Marathon #28 - Massachusetts (Part Three)

I have broken out my review of the Boston Marathon and my trip there into three parts.  To see more about the course, please visit Part One.  To see more about the race organization and other pieces of my normal race review, please visit Part Two.

In this final post, I will talk about travel and what I did while in the city of Boston

 

I love the city of Boston.  It is such a great place to visit.  I actually almost moved there back in 2004 and even had two job offers, but quickly realized (when it snowed during my interviews) that I could never live in a cold, snowy city in the north.  Visiting in the warmer months is great, though.  My biggest regret about our trip for the Boston Marathon is that we didn't have more time (and money) to explore the city even more.

Transportation

Typically, I look for flights on one of those travel sites, and then once I figure out which flight is cheaper, I go to the airline site to actually book.  This time was a little different.  For the first time in a long time, I actually booked through the travel site, cheapoair.com. One of the reasons for that was that the cheapest flights were with different airlines going and returning.  Since American Airlines and U.S. Airways merged (which I didn't know when I booked the flights), one way was on US Air and the return flight was American.  At any rate, I booked through the travel website, incurring additional fees and causing confusion during check-in.  With cheapoair.com, they don't send you an email the day before the flight, or when they do, it doesn't direct you to check in online.  Also, our seats were not together.  When I finally went to the airline website to check in online the day before, I'm so glad I went as early as I did.  We were seated in completely different rows.  Luckily, I checked in early enough that I was able to get us together on an exit row.

When searching for flights, there are two main options to fly to Boston.  Boston Logan International Airport is the closest to the city, and has convenient ground transportation.  Boston Manchester Regional Airport is another option, and is located in Manchester, NH about an hour drive from the city.  The flights were much cheaper into Manchester, so I chose that option.  The airport is small - about 16 or 18 gates - and it is easy to get into and out of.  The rental car counters are right next to the baggage claim carousels, and the cars are just across the street from the airport, so no shuttle is needed.  Delta has direct flights from Atlanta to Manchester.  American/US Air has direct flights from Washington DC and Philadelphia.

I booked our rental car through Hotels.com.  Manchester airport had all the other major car rental companies to choose from, but we got out car from Alamo.  I chose the smallest car available for the cheapest gas, and also because I knew the two of us wouldn't have much to carry with us anyway.  We ended up with some little yellow two door Hyundai that had only been driven 14 miles before we got it.  Obviously it was clean and smelled new, but it definitely lacked power. 

Boston is a walking city.  Once we got to the hotel in Boston, we hardly used the car.  The T (which is what Bostonians call their train system) in Boston is far superior to the Marta in Atlanta.  You can get just about anywhere you want to go using the T.  A 7-day pass cost $32 for both of us, but it was worth it.  We took the T to the expo, to church, to the Boston College baseball game, to the gear check, to the post-race party, and to restaurants.  I believe you can also take the T to the airport, if you are flying into Boston Logan.  If you are going for the Boston Marathon, the T won't go as far as the start line.  It looks like the commuter rail might get you there, but has such a limited schedule, that it didn't look like it would work for us.  Rob did use the rental car to get to some spots a long the race course before he parked it back at the hotel and took the train once the runners got closer to the city.

US Airways/American Airlines was great when our flight got delayed on the way home.  We were scheduled to have a layover in Philadelphia and arrive at home in Atlanta around 10:30pm on Tuesday.  Our initial flight to Philly got delayed, because the plane coming into Manchester got delayed.  With the new departure time, we would have missed our connecting flight in Philly.  They originally re-booked us for a a flight leaving Manchester at 1:30pm on Wednesday.  That wasn't going to work for me, because I had to work on Wednesday and had meetings in the afternoon that I couldn't miss.  When we got to the counter, the man was very nice and found us a direct flight on Delta that left first thing in the morning on Wednesday, which allowed me to get home before lunch time and make my afternoon meetings.  They put us up in a hotel overnight.  

Lodging

I booked my hotel through hotels.com.  I often use this site, and have never been disappointed.  They have great reviews that help you decide what hotel is best for your occasion.  I was looking for a hotel that was close to the city, on the T line, had free breakfast, and was not too expensive.  I chose Holiday Inn Express Boston Garden.  Rob was quick to tell me once we got there that "Boston Garden" (which is now called TD Garden) is a sports venue where some of the professional sports teams in Boston play (the Celtics and Bruins, I think).  The hotel was just two blocks from the North Station on the green T line, which was the line we took most of our trip.  The neighborhood seemed very safe, even in the dark.

