I RAN THE BOSTON MARATHON!!

I have to keep telling myself, "I ran the Boston Marathon" over and over to make myself feel better.

We arrived in Boston on Saturday afternoon. Because of my inexperience, I did not book my hotel when I qualified, so we had to stay in Quincy in a Best Western. Since it was SO FAR AWAY via the T, we did not get the expo on Saturday. I could not convince Chris, the kids, or my parents to go. Saturday we went out to eat and walked the .7 miles to the T and tried to figure it out. Really, it is like a puzzle. The walk to the T from the hotel is not bad. But it is just that you are so far away from the events of the marathon.

Sunday we awoke and Chris and I went out for a little shake out run. It was nice, but I was a bottle of nerves and just wanted to get to the expo. I had to remember, I was traveling with my kids and my older parents, neither of which are ever in a hurry. ;) I could tell they were all frustrated with me.

A walk to the T, several stops and a transfer, we were within walking distance to the expo. We just followed the crowd. The expo was CRAZY!! It was so crowded you couldn't move. They were out of a lot of stuff by the time Sunday rolled around. If you go to the Boston Marathon, go to the expo on the FIRST day! Then stay 2 days after to enjoy the city. Believe me, you will thank me.

I did get a visor and a shirt for me and Addison got a unicorn. :) I got my sole mate Jen something since she let me borrow her garmin.

Everyone was worn out after that, so we T'd it back to the hotel. It was 12:45 by the time we returned. I needed to be eating my final carb meal (I believe in eating the last big meal at lunch so it is all digested and eat a lighter dinner). My parents wanted to eat at the hotel. So I ordered a veggie wrap and rice. The rice worked, the veggie wrap didn't. It all worked out. I went up and napped and prepared my gear for Marathon Monday.

Marathon Monday. 
I loaded the shuttle from my hotel to Boston at 7am. Yes, our hotel had a shuttle and a sack breakfast for us!! I ate oatmeal and a banana though. They dropped us off right near the buses. It was amazing. So thankful for that. I met a girl named Teri who was in the blue group I was running in on the bus from the hotel. I sat with her at the Athletics Village. The Athlete's village was crazy. People everywhere, half hour lines to use the porta potties (that you hoped had toilet paper), bagels, fruit, water provided, but it was HOT. What is going on? They said it was to be a high of 60 and the announcer in Hopkinton said it was 75 at to start drinking now. Great. I am going to die.

At 10:05 we started the mile walk to the start. No, I am not kidding about the mile. On the way, more porta potties and another line. No joke. Crazy.

Got to the start, not kidding, 2 minutes before the start. Insane.

As I started, the crowds were roaring. People everywhere. I was emotional. My feet felt heavy. I ran and listened to the crowds and the music, in disbelief that I was running the Boston Marathon.

The 10k went by quickly. The running crowd was so thick that I could not really run a pace. The first couple of miles I was trapped behind shoulder to shoulder people with a women wearing a boot for a broken foot in front of me. Okay, come on, what was she doing running? Her doctor did not medically clear her to run.

If you check the garmin I borrowed from my friend Jen, I started getting sick and slowing about 9-10 miles, earlier than even I knew. I knew at half I was not going to PR because I did not feel well. I stopped fueling at the half because I could not put anything in my mouth. I actually threw out my fuel! I sipped water, but eventually I could not do that anymore. The Popsicles that I thought would cool me off made me more nauseated.  But, I knew Chris would and the kids would be at 17...so I pressed on.

I saw them at 17 and told Chris, "Oh my God, this SUCKS!" I kissed all of them and ran off. I wanted to cry. I was in single digit territory but I knew the worst of the race was to come. I am going to die.

I decided to walk water stops at first. It did not last. Once I walked, I got dizzy and could not see straight. I would try and run for a bit, then get so terribly nauseated that I would have to stop and lean over my knees. Around mile 18 I met a girl on the course who was walking. I approached her basically saying I felt her pain. We decided to finish together. I am not sure why she stuck with me because I was a walking, jogging zombie for the rest of the race. I WALKED the entire heartbreak hill. I am totally crushed looking back on it, but I was just so sick. I would look up and it would take a moment to be able to see. I ran right past my parents at mile 21 at the Boston College. I felt so bad. They came all the way there with posters to cheer for me and I ran right past them!! That makes me so sad.

Mile by mile, we walked mostly, ran a little between. It. was. horrible.

At less than a mile, you think I could run. I tried, stopped, and then tried some more. When I saw the 2 turns, we ran. Probably not as fast as it felt, but we were running. As we approached the finish, Mary and I grabbed hands and crossed the finish line.

We had just finished the Boston Marathon. It was not pretty. It was not the 3:37-3:39 I had hoped for, but we had finished. I was a mess.4:26 even was my time. ARE YOU KIDDING ME! That was a 10 minute mile (and probably change). CRUSHED.

The finish shoot just kept going, pictures, water, food, OMG where is the medic tent?!?! I sat down. I was done. I was so dizzy I could not see, my legs were done, my mind was more than done, please shoot me.

Mary told the people that I needed the tent and they wheeled me away. Once in the tent, I crumbled in a heap. My pulse was only 45! WTH and my temp was only 92 but I was hot! I guess I was wet from dumping water on myself, then we had a nice headwind off the ocean after mile 20 that was cold. It cooled me (although way too late). My Blood pressure was low but it usually is. They said my labs were whacked but did not tell me what that meant and I was hoarse and could not talk. Oh, that's the other thing, I lost my voice. NEVER has that happened! They gave me nearly 2L of IV fluid and Zofran to stop the vomiting through my IV. I wanted to leave because Chris had called and I knew he was mad, frustrated, and waiting with the kids. I got up to walk, vomited, and was told I had to stay. This happened another time when they told me to eat so I ate a blue chip for the food bag, vomited, and laid back down. Eventually, I pulled it together to get up and walk out of the tent. The Doctors and staff in the tent were amazing!! Very nice, very patient, very understanding.

