Welcome to Week 15 when all the nerves start creeping in. Although, I did do my best to calm them by attending the last B.A.A. Marathon Clinic AND conquering the last 9 miles of the course with the adidas RunBase team. Running highlights of the week, for sure! (Biggest highlight of the week though was seeing Justin Timberlake perform at TD Garden on Wednesday <3)
Monday started off on a high note with the last clinic focusing on the race day itinerary, nutrition prep the days for weekend before the big day, and tips for running your best Boston. Plus, I stocked up on more free samples!
The rest of the week was pretty shitty in terms of the weather – rain, wind, and SNOW! GTFO already, Winter! And to think I was going to change the header image of this to a spring road, HA. Since Mother Nature made it so difficult to run outside, I opted for the treadmill and some strength training instead.
On Saturday night I planned to do a 4-5 mile run, but had to cut it short due to some back pain. Everything felt sooo tight and I was having trouble getting comfortable in a stride. The pain left me feeling a little iffy for my long run the next morning, but on the bright side, my foot was feeling pretty good!
I iced that night and rolled out so I was ready to GO on Sunday morning. Decided to try out the “look good, feel good, do good” motto by wearing some of my favorite training pieces. I wore my comfy leggings, favorite socks, MyStryde tank top, New Balance jacket, and threw on my white Boston Marathon hat to complete the look. Packed my hydration belt with some GU gels and leg cramp ointment (so glad I grabbed this last minute!) and was out the door.
I signed up to do a long run with the adidas RunBase team early in the morning – it was a little tough rolling out of bed but I finally got a shot of of the New Balance ads in the Pru without a bunch of people in the way so that’s a plus 😉
We met outside the Boston Marathon store on Boylston and took a bus (courtesy of Abbott – one of the course sponsors) out to the Newton firehouse. The goal: run the last 8.5-9 miles of the course.
I was sooo nervous because I never got to experience the second half of the course after missing my opportunity a couple weekends back. But on the other hand, I was also excited for the chance to check out these hills everyone kept warning me about!
The run started off okay but everything just felt tight, especially my legs. The more I tried to loosen up and forget about everything the tighter they got. I stopped to stretch and tried to fix my laces for extra support, but I just couldn’t get any relief. Then I remembered I had that leg cramp ointment in my belt. I never used it before so I was a little apprehensive to test it out, but I eventually gave into the pain and ripped open the pouch. (Apparently you’re supposed to “rip with caution” because what I did was definitely not ideal!) I immediately started smearing it all over my shins and in turn ended up getting it all over my leggings…gross. Plus, I had ointment alllll over my hands so I started wiping them off on my tank top and then gave them a quick rinse with the water bottle from my belt. (Running is definitely not glamorous!) Not sure if the ointment actually helped or just the thought of putting something on my legs did, but I felt better regardless 🙂
The ointment situation made me fall back from the group I was running with so I picked right back up with the next group. I have to say, these guys got me through the run! I desperately needed some support and they made the next 6 miles feel like a breeze. I even made it through the dreaded Heartbreak Hill and I have to say…it wasn’t that bad. Granted I was facing it 2 miles in opposed to 20, but still I was expecting wayyyy worse.
After we hit Boston College, the rest of the run was pretty much downhill. We went through Brookline and Kenmore and then we sprinted down Boylston for the final stretch. I actually felt amazing after the run and was in such a good mood – a true “runner’s high” moment. I refueled with some ravioli from Eataly and then spent the rest of the night resting and recovering.
Wow, there’s only ONE WEEK LEFT! Shit’s gettin’ real, folks. Excited to start making plans for this weekend when my family comes up to visit. And I still can’t believe I’m going to be running the BOSTON MARATHON in 7 days! I must be dreaming…no one pinch me 🙂
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Boston Beginnings 