The hotel was extremely hospitable.  The staff was very friendly and helpful.  When we got to the room, there was a little note on the desk welcoming us and thanking us for staying with them for the Boston Marathon.  There was a gift basket full of runner friendly food and two bottled waters, all free of charge.  I don't even remember saying I was going there for the marathon, so I'm not sure how they knew, but it was such a nice surprise.  They even had custom-made cookies that said "Finishing Boston" and "2015 Boston Marathon."  

When I review hotels, there are typically two things I really consider: the comfort of the bed and the space and amenities of the bathroom.  The room they gave us was very spacious.  It had a sitting area with a TV, desk, closet, sink, mini fridge and microwave.  The king bed was tucked away in a little side room area and had its own TV.  The bed area was cozy and seemed more private tucked away like it was.  The bed had both "soft" and "firm" pillows, and the bed itself was very comfortable.  

The bathroom had just about all the amenities you could ask for.  In addition to the separate shampoo and conditioner bottles, it had lotion and makeup remover cloths.  (I specifically mention the separate shampoo and conditioner bottles because I hate hotels that have just the "conditioning shampoo," which neither shampoos nor conditions.  So having them separate is very important to me.)  The towels were big and absorbent.  

While there were some definite positives in the bathroom, there were some downsides to the bathroom as well.  The counter space was lacking.  I had to put my makeup bag on the back of the toilet because there wasn't much counter room.  The hairdryer was possibly the worst hotel hairdryer I've ever used.  It was so short that my stray hairs would get sucked in the back, pulling them out.  And it was extremely loud, probably because it was so small.  Finally, the exhaust fan was so weak, it didn't do a good job of removing the heat from the shower off the mirror so you could see yourself when getting ready.

The hotel had a free continental breakfast, which consisted of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits, cinnamon rolls, cereal, bagels, muffins, yogurt, fruit, oatmeal, and make-your-own pancakes.  You had better get there on time though, because the last day we were there, we didn't come down until 9:30, and it was slim pickin's.  Either the item was already gone or we took the last serving.

The hotel had a table set up on Marathon Monday with several complimentary items for both the runners and the spectators.  They had Gatorade, bottles of water, cookies, granola bars, band aids, Chapstick, and other items that might help along the way.  They definitely catered to the runners and spectators of the race.  I would definitely recommend this hotel for anyone wanting to run or watch the Boston Marathon.

The other hotel we stayed at, unexpectedly, was the Holiday Inn near Manchester airport.  When our flight was delayed, American booked us there for the night.  We were only there for a short time, so I can't give as thorough of a review on this hotel, but it was nice enough and close enough to the airport, that I would recommend it if you had to stay near the airport.

This room was a standard hotel room where the desk, bed, and TV are all in one area.  The bed was comfortable, and again had the soft and firm pillows.  There was a mini fridge, but I don't remember seeing a microwave.  

One thing I really liked about this hotel was that the bathroom vanity was outside of the bathroom, so one person can be showering while the other is getting ready, and the mirror didn't fog up.  The vanity had much more counter space than the other hotel.  The hairdryer was bigger and better (although still not top notch).  They had the separate shampoo and conditioner bottles, and the towels were big and absorbent enough.

Attached to the hotel was a diner.  The hotel didn't offer free breakfast, but the diner was close if you wanted to purchase dinner or breakfast.  We ate dinner there.  The prices are reasonable, and the menu is extensive - as most diners are.  Rob got breakfast for dinner, and I had a bison burger and clam chowder.  The clam chowder was delicious, and the burger was okay.  For dessert they have a huge menu of "homemade" goodies.  I got a grasshopper pie, which consisted of mint chocolate chip ice cream in a chocolate graham cracker crust with whipped cream on top.  It was delicious!

Food

Speaking of food, Boston had a lot of great places to eat.  Being on the ocean and close to Maine, there are a lot of seafood places that boast about having the best Maine lobster.  There is a road in the North End along the Freedom Trail that has Italian restaurants lining the entire street.  Most of them are family owned by real Italians.  There are also a lot of cute little places hidden around the city.  We asked locals for recommendations whenever we could, and ended up at a lot of great places.  One thing to note, though, is that a lot of the good places do not take credit cards.  We had to change our plans once because we didn't have any cash at the time.

When we arrived in Boston and checked in, it was just about time for the Atlanta Track Club happy hour at The Charlesmark Hotel on Boylston Street near the finish line.  The hotel had a cozy little upper room with tables, couches and a counter where they set out appetizers.  We mingled, met some people, and had a drink before leaving to find some dinner.

We walked up Boylston Street to find a place that had an open table.  There were runners everywhere, and most of the restaurants were packed.  We ended up at a sports bar called McGreevy's.  I had a turkey club, fries and a cup of clam chowder.  You can't go to New England without getting the clam chowder, and you can't find clam chowder anywhere else as good as they make it in New England.  As expected the chowder was delicious.  The rest of the food was typical sports bar food - nothing to write home about (and so I'll stop there).