Once outside, I had to somehow get home. My Dad helped me get to the train. Then Chris got on the other side and tried to help me down the stairs, up the stairs, to the train. Some lady gave up her seat on the train that was standing only after my dad yelled for someone to give up their seat (as I sat there holding my vomit bag. Nice huh). I made it back to the hotel and the hotel shuttle nicely (with $$) picked us up at the T station. :) I moaned through a quick shower and went to bed. I woke later STARVING but had no food. I snacked on whatever crackers we had in the room and dreamed about breakfast the next day.

Tuesday, after breakfast, we did whatever Boston sight seeing we could do before we had to take the hotel shuttle back to the airport. The hotel shuttle left at noon, so we left at noon even though our flight was at 4! Frustrating.

I ran the Boston Marathon. It was not the dream come true run for me, but I did achieve my dream of running it. I set out running my first marathon to Boston Qualify in 2014 and qualified on my second marathon 3 months later in 2014, beating my first time by 15 minutes in much better weather conditions. I need some time off to run Half Marathons. Maybe full marathons are not for me. I would love to PR and run Boston again. I know I have it in me. Maybe I will find a friend to run with me. :) Any takers?  Running Boston with a friend would be AMAZING! You may have to leave me to vomit at mile 17 though.

So all in all the Boston Marathon is a tough course. I did not feel the first part of the race being downhill. It seemed like rolling hills to me. I know the course dropped at 17 because there is a big drop there. Then big UPhills. Heartbreak hill is a big hill. It appeared steep to me, too. But, I was dizzy and could not tell you my name at that point, so don't ask me. There was nothing like coming in for a finish. If you run Boston, video that. I didn't do that but wish I had. That would have been cool.

So, for now, I am Krista13.1. Chris says I am a running addict and will not quit. Maybe he is right, I don't know yet. For now, I have a 10k planned with Alivia, who has her eyes set on running the Boston Marathon (no joke!). Maybe she will even run her first half with me this fall?!?!? Crazy right? She will be 12, so I have to check on the rules for sure. I am sure she could not it. But, she does get overheated. I hope to do 2 half marathons in the fall. I am not planning on 2017 yet. Who knows. Maybe a marathon. But I need a running mate. Any takers?

For now, my mantra is "I ran the Boston Marathon." Period.

BAA Marathon TAPER TIME!

That's right...I am officially on TAPER TIME!! Yesterday I ran my last long run, today my last hill repeat, and this week's "long run" is only 12 miles. SO EXCITED!

Friday I woke up with some knee pain. I wasn't sure what it was about but set out to run anyway. I only made it 5 steps. No go. As the day wore on, the pain was in my hip. I was heartbroken. How was I ever going to run?!

Saturday morning I woke up thinking, "I can do this." I got my fuel and set out. I was limping for 3 miles. It wasn't pretty or fast but I was moving. As I kept moving and my body warmed up, I no longer felt the pains. I was just running, fueling and listening to music. I was not as fast as I wanted to be but I was moving. YEAH!

Today was hill repeats. Again, my body was very sore on my right hip as I started and ran to warm up with a limp. By the second hill, I was warmed up and ready to go. The taper will hopefully help get rid of whatever is troubling me. I can only hope and pray.

I am going to run in the Boston Marathon. Funny, it's a dream come true yet at the same time I am scared to death. Hill after hill. Sounds like a major challenge. I am not looking for a personal record, I am looking to have fun and enjoy my one trip to Boston.

Boston, here I come!!

Boston Marathon Training

I started training for the 2016 Boston Marathon in January. Although this is my 4th Marathon, I forgot how much time training takes into living. Again, I am following a marathon plan of Hal Higdon's, this time specifically for the Boston Marathon. I am working on running rolling hills, up and down, and running a lot of them. I am working on distance, as I am up to running 19 miles this week (although the official plan says to run 1 hour 50 minutes). Next week is my first of 2 20 milers. yippee. The weather has been pretty nice, so I can hardly complain about this winter's training conditions for the most part. I have only fallen on the ice once, so that is a good thing I guess. Now, with these spring like conditions, I will be conditioning my body for perhaps warmer running conditions come race day. Next up, I need to condition my body to start running at 11 am! I am dreading this as that is so late in the day I will not get anything done. I am thinking I will run both of my 20 milers at 11 so I can see what works best to eat before I run since I will be running over the lunch hour (and then some). I have heard from others that the time of day messes with people because wrarely do people run then. I am sure I will be one of the last runners to start other than the ones running for charity.

Honestly, I am excited to run Boston. I do feel this is a one in a lifetime experience that I will get to share with my family. My goal is not to PR time, to PR by not vomiting for 4 hours afterwards and to enjoy the experience. If I can get Alivia to run 400 meters with me, I would be extra happy (so she can go home and say she ran IN the Boston Marathon. How cool would that be for an 11 year old?!?!).

When Boston is over, this girl is taking a break. A much needed marathon break. I hope to run maybe a half marathon in the fall, but I do not want to run any more full marathons for a while...a long while. I am spent. Who knows, I may even try to come up with a new way to get/stay in shape! I am looking forward to it!