What are the chances without specific training for hills and headwind?
What are the chances without specific training for hills and headwind?
PR @ Boston Hopeful wrote:
What are the chances without specific training for hills and headwind?
My PR is on the Boston course. Strange day, I didn't go to the line feeling particularly fit. But overcast skies allowed me to not worry about dehydration, and everything just clicked. Very often a cold sea breeze hits you in the face by Boston College. Don't think it happened that year. Full disclosure: I live 3 miles from the Newton Hills so I've certainly figured out how to run 'em. Ran Chicago several times, but always came away wondering why I couldn't finish faster.
Just need a good day, temperature wise. And not get a headwind day. So what are the chances of that?
My PR set at Boston held up for about 5 years. It was very cold but not windy = good day. My PR was not soft as it took 8 marathons to get it (was my first sub-3). Hills at Boston are really nothing if you live someplace, as I do, that allows you to run hills as an integral part of your training.
Yeah I did, but I trained hard enough (weekly hill repeats and speed work for 3.5 months). When I got to Boston for the race weekend, I did the bus tour of the course, watched the course video at the expo like 3 times (and that was after reading books about the race.) Knowing the course well helped.
Plus, the corral I was in was so congested, I couldn't go out too fast like everyone warns you for the first few miles. And, it was 2011; we had good weather. It's actually still my marathon PR.
Totally doable.
I would go out fast...I know this is against popular opinion but for me the downhills the last 10k suck so I'd rather blast through 20 and see if I can hold on.
Last year I pr'd at Boston by 3 minutes
2:36 NYC and 2:33 Boston
Both races were windy and less than ideal.
You can find a group to draft off and plenty of water to stay cool at Boston. Last year was warm and head wind. I did some heat adaption on treadmill over dressed and did a good job sitting in a group.
Good luck.
The two times I ran Boston I bombed in a bad way. Not used to real hills and didn't train for hills. My second Boston was 04 and it was hot as hell, total nightmare. I have much respect for any runner who qualified for Boston then PR's.
Not be a smart ass, yes. But then it again I only ran it once and PR'd my marathon time at that time.
Thanks for the advice. I am going for it... need to knock off 4 minutes if the weather is ideal. What coral were you in? I am in Wave 1, coral 6... hopefully it isn't too congested?
I ran my PW there in 2013 and my PR there in 2015. I'll be there this year, but not sure what to expect. I figure the pressure is off at this point.
This will be my first Boston. Goal pace is 6:45s but I'm also worried about the hills and weather. PR (2:56) came last year on a flat course and a longer training cycle.
I never did specific hill workouts, but several of my long runs and workouts were on a course with a gradual up on the way out and down the way back. I think the long downhill (about 5 miles long) helped the most.
What went wrong on my first Boston was the hype. The crowds, the sitting around for hours before the start, the jostling during the race and so on. The next time I ran it, I was mentally prepared for all that and was able to run more relaxed and therefore pacing was more even.
Not looking forward to sitting around, waiting in the crowd. I think I can keep nice even splits up until Newton, then I don't know if I should try to keep an even split on 17 and 21 or just plan on these miles being a little slower?
My PR is also from Boston. A pr is comes from not so much how strong you on Newton hills (then again as a new englanders those hills are not hard at all) but more so how well you can run the downhills.
If you haven't prepared all winter for the up and down of boston forget pr unless your PR is soft
It's amazing to me how hard this course has been made out to be, but I'll listen to you all.
My two fastest marathons were at Boston, with no special preparation other than good, hard training. That was probably before many of you were born (1987 and 1988).
PR @ Boston Hopeful wrote:
It's amazing to me how hard this course has been made out to be, but I'll listen to you all.
Boston isn't necessarily a hard course but it will amplify any mistakes you make early on in the race. The hills didn't bother me but there were quite a few guys on the ground clutching their hamstrings.
I set a pr when I ran it in 2006. That year had awesome weather. I've since bettered my pr by close to 20 minutes.
I set a pretty big PR at Boston in 2011, the year of the gale force tailwind. Although I was happy with the PR, I was kind of peeved that I would probably never be able to match my time on a legit course. I ran Chicago later that year, and sure enough I ran slower than in Boston.
This motivated me to up the mileage and start training harder. I ran Boston again in 2012, obviously much slower than the previous year due to the heat. But I kept plugging away at the mileage and finally managed to set a new PR in Chicago later that year.
Can anyone compare the hills at Boston to the ones at Peachtree? It's my only reference point. I found the Peachtree hills to be pretty taxing. I fell off pace there.
If you want to PR, get a couple runs in this week practicing crushing long down hills. Do not show up to the race unprepared for the long down hills in the first 5 miles. Those hills, not the Newton/Heartbreak Hills, are what make or break you.
PR = Boston '91
Best marathon ever = Boston '11. Negative split by 31 seconds
Both good weather years
Worst marathon experience = Boston '12
Bad weather year
Weather is key with any marathon but I also agree with Western mass runner on being able to run well (and smart) down hill is a valuable asset at Boston.