On Sunday, I had to eat my traditional pre-race meal for dinner - IHOP.  We found one along the T in Harvard.  It was your typical IHOP, so I won't make many comments about  it.  After dinner we walked around the Harvard area.  We found a great little bar that didn't take credit cards, and stopped for a drink (Rob) and a chat (both of us) with a nice couple who happened to have graduated from Georgia Tech and were in Boston working.  They gave us some tips on things to do and places to eat.

On Monday after the race, we went to the North End in search of some good Italian food.  It was raining pretty hard, so we ducked into a little place close to the beginning of the street.  It wasn't the one that had been recommended to us, but it was still good.  I would give it a 3.5 on a scale of 5.  The food was good, but the "server," who I think was actually the owner, was probably a better manager than server.  The meal came in traditional Italian fare, with course after course.  We opted not to have an appetizer, so our first course was salad and bread.  Then came the spaghetti pasta course.  Then the main course (I had stuffed eggplant and Rob had veal Parmesan).  Then dessert (which we again opted out of).  Unfortunately, I don't remember the name of the place, and their credit card machine was broken, so we paid cash.

Tuesday we went for a walk.  We stopped at Mike's Pastry shop for a morning snack and got a Boston cream puff, chocolate covered cannoli, and a peanut butter brownie.  Rob said the brownie was "okay," but I thought the cream puff and cannoli were delicious!  We then asked a local for the best place to get a good burger.  He said it was a bit of a walk, but recommended Jm Curley.  So off we walked.

20 minutes later, we were at Jm Curley just in time to beat the lunch rush.  They have a very small menu with about five basic main dishes and about as many side dishes.  They also have a full bar.  You can get their burger with various different "toppings," which include a fried egg and French fries, if you so desire.  I got mine traditional, and it was very good.  I also had French fries on the side, but was disappointed that they didn't have Ranch dressing to dip them in.  I loved their house rules that they had posted on the wall.

Attractions

Being a big city, there are plenty of things to do.  They have just about any professional sports team you might want to see.  They have plenty of history that you can explore in many forms.  They have many colleges you can visit.  They have city tours, including one where the bus turns into a boat and goes out into the harbor during the tour.

We laid low and didn't do anything fancy.  With the race activities planned, there wasn't much extra time anyway.  We went to the Old South Church for the Blessing of the Athletes on Sunday morning, went to the Boston college vs GT baseball game on Sunday afternoon, and walked parts of both the Freedom Trail and the Harborwalk on Tuesday.

 

Old South Church

Program for the service

Athletes standing for the prayer/blessing

Bagpipes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Old South Church is the church that is right at the finish line.  Every year the Sunday before the race, they have a service which includes the "blessing of the athletes."  The have a bagpipe player that plays a song.  They have all the athletes stand, and they say a prayer over the athletes.  The whole service has a running theme.

The Boston College baseball field is much smaller compared to Georgia Tech's field.  They didn't even sell tickets.  The game was free, and you just walked in and found a seat on the bleachers.  The press box was the top row of the bleachers behind the home plate.  People tailgated the entire game by driving their car up on the football stadium's parking garage, which overlooks the field.  The scoreboard reminds me of a high school football scoreboard.  The whole game was very low key.  It seemed like there were actually more fans cheering for Georgia Tech than Boston College.  Too bad Boston College won.

The Freedom Trail is a walk through the historical parts of Boston, supposedly on the same route that Paul Revere took to alert the town that the British were coming.  The city does a nice job of mapping it out, as there is a brick trail that you can follow the whole way.  It takes you past historical landmarks like Paul Revere's house, the Old North Church, Faneuil Hall, Quincy market, past the capital building, into Boston Common (the big city park), and past other historical buildings.  They have placards on most of the buildings telling you what happened at that building and why it is significant.

Old North Church

Historic North End

Paul Revere's house

The little square behind Old North Church

Capital building

Boston Common

Rob talking to some famous basketball guy

I wonder what he was thinking

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Harborwalk is a sidewalk along the harbor.  There are signs that direct you around the backs of buildings so that you stay along the harbor as you walk.  We were fine for about two miles, and then ended up getting lost when an old drawbridge was blocked off and the next closest sidewalk took us to the city.  It was pretty while we were on the walk, but it could use a little more signage to direct you once you get close to the financial district of the city.

Harbor

They had Boston Strong signs everywhere

The Harbor, looking toward the city

I think I'll hang out here for awhile

Help!  Save me!

