Where everybody knows your name....

Well, my second boston marathon is complete and even though I'm a little disappointed with the results, I know where I need to improve. I ended up getting very dehydrated at the end of the race and my stomach was pretty upset around mile 23. Here are a few observations:

The conditions were great for running a marathon. It got a little too sunny towards the end of my race but otherwise, very nice.

I started out WAAAAAAAAAAY to fast. I ran 11:30 min/mile pretty consistantly for the first 15 miles or so. I thought I would lose some time over the Newton Hills but then be able to pick it back up over the last five miles. But when I got to 22 I had nothing left in the tank. And when I say nothing, I mean nothing! There were times I felt like getting on one of the buses they had at the medical tents but I pushed through. I ran the second half 39 minutes slower than the first half.

I've often seen runners put their names on thier shirts so people can cheer their name when they run by. I had never given it much thought but when I was hanging out with the Hopkinton Running Club at the old town hall before the race, they had some stick on letters there so I put my name on my shirt. For about 90% of the race it was AMAZING!! It's like having thousands of people there just for you to cheer you on. Towards the end of the race though, it got tough to hear the shouts of encouragement when I was dying out there. I just wanted it to be over.

The training was a success because I feel pretty good today, other than some sore quads and a few spots that chaffed during the race.

So here's where I went wrong:

More hydration (water) during the taper especially the final week/three days.
Start slooooooower
Should have walked the water stops.

Hopefully I can build on this as I'm going to probably be doing another marathon in the fall.

Thanks for your support and those who followed my blog.