifted me up when I was down and he knew what to say to me when I had to concentrate or focus on the right things.  I wish I still had the thoughtful email he took the time to write when I was frustrated about my fitness level returning to running after needing to take a lot of time off for an injury.  He taught me that it's not always pace we need to concentrate on.  We need to focus on effort, strength, proper fueling, mental toughness and REST.  I listened and followed everything he planned out for me to do.  I was motivated and determined to reach my goals!

Hiring Coach I soon became part of a team of runners training for their own personal goals.  The Beast Mode Running team!  It's a wonderful group that shares the same passion and support for each other while also having fun training.  We would meet for track once per week and a fun recovery run at the beach on the weekend after having done a long run the previous day. (well, that was my schedule anyway)  It's been fun getting to know one another and the best time for that was always when you could schedule a long run with one of the others.  It's been awesome to meet such a great group of people.  Looking forward to the continued friendships!

Packet pick-up with the fellas of Beast Mode  

Training fun at the Beach 

Me with some of the ladies on Track Thursday

It's amazing how much I have learned about training for a marathon with coach and my running team.  I'd say it's been more this time around than I have training for all the other marathons I have run.  It's fine to follow the different marathon plans and have the experience of running 26.2, but this time was so much more enjoyable and was truly a great positive experience.  Especially with all the support we all give one another!

The one thing I will never forget during my training?  Getting a chance to talk to Coach after he ran his first Boston Marathon on Monday the 20th of April 2015.  He said, "KELLY, YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE BOSTON!"  After he said that - was the first time I actually started to visualize myself qualifying for Boston!  I felt this was coach's way of telling me he had the confidence that I was going to reach my goal.  This is the positivity that I needed for me to start believing in myself.  I was doing all the work, but it's also important to visualize it!  If you want to qualify, you have to believe in yourself and you have to see it happening.  I STARTED TO BELIEVE!

What marathon training plans have you followed?
Do you run with a running group?
Would you ever consider hiring a running coach if you haven't already?