Christopher Columbus park

Christopher Columbus park

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall our visit to Boston was extremely enjoyable.  I would do it again, most definitely, if I have the chance.

Marathon #28 - Massachusetts (Part 2)

As I mentioned in my last post, I am splitting up my review of the Boston Marathon into three posts.  The last post discussed the course.  This post will discuss the remaining aspects of the race.  The last post will talk about travel and tourism information while in Boston.

The Race: The Boston Marathon, Monday April 20, 2015 (Patriot's Day)

My Training Plan:  Boston was three weeks after my back-to-back marathons in Kansas and Arkansas, so I basically used them as my longest run leading up to Boston and tapered from there.  See my training plan for Kansas in my Kansas blog.

Weather:  The weather was less than ideal.  It was rainy and cold with some strong headwinds at points during the course.  The temperature stayed about 45-47 the entire time, and the headwind picked up right as we were turning onto Commonwealth Ave to begin the Newton hills.

Running Attire:  As usual, I wore my Liz shirt so the crowds could cheer me on by name.  I also wore my Marathon Maniac arm warmers and black tights in an attempt to stay warm.  My signature items are my bright yellow Delaware marathon hat and my iFitness belt where I keep my gels and phone.  I also had my Asics and Balega socks.  I wore a long sleeved throw away shirt at the beginning, which I took off around mile 2.  I forgot my gloves, and Rob was kind enough to bring them to me during mile 1.5.  The gloves were definitely needed during the cold, wet, windy run.

Atlanta Track Club runners

Who I Ran With:  I met so many great people before the race and on the journey, but I can't say that I ran with any of them.  There were several people from the Atlanta Track Club that I met at the ATC happy hour on Saturday evening, but I never saw any of them before the race.  

There was Debra from Canada, and Tami and Cheree from Utah that I met on the bus to the start line.  There was Stacey that I met in the tent at the Athlete Village.  But with the crowds and lines and different corrals, I didn't run with any of them.  They probably wouldn't have wanted to run with me anyway, as I kept stopping to take pictures throughout the course.

My buddies at the Athletes Village

Organization:  The organization of this race was probably the best I've seen yet, as it should be for the longest running marathon in the world.  Picking up my race number and shirt was smooth and quick, with very short lines and plenty of volunteers.  The race number/shirt pickup was separate from the expo, so if you only wanted to pick up your number, it was quick and easy to get in and out.  They provided a magazine of information on the event and articles about the race.  They also gave us a bottle of water in our race packet bag.

Race number pickup

The expo organization could have been improved.  The aisles were so narrow and the expo was so crowded that you could barely walk anywhere.  I don't know if it was the same on the other days, but on Sunday (the day before the race) it was packed.  There were a lot of great vendors and free stuff (runners love free stuff) and samples, but you could barely walk through it because of the narrow aisles and crowds.  Some of the vendors took up two spots (i.e. their booths were two aisles deep) which broke up the aisles, and it was hard to remember which aisles you had been down in order to get to all the vendors in either side of the big ones.

There was a pre-race pasta party that was free to participants, and you could purchase extra tickets (I'm not sure how much they cost).  Each participant was assigned a time to go, so they wouldn't have a huge crowd all at once.  My time was 4:30pm on Sunday.  I don't know about anyone else, but I certainly don't eat my pre-race dinner at 4:30pm (i.e. earlier than normal) especially when the race doesn't start until 10:50am (i.e. later than normal).  So. Other than the unfortunate timing, I can't comment on how good or bad the pre-race pasta party was.

The aid stations were well manned and were on both sides of the road (right side first and then left side a few feet after the right side station ended).  No matter which side of the road you were on, you didn't have to fight the runner traffic to get over to an aid station.  Both sides of the road had both Gatorade and water, and my favorite thing - there were different cups for the Gatorade and the water, so you always knew what you were getting!  More races should follow that plan!  Well done, Boston!

There was only one aid station that had Cliff gels, but as you will see in the Fans section below, there really wasn't a need for additional gel stations.  All aid stations had porta potties, many with up to 10 in a row.

Post race party at Fenway Park

The post race "Mile 27" party was a flop.  It probably would have been better if it wasn't raining the entire time, but I wouldn't recommend spending $20 per extra person to go, and likely won't go in the future, if I ever come back to Boston.  The $20 gets you a $9 concessions credit, which will get you one beer or will almost get you two food items (most items were $5 each).  You get to go into Fenway Park, which might have been cool if we could have seen the field, but it was blocked off due to the rain.  We could only go in the concessions area and the store.  There were corn hole games set up that you could play, and there were some photo booth opportunities, but there were long lines for those.  There was no place to sit and people were crowded under the stands so they wouldn't get rained on.

