ENABLING YOUR PASSION FOR HEALTHY LIVING

My First Boston Marathon Weekend as a Runner

Ahhhhh! It’s finally here. Everyone keeps asking me if I am ready and well, is anyone ever ready to run 26.2 miles? I’m ready to get it over with and experience the glory of crossing the finish line on Boylston Street.

The weather has been nothing short of brutal during training. Even I have had to find new motivation the past few weeks. The race is supposed to be the victory lap. The training is the hard part but Monday is panning out as if God is just laughing in our faces. Not only is it going to rain most of the marathon, it’s also going to be about 45F and have a head wind of 15-30 mph. 

Screen Shot 2015 04 18 at 10 22 59 PM

You are supposed to dress for 20 degrees warmer weather when running but I think we can all agree, clothing for 45 and 65 are drastically different. Now, I’m stressed out about what the heck I should wear. If it wasn’t going to rain, I would wear a tank top and shorts. But now that it is, I’m second guessing my outfit strategy including my shoes. 

I did most of my training runs in waterproof warm sneaks that are not meant for the marathon distance. The shoes I want to wear, the adidas Ultra Boost however are very breathable and will probably get soaked in the first half of the course. Do I really want to run a marathon with plastic baggies around my feet!? I need your advice so please leave your best down below.

IMG 9648

I am incredibly grateful to Adidas for my bib and I am very excited to run. It is such an overwhelming honor to be able to get a number for this race. When (not if) I cross the finish line, I’m pretty sure it will be one of the greatest feelings of accomplishment I will ever experience. I’ve never put so much dedication towards a goal in my life. The race got real especially on the 15th, the 2 year anniversary of the bombings. My heart breaks when I think of the pain the Richard family went and goes through. If I run Boston again, the MR8 charity will be my first choice. 

IMG 9651

To kick off the marathon weekend, I attended the grand opening of the adidas RunBase store on Boylston. It is such an amazing concept, I wish it existed all over the country. Not only does it sell adidas gear, but it also has a locker room with showers for runners to use after jogging around the city. They also have a treadmill that allows you to visualize the marathon course with incline and visuals. 

IMG 9653

One of the shocking displays to me was the Boston Marathon topography display. I did not realize how much of a downhill the first 6-10 miles really were! I only trained on the back 10-20. 

On Friday, I went to pick up my bib at the convention center which is about a half mile from home. Everything was organized and easy to navigate. The BAA warned against posting pictures of your bib to avoid fraudulent copies. Someone last year noticed four other people ran wearing her exact bib number after browsing through marathon photos online. 

IMG 0307

The expo was busy. I was obsessed with all the gear adidas had on display and clearly everyone was too considering how long the lines were. 

I bumped into a few friends, tried some samples and found out sadly that the Heartbreak Hill Half Marathon is not happening in June. I left to go to the worst yoga class of my life at Exhale with lady who said we would do hamstring openers but then only did one move to open any part of the lower body!?… good thing it was more to calm my nerves but if anything it just made me annoyed. 

Today was a fun day! I met up with friends Rachel and Lucie at Sweetgreen to take some fun pictures. Sweetgreen is at the finish line essentially so during my long runs, I would always envision what I would have when I crossed it. The line was always super long but worth it. To support the local runners, we took pics for the SG social media. While sitting outside for thirty minutes, I was recognized by 4 readers!? This never happens but I guess the biggest running event in my hometown outside a salad place is where I should expect to be recognized if at all… 

We also spotted Shalene Flanagan walking in for lunch! She got a salad with salmon but I’m not sure what else was in it. She is our token homegirl that we hope wins on Monday for the women. 

IMG 9660

I also had a meet up at the SMS Audio booth with Intel USA and Runkeeper. Some of my readers and friends stopped by. I’m giving away a pair of the BioSport headphones on Tuesday so be sure to check out my YouTube video when it comes out! The headphones are ridiculously awesome, winning an innovation award at CES for their accurate ability to monitor your heart rate through your ear. They plug into your phone andare recorded using RunKeeper’s free app. I compared the numbers with my other heart rate monitors and the accuracy was spot on!

Already, I can feel the adrenaline building. I’m in a fast wave so my goal is to keep my excitement muted in the beginning so that I do not go out too fast. I also have to figure out my clothing options. Any suggestions are welcome! It looks like it may be similar to the weather during the 2014 NYC marathon. 

Share the Post:

Related Posts