The information provided prior to the race was excellent!  They sent us information directly in the mail as well as newsletters via email.  The information in the mail was very thorough and contained our confirmation of acceptance, bib number and "Runner Passport" to pick up our bibs, travel information, and event information.  I felt very prepared even before arriving in Boston.

From what I hear,  it was very easy to follow a runner throughout the race.  They posted times at nearly every 5k mark, and apparently there was a little runner you could see on the screen that would move along as the real runner crossed each mat.  You did have to have the bib number on race day, because the site to sign up for text alerts crashed and was apparently unavailable by first and last name.

Swag:  Along with the typical technical (long-sleeved) shirt and the metal, we got a pint glass, car sticker, temporary tattoo, a poster with every participants' name, and one of those rubber wristbands that says There's Only One 2015 Boston Marathon. 

Starting line:  The starting line has two parts to it:  the Boston side and the Hopkinton side.

  

Gear check

In Boston Common (the city's big park), they had the gear check tents and the line for the buses to Hopkinton.  They had four different tents for the different waves you were in, and the tent was split out by numbers, so it was very easy to find where you needed to drop of your bag.  They had medical tents, music and an announcer that told you when to head to the buses.  

The lines for the buses were very short, and the volunteers were great to direct us to the bus with open seats.  Because it was so cold, everyone was ready to get on the warm bus as soon as possible.  Provided there was room, the volunteers let the later waves board the bus earlier then their allotted time.  As soon as the buses were full, they left and another group of empty buses pulled up to the lines to load.

Buses to Hopkinton

In the Athlete Village in Hopkinton, they had rows of porta potties (although there weren't enough, as the lines were about 10 minutes long) and two big tents that the runners could sit under to shield themselves from the wind and attempt to stay warm.  I saw a few people with coffee, so I know that was offered, but I didn't see where it came from.  I also think there was some food somewhere, but I didn't see it in the tent I was sitting in, and didn't notice it in the other tent until our corral had already been called to head to the starting line.

Athlete Village tent

There are four Waves that start about 20 minutes apart.  Each wave is split into 8 different corrals.  The runners are placed in their corral based on their finishing time, so theoretically everyone around you should have about the same pace.  The race is chip timed, so it doesn't matter how far back you are when the gun goes off - your time doesn't start until you cross the start line.  Each Wave has about 7,500 runners, so each corral has about 950 people.

Runners walking to start line

Runners walking to start line

The starting line was about a mile from the tents, and when our corral was called, we were guided by volunteers toward the start.

There were more porta potties and water along the way to the start, and volunteers were taking excess clothing from runners to donate after the race.  There were so many people heading to the corrals at the same time, I can imagine what cattle feel like when they are being hearded.  I arrived at my corral about 7 minutes before the Wave start.

A fan set up a tent in front of her house
with supplies for runners

Fans:  The fans are the absolute best thing about this race.  The entire city shuts down on Marathon Monday, and fans line the entire course.  I think there may have been two spots on the entire course where there wasn't someone cheering for me.  And the fans cheered for every runner.  With the weather as bad as it was (pretty much raining and cold the whole time) I didn't think there would be as many fans, but they are loyal to the race and came out anyway.  I can't imagine what it is like when the weather is good!

There are four places, specifically, where the fans are louder and more encouraging than ever:  Wellesley College, Boston College, the hills in Newton, and on Boylston Street near the finish line.  You can hear these fan spots from a half mile beforehand.  Every fan is cheering, giving high-fives, and wishing the runners well.

Fans lining the road to the Newton Hills

Not only did the fans cheer, they also provided support for the runners in other ways.  There were fans handing out Twizzlers, Fig Newtons, pretzel sticks, jelly beans, gummy bears and orange slices all along the way.

Finish Line:  The finish line was very well organized.  Unlike NYC, you didn't have to walk two miles just to get out where the fans were.  After crossing the line, you had to walk about 20 yards or so to get your metal.  They then gave you a bottle of water.  They also had tents with Gatorade recovery drinks.

What we were all eager for at that point was the heat blanket, which it seemed like we had to walk forever until we got that (but it probably wasn't that far, we were just all freezing).  The heat blanket wasn't just your standard mylar blanket you get at the end of a race.  It was more like a lined poncho with a hood and arm holes, which was nice.

Most of the food was all packaged up for us in a clear plastic bag, and there were people offering to open anything for the runners.  They had Cliff protein bars and bananas separate from the bag of food, and again offered to open them for the runners.  The volunteers at the finish line were fabulous!

Once you got through the metals, blankets, and food, there was a fork in the road where you either go straight to get back to Boston Common if you checked a bag or went right to go to the family meeting area if you hadn't checked a gear bag.  I checked a bag, so I went straight toward Boston Common.  On the way, I saw Rob waiting for me on the side of the road, and he joined me as I walked to Boston Common.  

I will say that the walk to Boston Common, while probably normally fairly short, seemed to take forever.  I was cold and wet and just ready to get my bad.  Once we got to Boston Common, it seemed like the gear tents were clear across the park, and we had to walk even farther.

Another great perk they had was a changing tent for the women runners. (I'm not sure if they had one for the men, but they might have.)  And it wasn't just for the elites.  After I got my gear bag, I stood in line for about 10 minutes before getting to the changing tent.  The tent was just a big enclosed tent that had chairs around the edges for people to sit in and change clothes.  The tent was completely packed with women changing into dry clothes.  Of course, after I changed into my dry clothes and left the tent, it started raining again, so we left the park and headed back to the hotel.

Results:  4:10:22

How I felt:  My goal for this race was primarily to finish, and secondarily to enjoy every mile along the way.  I don't know if I'll ever get a chance to run Boston again, so I wanted to make the most of the experience.

My shins hurt a little bit starting off, mainly because I didn't really warm up properly with the rain and cold and crowds.  After about three miles they warmed up and felt much better.  I felt great most of the time, and kept a pretty easy pace throughout the race.  As usually, around mile 15 my mind started playing tricks on me saying "Why do you do these races?" and "You're crazy."  But I always get over that by mile 20, and start pushing through to the end.  I did get pretty tired during mile 25, again as usual.  Mile 25 is always my worst mile.  Once I get past that, I can say "One more mile.  You can do anything for one mile." and push through to the end.  Once I took a picture of the finish line and realized I was that close, I actually started sprinting toward the end.  It was a great overall experience.

Boston does a great job of welcoming the runners to the city: before, during, and after the race.  They are a city that truly embraces the running community.  I am extremely impressed, and now know why this race is the most prestigious and longest running marathon in the world.

Marathon #28 - Massachusetts (Part 1)

My 28th marathon in my 28th state was the 2015 Boston Marathon in Massachusetts.  Because I took so many pictures and there is so much to talk about with this marathon, I am breaking out my review blog into three entries:  the course, the main race review, and travel/tourism.  Part one will be about the course.

The Race:  Boston Marathon, Monday, April 20, 2015 (Patriot's Day).

My goal for the Boston Marathon was primarily to finish, as it is hard enough to get in to begin with, and who knows if I'll ever get in again in the future.  My secondary goal was to enjoy every mile along the way.  In order to do this, I stopped and took pictures, gave high-fives to the fans, and took in the course and the scenery.

Everyone talks about how difficult the course is, and how it can really take a toll on runners.  I think that is likely true, if you are from Florida and you have no place to train for hills.  Being from Atlanta, I run on hills all the time, and the course was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be, based on the warnings I had gotten from other runners.

The course was really nice.  I was well prepared for what to expect because I read Michael Connelly's book 26.2 Miles to Boston, which details each miles' terrain along with the history that happened in each mile.  It's a fabulous read for anyone who wants to run Boston.  The course starts 26 miles outside of Boston in Hopkinton, MA and runs point-to-point into the city.  Most of the first half is downhill, although there are definitely some rolling hills mixed in. 

The course goes through eight cities along the way:  Hopkinton, Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, Brookline, and Boston.

Leaving Ashland

Running into Ashland

Entering Framingham

Framingham fans

Entering Natick

Entering Wellesley

Entering Newton

Fire station after turning onto Boyslton St. to start the Newton Hills

No one would ever say Boston is flat.  There are hills throughout the course, but the hardest hills are between miles 16 and 21. There are three hills that are pretty long (half mile to a mile long each) that happen back-to-back.  The last one is called Heartbreak Hill, basically because by the time you get to it, the other two hills have defeated you, and you don't have much energy left to get over that last big hill. 

Conquering the Newton Hills

Made it to the top!

Mile 20:  This is where the race really begins!

 

Brookline - the last city before Boston

The remainder of the course is rather easy compared to the three hills in Newton, MA.  There are still some rolling hills, but nothing as bad as the ones behind you at that point. And once you turn onto Boylston Street, you can see the finish line in the distance, motivating you to finish the last mile strong.

The scenery along the way is great too.  You go past several places where you can see the river.  

Running beside the Charles River

There are nice houses and small businesses on either side most of the way.  You go past Wellesley College and Boston College along the way, and both schools have some very nice buildings.  

Boston College in the distance behind the trees

Finally in Boston!

The Citgo sign in the background

Once you get close to the city, you start to see the old churches and the Citgo sign near Fenway Park.

Turning onto Boylston Street, you can see the finish line in the distance

And then the big buildings of the city welcome you to the finish line.

The road was surprisingly well kept for a northern start that gets a good deal of snow in the winter.  I find myself watching to road more than anything to keep from tripping on or falling into a pothole in most of the northern states I've run in, but not Boston.  I never really felt worried about potholes or other road issues because the road was so well kept.

The course was well marshaled, although you don't need much direction when it is basically a straight road the entire time.  There were local police and military police all along the course, so I never felt unsafe or like a car was going to drive through and hit the runners.  It was a closed course, so there were no cars driving around the runners.

Overall the course is a great course!  It's challenging enough, yet not too tough.  The tour through the suburbs on the way to Boston is a great way to see some of Massachusetts.

Marathon #27 - Arkansas

As we are trying to save money this year, I am doing more back-to-backs to get two states done for the price of one.  The Hogeye was my second marathon of the weekend. 

The Race:  Hogeye Marathon in Fayetteville, AR on March 29, 2015

My training plan:  This was my second race of the weekend, so my training plan consisted of many back-to-back runs (both long on weekends and short during the week).  For more details, see my Kansas blog.

The weather:  The weather was perfect for a race.  It started in 40s, and got into 50s to low 60s by the end.  It was sunny with a few clouds here and there, and slightly windy.

Running attire:  I wore shorts for this race, as it was going to be hotter toward the end.  I also wore my traditional Liz shirt, iFitness belt, and Delaware Marathon hat.  I had my Marathon Maniac arm warmers and gloves, both of which I ended up taking off toward the end.  I also had a throw away long-sleeved shirt that I got rid of by mile 2.

My favorite running partner

Who I ran with:  I was very excited to be able to run with my sister Stephanie for the first 8 miles before the Half Marathon and Marathon split.  During those first 8 miles, we met Jimmy from Tulsa, who happened to be wearing an Atlanta Track Club singlet.  From mile 19 through the end, I ran with the 4 hour pace group.

Course:  The course had some crazy hills at the beginning, but then flattened out by about mile 3 or 4.  At beginning there were some curbs that stuck out into the road.  The road was pretty packed with runners at that point, because all of the races started out together, and it would have been good to have some warning about the road narrowing with the curbs.  Once you got out of the downtown area, it was mostly bike trails, which were paved (although some were concrete).  The marathon course went around a lake, which was very scenic.  There was one tunnel that we had to go through somewhere around mile 22 or so that was wet with some pretty big puddles, but at least there was no wind in tunnel.  Toward the last part of the course there were a few spots where we had to run on the (non-existent) shoulder with cars coming behind you.  Everyone talks about the big hill at the end, but it was nothing compared to the ones at the beginning.  And once you got over that hill, you could see the finish line from two blocks out. 

Organization:  The organization of this race was very good overall.  The roads were well marshaled and the police ensured that the intersections were closed off to traffic when the runners were coming.  They had great emails and a Facebook page to ensure you knew what to do and what to expect.  They had a lot of amenities that you don't usually see at races, such as childcare (which we took advantage of) and a worship service before the race.  I can't comment on the Expo because we weren't able to make it in time, but I loved  that they had race day packet pickup.   The course was very well marked and marshaled with mile markers at every mile and tons of water stops and porta potties.  Volunteers were everywhere, and always very helpful and enthusiastic.

For the most part the water stops were great.  They were extremely frequent and had both water and Gatorade at all of them.  The one around the middle of the race had candy, PB&J, and a bunch of other goodies.  The one at mile 20ish had a wet towel.

Jimmy and me at the finish.  We stuck together to the end.

I only have a few suggestions for improvements.  There was no clock that I could see at the finish line or results posted.  Someone said there was a TV with the time and name of the participant showing, but I never saw it.  During the awards ceremony, people were trying to see their results from the one sheet that the announcer was using to give out the awards, and she got a little snippy.  It would be better if she had one list and another copy was posted for the runners to see.  I actually got third place in my age group, but I had no idea because nothing was posted, so I didn't even stay for the awards ceremony.  We also had no idea we were supposed to turn in our timing chips.  The people at the finish line weren't set up in time for the Half Marathoners to come through, so my sister still has hers.

Some of the water stops were not well manned, and I had to pick up my water/Gatorade cups myself.   I think the direction given to the volunteers was that the water was first and the Gatorade was second, but apparently some didn't follow that.  I never knew what I was going to get at the water stops toward the end.  I would grab a cup and sometimes it would be water and sometimes it would be Gatorade.  Also, the volunteers at the morning packet pickup didn't know the answers to our questions, such as where is childcare and where is the worship service.

Swag:  The swag is your typical shirt (dry fit) and metal.  The shirt is unisex, so it is very big.  I suggest that if you are going to have unisex shirts, you should offer XS for ladies.  The metals were huge for the marathon and it was obvious which race you participated in (marathon, relay, half).  They also gave out pig noses, but they were not set up in time for the Half finishers.

Starting line

Starting line:   The start line was right outside the host hotel, which was great!  There were a lot of people all over the place because the marathon, half marathon, 5k, and relay all started at the same time.  The experience could be improved with either a wave start or different start times for the different races, because was very tight until mile 3 or so.  With all the people everywhere, they could have used some sort of shoot to corral people into the start.  The pace teams seemed to all be at the beginning of the line, and it was hard to get up to them because of all the people.

The race seemed to start abruptly without warning.  The national anthem was sung and then a minute or so later, people just started running.  I didn't even hear a gun or anything that indicated that the race had start.  

Fans:  Fans were well scattered around course, but mostly where half marathon was.  The fans thinned out considerably during the marathon-only portion of the course.  There were no fans on much of the bike paths because there was really no way to get to those spots.  The relay points were great cheering zones.

Ice Bath at the finish while eating a yummy chicken sandwich

Finish line:  Other than the complaint about no clock at the finish and no results posted, the finish line was pretty amazing.  They had ice baths at the medical tent, free massages and plenty of porta potties.  For food they had chicken sandwiches and hot dogs, Gatorade, water, bananas, oranges, bagel quarters with cream cheese, little Debbie's (star crunches and zebra cakes),  granola bars, and peanuts.  I saw some chocolate milk cartons in the trash, but they must have run out by the time we got there.  They had someone calling out the names of some of the finishers, although I think I came in with too big of a group for them to call out my name, because I never heard it.

4 hour pace group

The amenities at finish line were great, but organization was not as great.  It didn't seem like the finish line was set up in time for the half marathon finishers, as there was no one taking off chips or giving out pig noses when my sister finished in 2hrs.  Once you finished you were intermingled with everyone else, runners and spectators.  The runners didn't really know what they were supposed to do next.  To improve this, there should be a shoot with medals, then chip removal, then photos, then food or something like that to guide runners.  They didn't have any Mylar blankets, so as soon as I had cooled down, I was cold and ready to leave to get back to the hotel to get changed and didn't stay around to see the awards ceremony. 

Results: 3:58:40.  The Kansas race was my fastest first race of a back-to-back series, but the Hogeye was my slowest second race.

How I felt:  I was find for the first 17 miles or so, but then all my energy seemed to have drained out of me and I felt miserable.  I think the worst part was the fact that I couldn't catch up to the 3:50 pace group and the 4 hour pace group kept gaining on me.  I felt like death in last few miles and seriously wanted to stop running.  I kept going, with the prodding of the pace group leaders (who were wonderful!).

Travel/tourism:  We stayed at the race host hotel The Chancellor Hotel.  The Chancellor was great!  They were big enough to accommodate all the runners, were nice enough to offer late check-out to everyone, were right next to the start line, and were able to accommodate a roll-away bed in our double queen room.  They offered free Internet and parking, although the parking garage was next door and not attached to the hotel.  The rooms had refrigerators, but no microwaves (refrigerators are way more important during races so we can store our water and Gatorade, so I didn't mind the lack of microwave).  The rooms were nice and modern, but the mattresses were too small for the bed frames.  Both me and my son knocked our shins on the corner of the bed frame because the mattress didn't extend all the way to the end of the frame.  The bathrooms had separate shampoo, body wash and conditioner in pumps in the shower and the towels were big and absorbent.  The first floor common bathrooms were big and accessible to runners prior to the race.  The lobby was nice, although perhaps too small for the number of people waiting for the race.  They had an indoor/outdoor pool that the girls took advantage of and loved.

The University of Arkansas is in Fayetteville, and we drove through the campus on the way out of town.  It looked like nice campus, and may have had other things to do that we didn't know about.

Walton's 5-10

Walmart Museum

We went to the Wal-Mart museum in Bentonville after the race.  The museum is free and shows how Wal-Mart grew through the years.  It is a step back in time to when Sam Walton first opened up the Walton 5-10.  It also has an ice cream shop and a gift shop.  It is located on the Bentonville Square, which is a nice little place with a fountain in the middle for the kids to run around.


Overall, the Hogeye Marathon was a great race that I would definitely recommend.  Although smaller in size, it had a big-race feel when it came to the finish line amenities and accommodations.  Great job to the race organizers!